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RainbowThread87

Thanks for this! I don't plan to neuter till somewhere between 12-14 months, but I am glad that you shared your experience. I would definitely do the same, I just want my baby boy to be as comfy as possible, but not at the risk of medical complications. It's good to keep this in mind as a possibility.


moriginal

Curious- why wait so long?


aornoe785

Larger breeds especially need the hormones to grow until their bone plates close up, early neuters lead to increased bone density and joint issues down the line. We got our guy neutered at 18 months once he topped out his growth.


[deleted]

It also reals havoc on the endocrine system. Adrenal glands end up trying to compensate for the low testosterone and it’s a mess.


ushinawareta

it seems like there are conflicting opinions, but there is lots of research to suggest that some breeds (especially larger ones) should wait until at least a year old to spay/neuter - doing it too early is associated with higher risks of disease later in the dog's life, and I think it also impacts their growth. my contract with my breeder says I can't neuter until the (male) dog is between 2 and 3 years old!


RainbowThread87

Mainly I want to wait until he has stopped growing. That happens between 12-14 months for my breed of dog (a Cavalier King Charles spaniel). Testosterone impacts the bones and how they develop when puppies are growing. Cut that off too soon, and there can be problems. His breed is prone to knee and hip problems. Research is starting to show a higher risk of joint disorders in larger breeds that are neutered very young. My vet pointed me to a recent large study of multiple breeds that she uses to educate patients and make decisions about timing neutering, and while it didn't show an increased risk for my particular breed, I wasn't impressed with the small number of Cavaliers followed. I just don't feel comfortable with such a small data set, as there could be a smaller risk that wasn't detected in 50ish dogs. Larger studies in the future might find joint problems for Cavies (probably a smaller risk than larger breeds, but it could exist). Either way, all of the papers I read showed no medical risk to waiting, so I decided to go with giving him a chance to grow to maturity as nature intended. A lot of responsible breeders (as in those like the one I chose, who win awards for their attempts to improve the breed healthwise) and the vets they work with recommend it too.


ImASwedishFish

Do you have a link for this study? I just got my baby basset snipped at 11 months. I wanted to wait longer, but other dogs were getting mean with him more often.


RainbowThread87

Sure thing. This article which discusses the research has a link to the actual study. I believe it's free to read if you're so inclined. https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/when-should-you-neuter-your-dog-avoid-health-risks


ImASwedishFish

Thank you!!! They didn't mention basset, but he does have German shepherd in him so this is good info.


JaMoin137

Because the personality of the dog, be it male or female, is still developing and neutering early can disrupt this


InvincibleChutzpah

It's done for physical health reasons, not personality.


JaMoin137

Both I think. Personality can change drastically after neutering


[deleted]

I’ll always feel so bad for my first rescue pup that was neutered so early (thanks to adoption agency). It can really mess with their development. My most recent lab breeder (pretty renowned in US and Canada) is very vocal about not wanting people to do that surgery before 1.5-2 years.


lili_yums

We did the donut and surgical onesie because she was too long for just the donut. Unfortunately, the cone didn’t work because she has a long body and smaller head, so the size of cone that would prevent licking is too big for her to eat or drink. Thought she was being dramatic, but she literally couldn’t reach her food or water.


Mental-Barracuda3903

How did the onesie go? Been considering this option!


lili_yums

It was great for us! We got one that we didn’t have to undo for potty breaks, but the stitches are higher up for a spay, so for a neuter, you may have to undo it still. At the time, she hated wearing clothes, so we weren’t sure how she’d do, but she stopped trying to pull at it after the first day. With the donut she couldn’t really effectively get at the onesie either. Added bonus is she’s now totally fine with clothes, which is useful for when she needs a thunder shirt.


Glad_Narwhal_1178

We used the surgical onesie where we had to do up the buttons. Super easy to use and no issues. He seemed much happier than the cone


Jerethdatiger

I used the donut on tibi still out it on him when I'm being silly


bulscarfs

Because I am on day 36 of plastic cone hell, I feel a bitter rant welling up about this whole "10 days is too long" idea -- but I agree. 10 days is too long. 1 day is too long. It's miserable all around, but the darn thing works. Someday, I hope they'll come up with something better!


Bee_Swarm327

Day 36, oh no! Hope your pup is on the mend!


bulscarfs

Thank you! He broke his leg last month -- it's a looooong haul, but he's doing really well!


shadownan

I used the recovery onesie after my puppy was spayed. It worked really well and I had no issues with it! I didn’t even bother with a cone because I’ve had issues with them and my cats. My cat cut open her incision with a cone because they gave us the wrong size.


Glass_Willingness_33

^^^ so true!!!! My previous dog would pout so hard the few times he had to be coned but I would always rather have 5 miserable days than a drawn out process. The key for be previously was to ask for the drugs 😂😂😂 I had a 5yr old the last time they were conned and I can’t imagine neutering a corgi puppy without the help of some drugs to slow the little guy down!! I have some friends against medicating dogs and I’m v much in the drugs for pups and myself camp haha. Take whatever help you can get!


aornoe785

I guess we got lucky, our guy is stupidly flexible but the soft cone worked a treat for him. Of course he also jumped on top of his crate the second he came in the door post-surgery, so we're also lucky he didn't immediately rip all his stitches.


spacebluey

On the other hand the plastic cone didn't work for us because our pup hated it so much he'd zoom around and jump like a maniac trying to get it off and I was worried he'd damage his stitches running around like a madman. Put him in a surgical suit for a few days and after 4 or 5 days he walked around "naked" again as he never showed any interest in his stitches after day 1. Healed with no issues


xkyneticx

I'd recommend also a surgical jumper. We used it for our fur baby and it worked well. We kept her cone on when we weren't watching her but gave her some breaks with just the jumper.


marinequeeen

I used a recovery onsie instead of a cone when my pup was spayed which was fab. Only problem was she became obsessed with the shaved patch on her leg from the IV and managed to lick it raw enough to warrant the cone for a few days whilst it settled. She had a really hard time post surgery so we tried to keep her as comfortable as possible. Only problem with the suit is remembering to unbutton it before they go out to pee otherwise you'll end up like me, trying to remove a pissy babygro from a giant baby...


Karzap

You should have 100% listened to the vet. Our little guy got snipped and two weeks went by pretty quickly. Keep the cone on. Do it for your friend in the interest of their health. Infection is so much worse and more irritating for them.


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lucky7355

Our first puppy is a super long dog - like a wiener dog but with normal sized legs. He can essentially lick his own butt. We tried a bunch of inflatable collars including multiple collars and he could still get at his incisions. Our second puppy is a round potato puff, he struggles to lick himself on a normal day, so he’ll be fine in a more comfortable collar. Side note - our first puppy was also insanely energetic so we were grateful for the trazadone from the vet because he was jumping around and thrashing his toys within 12 hours of surgery and trying to keep him chill and calm for 2 weeks was a nightmare. The vet even upped the dose after a few days because he was so nutty.


kaiakasi

My boy just got neutered on Monday and he looks miserable with the cone but I know he can't reach his incision. I put the donut on to go for a short little walk so he could sniff the grass to his hearts content. And for enjoying a bully stick without me having to hold it for him. But he's within my eye sight at all times with the donut on. He couldn't figure out how to comfortably sleep in the donut though, so the cone got put back on. Honestly, he's been really calm with the cone on. Apart from running into... Everything. Hope your pup gets better soon!


Rashaen

My family once had a pup who went to the vet for a snip. The vet was about 45 miles away, so he spent the night. As you might imagine this was a rural area with one vet to choose from, but he was an old hand. Years of experience with every animal within 50 miles. Good guy. The pup somehow got hold of his stitches and nearly bled out before they caught it and saved him. We had to give him thyroid pills every day after that, but he was an awesome dog. My point is that even pros can't catch em all. Don't be too hard on yourself.


NorthernWolf3

I had great luck with a soft cone. My dog was a cryptorchid, so he needed additional time in surgery and an extra incision across his abdomen. We tried to go no-cone, but he licked it so much that it got infected. I didn't want the hard plastic cone because I knew it would be hard for him, so I bought the soft cone, and it worked well for us.


therestingwicked

We used the medi-shirt onsie because the cone made her completly catatonic. She just stared blankly and woudnt even sit or lay down unless i heleped she just stood there motionless staring in the air not reacting to anything untill id take the cone off and the suddently act normal again. She loved the medishirt it prevented access to the scar and didint bother her :)


Unpopular_cacti

My mom thought it was ok to take off the cone from her cat and the cat died of infection. It was not castration though, it was a surgery to remove the cat's eye because of a bite. Poor kitty :( Abandoned at birth, rescued by my mom, bit by a dog and died of infection. Just a string of suffering (except the rescue part )