really, really, early spay!!

[Taffychoc]

Attended puppy class last night with Smudge and the leader got around to talking to us about neutering our dogs... all the whys and wherefores, etc. Well, there is a lovely Australian Labradoodle the same age as Smudge in the class and her owner told us that the breeder had her spayed when she was 8 WEEKS OLD!!! I was absolutely gobsmacked I didn't think that sort of thing went on in this Country. The class leader said she has heard of that before and it is usually because the breeder doesn't want anyone to breed with their dogs and this way they are ensuring it 100%. But what will the consequences of such an early spay be on this poor pup???

[_Mary_]

I`m surprised the vet even agreed to spay at 8 weeks old, no idea what kind of problems if any thats likely to throw up for dog or owner in the future.

[AmyCS]

That just makes me quite angryl really.... It sounds to me like a way of making sure that the price for labradoodle pups stays high (I believe a labradoodle pup fetches in the region of £1,500 which is really quite barmy given that they are, basically, a crossbreed, not that they're not lovely dogs, and I have nothing against crossbreeds at all). I can't imagine it's very good for the pup at all . There are other ways of ensuring that people don't breed from their pups if such a clause is a condition of sale - like a contract... rather than making a tiny pup undergo such an operation and presumably never actually reaching sexual maturity.

[tjlab]

We have a client of our kennels who has 3 doodles, one an Australian Doodle, and all 3 of them were castrated at 6 weeks, all from the same breeder, a lady in Wales. I have to say all 3 boys are lovely and have no problems or hang ups at all. But I personally do not agree with doing the deed so early.

Funnily enough Jules and I had this conversation about the same breeder the other day!!

I wonder if the one at your training group is from that very same breeder??

Trace x

[_Jules_]

Australian Labradoodles, or Australian Service Dogs as they are now called, are a registered breed in Australia. There have been several imported over here and as part of that agreement, all pedigree pups from these dogs must be De-sexed before being sold. I think if the breeder wants to keep a pup back for future breeding this has to be agreed to by the breeder who exported the dog in the first place, or their Kennel Club, or something. I know there are a lot of restrictions on breeding from these dogs but I'm not sure of the details.

As for the consequences for these pups, I'm not sure what to think. I personally would NEVER have a pup de-sexed, or even neutered before it is a young adult, however this practise is commonplace in Australia and the USA. I know there are some vets over here who will happily spay/castrate from 8-12 weeks old, as I know of one who does this on a regular basis pretty local to me. Part of me thinks, if there is money in it for the vet, then they don't worry about the consequences but then again I haven't read any reports saying these dogs suffer any lifelong problems either, so who knows.

[_Jules_]

[sue51]

I am 99% certain our local RSPCA neuters pups before they leave

Interesting Jules about Australian Doodles Jules - really I guess it is the only way to actually stop the owners breeding on.

I know if dogs are exported from the UK, even without an export pedigree, any breeding endorsements become null and void.

I don't think it is any secret I don't approve of deliberate cross-breeds, but in the same breath, I am not convinced I agree with this practice either - it does make you wonder why they are doing it

a) Protecting their breeding lines to stop irresponsible breeding?
b) Keep the price of pups artificially high?

one good, one bad - mmmmm

[Goldentouch]

[AmyCS]

I guess if it means that there's no puppy farming involved then that has to be a positive. On the other hand, what's to stop someone breeding a giant poodle with a labrador and hey presto - Labradoodle - and claiming it's an Australian one. Heaven knows there are dozens and dozens of adverts online for so called "designer dogs".... Cavapoos being one... and all asking huge quantities for them. I know when I was researching different puppy breeds and seeing what was out there I was stunned at the different "options" available (in the end the good old KC website provided us with Mojo).

On the RSPCA neutering puppies before they leave... I'm quite shocked if that's true. I was under the impression that they provided a voucher scheme by which you pay for your rescue dog, and then when the pup reaches sexual maturity you can bring it back for it to be spayed/castrated... I know that's what happened with a friend of mine and I believe the same is true of kittens.

[Basil]

I was going to ask if perhaps the new puppyowner was confused about what a spay was....but clearly not