Should young puppies be fixed

Should young puppies be fixed?=

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&nbs= p; It seems the decision of when to spay or neuter a pet continues to be a point = of much controversy between pet owners and veterinary professionals across the country. I regularly hear fro= m new pet owners that receive a new puppy that has been “fixed” alrea= dy and are concerned because their veterinarian has told them that a dog should never be “fixed” before it is six months of age. So when is an “ideal” = time to spay/neuter your pet? The = answer to that may not be as simple as it sounds.=

&nbs= p; With the continuing pressure from the press, daytime TV shows, and the HSUS (Hum= ane Society), more and more professional pet breeders are offering to spay/neut= er pets that they are selling prior to shipment. This can be a real win-win situati= on with new pet owners. First, t= he typical price of an ovario-hysterectomy (spay) anywhere in the US othe= r than the mid-west can range from $150-$500+.&nb= sp; The new owner often will be very excited that you offer a pet that h= as already had the procedure done prior to shipment for a much lesser cost than what they will have to pay from their veterinarian. Secondly, anytime that an animal is placed under anesthesia there are some minimal risk to the life of the animal. Though the risk is mi= nimal, there is a possibility that this new pet could go to its new home, be taken= to the new owner’s veterinarian, and have complications during the surgi= cal procedure. Many times these n= ew owners will call you wanting to know what you can do about this. By offering to have these procedur= es done prior to shipment you personally take the risk of surgical complicatio= ns but you have the comfort of having the procedure done by your veterinarian = that you trust and typically at a fraction of the cost the new owner will have to pay.

&nbs= p; Many people have heard stories about why a pet should not be neutered younger th= an six months. Did you know that= the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), AAHA (American Animal Hospi= tal Association), AKC, & HSUS all = SUPPORT early spay/neuter of your pet.&nbs= p; So why do many veterinarians refuse to do young pets? I believe that it is due to the co= mfort level of that veterinarian. I= s it wrong that they refuse to do a pet until it is six months? No, it is just what they are comfo= rtable doing. I am a big proponent of early spay/neuter. The benefi= ts to the puppy of the early spay/neuter are numerous. I have seen thousands of neuters b= etween 6-10 weeks of age do great through life and never have any medical complications. I have seen ma= ny pups that are spayed between 7-12 weeks of age that become super well behaved do= gs with no medical complications. So, I would ask, can you do your part to help control pet overpopulation by offering pets that have been spayed or neutered? The benefits go far beyond just additional revenue for you, they can help continue to show how responsible professional pet breeders are. There are too many other benefits to mention about early spay and ne= uter but you can find some really interesting thoughts about this at: http://earlyspayneuter.blogsp= ot.com