Comments on: Early Age Desexing and Incontinence

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 06:28:37 +0000

Hi Andrew. Thank you for this information. We got my dog from a rescue organization in Townsville, Queensland. She was 13 weeks old when we got her and were told she had been desexed at 10 weeks of age due to the “backyard breeding” issues here. I was 19 years old at the time and impulsively wanted to save a young dog from being put down. Well, come 5/6 months of age Bella is potty trained but still has “accidents” where she was just laying down and peeing. This was only once in a while so we ignored it due to a bigger issue at hand. Bella was lame in her front right elbow. Took her to the vet and turns out she has quite severe elbow dysplasia (FCP) in both elbows. She had surgery to clean them out in September at 9 months old. Surgery didn’t go well, it didn’t help a lot and she continued limping for almost 12 weeks post-op. During this post-op period, I heard her hips making popping sounds as she would walk. We found out at 10 months old she had severe hip dysplasia in both hips as well. It was too far progressed to have a TPO done. We put Bella into physiotherapy and 3x weekly swim sessions, along with pain medication and limited exercise. We have continued on this regimen for months and it seems she is not limping as she used to and is living a somewhat-pain free life. Since her elbow surgery, her incontinence issue has also gotten progressively worse. They believed it could be ectopic ureters but I believe it’s from Bella being desexed too young. We are continuing to figure out what the best course of action for this issue is. It seems to be that Bella is the by product of poor breeding, bad genetics, and being desexed too young. I love her with all of my heart and am so grateful for the time I will have with her. I am doing my best, and I am continuing to research the best way to manage Bella’s health. Thank you for publishing this article.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 01:38:38 +0000

In reply to raymond seal. Hi Raymond. An exemption to 12 months should not be a problem for your vet. Note though that if you follow the link for giant breeds, they are not at such a great risk as large and medium sized dogs. The reason is probably that they do not get hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament problems as commonly.

By: raymond seal

raymond seal — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 03:49:06 +0000

hi there , while doing a search, i have a cane corso 22 weeks old male… im worried about his future as being in sa mandatory desexing… the way im reading your article i am in the view off waiting to at least 12 months plus. im going to try to get a vet exeption medical grounds…any advice you can give me,, i dont want him to grow massive then have hip problems.. he is a pet and spoilt family member whos quality off life is first thought thank ray

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 15:58:12 +0000

In reply to Andrew. Thanks, Andrew. Upon more reflection, I think knowing that the breeder (who is registered) desexes her dachshund puppies rather than going to more effort to check out who is going to buy her puppies has put me off. I offered to drive 1.5 hours just to meet her and didn’t get a clear ‘yes’, so I think I’ll ring the dachshund club and ask them for a different recommendation. I might need to wait longer for a puppy, but I’ve decided, even if she allowed my one puppy not to be desexed early, I don’t want to support that breeder. Thanks

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 00:22:23 +0000

In reply to Jenny. Hi Jenny. I’m sorry I don’t have anything I could supply to you. I always hope in these cases though that the compelling health advantages of late desexing in Dachshunds would be enough to change these sorts of attitudes.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 15:05:36 +0000

This is a really useful article. I’ve been following a breeder’s social media for months, I am on her waiting list & became attached to the idea of getting a dachshund puppy from her, but then she disclosed that she desexes the puppies at 2 months of age. I could start anew on a different waiting list, but that’s frustrating. She said her trust has been broken in the past and she does it to protect her puppies. However, like your article says, it’s a deal breaker for me. While desexing 50 puppies across the next 5 years might stop any of them from being misused and bred, I don’t believe it’s best for any individual puppy. My preliminary reading suggests that 10-12 months would be a better age for desexing a dachshund. I offered to get her a letter of reference and didn’t get a yes or a no to that, we’re in limbo, but you mention offering to sign a legal agreement. Is there a sample of the paperwork for a legal agreement that you could link to, or is a solicitor needed? Thank you, Jenny

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 09 May 2020 10:20:32 +0000

In reply to Chetan hegde. I have added a link to the end of the reference

By: Chetan hegde

Chetan hegde — Fri, 08 May 2020 13:02:05 +0000

Please send copy of 2017 journal

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 09:53:28 +0000

In reply to Ann. Hi Ann. I always advise to give preference to behaviour over joints when choosing the right age for desexing, as in the long run it’s going to matter more. Therefore I would get him done soon. Being small, it’s probably not such a bad age for correct joint development anyway.

By: Ann

Ann — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 08:31:44 +0000

Is exactly five months ok for desexing a very small breed dog who just started marking territory by lifting his leg, and has become suddenly taller? Is there still too much risk for his joints, or is discouraging him making the marking a habit still worth desexing at five months and not six?