Neutering/"No balls"/dew claws

[TazTalk]

Our 5-month old male has not beem neutered yet and his "balls" have not dropped. Has anyone been in this situation? I get conflicting info from vets about how to handle this.

Also, what about removing dew claws at time of neutering?

Woof!!

[rileyboy]

Mine is 4 months old and he is still intact too. Our vet and the breeder told me that it can be 7 months or more before they totally drop so no concern. Even if they don't ever drop, I guess it is not a big deal as long as you are getting him fixed. It requires an operation but nothing major to fix the problem if they don't drop. So no worry yet. When you make arrangements to get him neutered, then just deal with it then. T-

[TazTalk]

Thanks Riley Boy. I think we will get him neutered in Jan and they can look for his 'balls" then.

Are you planning to have the dew claws removed? I have a 12 year old Cairn that injured her dew claws 3 times, but the 14 year old we lost this year never had a problem. Since Taz is pretty crazy (more than the other 2 were as puppies), I thought it might be best to remove them. But, one vet told me they will not remove them -- they said it's too invasive - like removing a finger. Other vets will do it.

[mercymoon]

Umm, my boy is 4 months and I haven't really payed much attention to his berries, LOL!

Most dog owners who opt to have their dog's dewclaws removed have it done at

the same time as the dog's spay or neuter surgery. That way, there is only one

time going under the anesthesia, only one period of time for recovery, only one

visit to the vet (and only one office charge).

[kjwarnold]

Kirby (6 mos.) was just neutered yesterday. You'd never know it by the way he's running around here today. In fact, the vet told us Kirby practically jumped off the table when they were done. He really wanted t ocome home.

As for dew claws, Kirby had his removed as a very young puppy, within the first week, I think. When they're older, our vet doesn't recommend taking them off unless they run through brush or do things regularly that would catch and tear the dew claws. He said it's kind of like cutting off your thumbs by that time. Yes, they're under anesthesia, but it's not nearly as easy as when they're very young. Our Packy (4 yrs. old) does have his dew claws. I wish he didn't have them, but I'm not going to put him through the pain of removing them now.

[Greg P]

From a bone / skeletal developmental point of view, research is showing the optimal time for neutering is about 1 year of age. It gives the pup the chance complete his / her normal bone development. Neutering too early is resulting in longer leg growth. Orthopedic vets are finding there is a direct correlation between early neutering/spaying and ACL tears in the knee.

We learned this from our orthopedic vet who repaired our girl's ACL.

This is something to consider especially if there interest in performance.

Article: http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

Also, as for dewclaws, have the vet remove them whenever the dog is under for most any procedure. Kula's were removed at 8 years when her ACL was repaired. I don't know if I would put a dog under for dewclaws, but if they are under for something else, it's always a good time. Most good breeders will have dewclaws removed on all pups on their first health checkup.

[TazTalk]

Thanks Greg P. Interesting that several vets have told me 6 months is ideal to neuter. I have a female 12 year old Cairn that was spayed at 5 or 6 months and she ended up tearing her ACL when she was 9. So, maybe there is a correlation there! Now I am thinking I will wait a little longer to neuter (rather than do it in Jan. when he will be 6 months). My 12 year old has also injured her dew claws 3 different times -- that is why I was thinking of having Taz's removed. But, I'm hesitant to do this, the more I hear.

[Greg P]

Personally I don't see any down side to waiting for at least a year. While there is huge empasis (rightfully so) on canine birth control, if an owner is responsible enough to neuter at 6 months, they're responsible enough at 12 months. We've completely "re-thunk" the the issue regarding age since we went thorugh the ACL repair and given this information from our O.V. The benefits of waiting could be a more sound cairn, especially as they move on to their senior years.

[boats85]

I had Skipper's dewclaws removed while he was under for neutering, the only problem I encountered was the bandages, keeping them dry for three days. I used the bitter spray on bandages to keep from being chewed on. Then a quick visit to have stitch removed

[rileyboy]

I too recently heard that it is best to wait until about a year old but I am concerned about Riley spraying and marking territory in the house. My home is just and average home but I am somewhat anal about it being clean so if he starts marking I will go crazy. I have heard that once you neuter they tend to not do that. I don't know if that is true or not.

[jodi0553]

Currey was neutered at 5 months. We were advised by a trainer to go early because of some very nasty dominant behavior he was displaying both to other dogs and me; he flattened other smaller dogs with quite some nasty snarls and had marked both me and other dogs on several occasions. At a previous appointment, one had dropped but not the other. At the time of the surgery, both were back "up". Apparently they were up in an unusual place as well and the vet reported that she had to go "searching" for them. Anyway, it cost us $150 extra and he was down for a couple days. She basically gave us instructions for spaying post-op care rather than the neutering ones, so it was only about as invasive as a spaying surgery.

[Greg P]

I too recently heard that it is best to wait until about a year old but I am concerned about Riley spraying and marking territory in the house. My home is just and average home but I am somewhat anal about it being clean so if he starts marking I will go crazy. I have heard that once you neuter they tend to not do that. I don't know if that is true or not.

Yes, people often say this......

I believe (inside the house) intact male marking syndrome is a hand that is grossly overplayed.

We have a mature, intact male. We have other intact males come into our house, often. We keep all visitors behind baby gates on hardwood floors and away from the carpets. We simply do not have a marking problem from the males inside our house. If we have any concern at all, the visitor gets a belly band. If they prove trustworthy (and the generally are), they earn the priviledge of going without. And, 85% of the intact males get along without supervision except when a female is in heat.

Now, the neutered females are another thing. Those "bit_hes" are sneaky, prolific markers!

The ONLY time we come close to a marking problem with Kona (intact male) is when there is a female in season. We keep a belly band on him during seasons.

Our spayed female Kula, and her spayed and intact female visitors often engage in pissing contests while I'm screaming behind them with the cleaner!

Intact mature males are often more trustworthy than mature females (intact or neutered) when it comes to inside marking.

[sheila and Misty]

I was in the same decision making situation-there are topics around this forum on both claws and testicles-Toby was concidered cryptorcid(one testicle hadnt dropped) dont schedual neutering untill hes 6going on 7 mo theres still a chance they will drop in time-Tobys did about 2 weeks ago! yay! if theyre stuck-they will still neuter him but it cost an extra $150. per testical to serch for them. no not much harder on the dog just your pocket -and I would have only taken off the dew claws if they were loose and flappy -but decided not to because he in fact had little bones and they were attached ( concidered then amputation) Its not any harder to trim those thenthe others and they use them alot. you just have to trim them a bit more than the others because they wont wear done on their own(dont really hit the ground) -if you go to a groomer or vet just remember to point out they do in fact have dew claws you want trimmed too! If you go for the removal-Its a long healing process and its a hassel to keep the bandages on and you cant get them wet and they are uncomfortable at both ends-I decided no and have had no problems. I am having him chipped the same time of the neutering tho . hope this was helpfull. oh and just because it costs more if the testicles dont drop-dont decide to leave them in-its too risky for cancer because it will be undetectable then. safer and less chance of larger bills in the future sould a problem arise.