There are many valid reasons to neuter your puppy, however early neutering can cause
problems. All puppies need normal hormonal development for normal growth, therefore they SHOULD NOT be neutered before 12 months of age.
Once puppy has been through puberty they have received the necessary hormones to activate their proper bone development and it is THEN safe to have your Scottie neutered.
Early sterilisation often leads to abnormal bone growth and development. Studies have shown that prepubescent neutered dogs grew significantly taller than their non sterilised counterparts, leading to higher rates of ACL rupture and hip dysplasia.
It has now been discovered that rather than saving our dogs from various cancers, early neutering has been found to be a contributing factor in the incidence of various tutors and cancers.
It has also been found to increase the incidence of behavioural problems like:
Noise phobias
Fearful behaviours
Aggression
Undesirable sexual behaviour
Risks versus Benefits of Early Sterilization
Every important decision in life comes with pros and cons.
As responsible animal guardians, we owe it to our pets to make the best health choices we can for them.
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As responsible members of society, we owe it to our communities to proactively protect our intact pets from unplanned breeding at all costs.
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Clearly, there are health benefits to be derived from waiting until after puberty to spay or neuter your dog.
There are also risks associated with owning an intact, maturing pet.
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How seriously you take your responsibility as a pet owner is the biggest determining factor in how risky it is to leave your dog intact until he or she matures. If you are responsible enough to absolutely guarantee your unsterilized pet will not have the opportunity to mate, I would encourage you to wait until your pet is past puberty to spay or neuter.
If you are unable to absolutely guarantee you can prevent your dog from mating and adding to the shameful, tragic problem of pet overpopulation, then I strongly encourage you to get your animal sterilized as soon as it's safe to do so.
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Your Scottie should be old enough to be a balanced individual both physically and mentally. This balance isn't achieved until they have reached at least 10 to 12 months of age.