**Road's End Papillons- established in 2006
**We are advocates of raw-, fresh, "human-grade food" for our canine friends .
And:
we follow limited vaccination guidelines.
**Please note that Road's End available Papillons are
only to be seen by clicking on the AVAILABLE page, unless mentioned otherwise

Monday, October 8, 2012

When to Spay, Neuter Papillon, Phalene Dogs

The question of when to spay or neuter our beloved Papillon Dogs pops up frequently, and here are some thoughts to it:

I hear that some people get advised to neuter their dog  already at the age of 12 weeks; but my advice, even though I am not a veterinarian, is to wait with your little girl or boy until it reaches the age of 6-10 months, pending on the individual development, body weight, and over-all stamina of your puppy.
The hormones our dogs produce are in every aspect necessary for their development.
Here are some case- scenarios I came across, or heard of, when the little puppy girl, or boy was neutered before being sexual mature:

  • Girls (bitches) may "dribble" constantly at a later age, because the urethra did not have a chance to develop properly, and the appropriate muscles are not able to control the urine.
  • Boys (dogs) tend to grow too much leg than they should, their chest may stay narrow, under-developed. And they may have problems with urinary stones because their urethra is also underdeveloped, hence not large enough.