[GSDS4Life]

Originally Posted by Todd

There are risks of nuetering an older dog but it depends on the condition/shape the dog is in. If it is a fairly healthy 10 year old dog I think things should be fine. If the dog is in poor shape (overweight, other medical conditions, etc) it may not be such a good idea. Depends on the individual situation. Also depends on the breed. Smaller breeds live longer generally so 10 for an italian greyhound for instance is quite different than a 10 year old great dane.

Exactly Todd.

As long as the dog is healthy, then there shouldn't be an issue. Hence why testing is done by the vet to make sure. Rescues do it all the time. And so does the spca. My inlaws just rescued an 8 year old golden. Jasper was spayed a week before they got her. And she is a bery happy healthy fuzzbutt.

Originally Posted by gambler-girl

PS: Oh the part about about fixing at 6 months I do not agree with I just couldn't be that agreeable...lol

And that's fine. that is your opinion. All my dogs have been done at 6 months. They are healthy and very happy. And no it did not make a difference in their growth as people seem to think.

BreakfastAtTiffany's how are things going?

[Yogi]

I agree with GSDS4LIFE on this. To first note, smaller breeds do not necessarily live longer. This is a myth that has been around for years. If you look up breed information you will see many small breeds have spans comparable to large breeds.
The unfortunate problem with neutering males after they have learned to mark is that it is now a conditioned habit. Neutering does rarely stop this problem.
The emphasis on 6 months neutering is that if prevents the marking from even starting as the male has yet to come into his own. Thus does not miss what he never had.
My contracts require neuter and spay at 6 months. I have never in all my years in rescue or breeding had any health problems or growth problems from this practice. Nor have farmers I know who have been neutering farm animals at 8 to 10 weeks. Which has been done for generations.
There is far too many websites out there that continue to throw out opinions that people find easy to believe when in fact it does not provide actual proof only speculation. The same way people seem so quick to assume that small dogs live longer than large ones. If that were the case then how did my 170lbs Mal/Wolf live to 16?. According to these sites, he should not have come close to this age.
Genetics plays a lot in the makeup including life expectancy. So does activity level of the breed, stress level, overall health. These are factors in determining the longevity of a breed. Not whether it is large or small. High energy small breeds on average have a shorter life expectancy than small breeds that due not carry a high energy level.
I have had dogs at 16 neutered that came to me. No ill effects as pointed out, testing is done prior to rule out problems. Even at this age. In the case of this one, marking a new room is not a surprise. Because even when moving from one room to the next, a male will mark territory. Even if moving back into a prior one, if the scent is no longer there it is very likely going to mark it, eventually.

[GSDS4Life]

And lets not forget about pregnancies. A female can come into heat as young as 5 months. I fostered a pregnant 7 month old Beagle. That is just so very wrong. A pup having pups. Lucky all pups were healthy. They were also s/n at 8 weeks. They are healthy happy and 5 years old now.

I adopted my cats at 8 weeks. They were fixed the day before I picked them up. Again, healthy and happy at 6 1/2 and 7 years old.

Originally Posted by Yogi

The emphasis on 6 months neutering is that if prevents the marking from even starting as the male has yet to come into his own. Thus does not miss what he never had.

Exactly.