It’s compulsory with any rescue dog down here. A few fellow fosterers on the Labradoodle FB page are saying how crook their mature age dogs are feeling after the chop. Seems the older dogs were kept for breeding obviously. Jasper looks and acts like a pup now in “freedom” but being a year old he must have been kept in the farm for just one reason.
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Second answer BF. I think it started with cats due to killing the native wildlife. Then the “rescue” centres and homes came to the idea to make it dogs as well.
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From memory, there is a minimum age for desexing. IDK whether there is a maximum age or whether it varies between breeds.
Unscrupulous breeders from nearly day one if they don’t want customers breeding. We bought 2 German Shepherds when we first came here and never realised that one of the pups was a “no nuts”. It was the vet that pointed it out. Otherwise it must be 8 to 12 weeks minimum and anything up to 2 years max from what I gather. But don’t quote me on that.
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I understand that and the same applies here. In my view it is an outdated concept, but I do get that not all dog owners are responsible and dogs need care and training.
We worked with a vet pharma company in Sydney who made a contraceptive for dogs. No market in Australia but massive in Europe and growing in USA. Yearly injection, seems more civilised than cutting off a dogs nuts. I guess it gets me that we pamper dogs and spend massive sums on them but think it is fine to butcher them because a Vet says it is ok. Reckon there are many blokes who should have their knackers removed before dogs, and same applies for lady dogs.
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Hey, I’m with you. We’re just fostering Jasper, will probably keep him, and Fergus was nutted as a pup before we got him. But if you get a dog from the pound then that’s what you get. Sad state of affairs but it is what it is.
Great pics of Jasper! Really living a great life, well done to the Hammers.
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As most here know by now, I’ve two pedigree black labrador bit¢hes. They’re entire, both of them. Five days apart in age, but they came from different breeders. One breeder didn’t mind selling me a six-week old entire puppy; the other objected until I said I wanted to breed, so she left the pup unspayed - for an additional sum of money.
For various reasons, unlike their predecessors, I never put either of them to a dog; they’re 11 years old now, so they’re too old to have pups. Over the years I’ve come to believe that if you have a dog or a bit¢h, you should let it grow to adulthood naturally, the way Nature intended, without interfering with its physical development.
If it was up to me I’d tell the RSPCA, local council, vet or whoever the interfering busybody authority was, to go to hell. But that’s just me…
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I have had dogs for years and just went along with the rules and the Vets. When we got our first Black Lab, Marshall the breeder insisted on him being neutered and we did it. I was at the Vet with him and felt his pain and it just seemed wrong. But I just let it happen, because the Vet said that it would prevent any chance of testicular cancer and he would be a happier dog. Didn’t work out that way, and I have since studied the whole issue, and I conclude that Vets are in it for the money or maybe to be fair are educated by dolts.
Anyway our current Black Lab, Mzuri is intact and his behaviour is typical of a young black lab ! Our vet is not happy, but that is her problem.
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Find another vet ?
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Yeah, but they are all the same. Bit like Doctors, Dentists and Politicians.
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I think you’ve made this comment a few times (yes you added a qualifier after this one).
Have you seriously ever met a rich Vet? (who wasn’t in effect a business owner)
They get paid a pittance compared to qualification, often going unpaid for work/emergency work done. They also (apparently) have a suicide rate about 4 times the national average. Doesn’t exactly scream a “make bank” profession to me.
Think most of the issue Vets have is they’re coloured by the collective ■■■■ -ton of stupid owners and untrained pets, often with common breeds, that they have to deal with. They’d also get decensitised to animal suffering (one of the main reasons I never wanted to do it).
Final point I’d make is that animal medicine, like human medicine, is done on a population basis. Roughly 30% of entire male dogs contract testicular tumours, while 25% of unspayed females contract breast cancer. Policymakers then write accordingly (Not to even mention the other proven/perceived benefits).
Results can often be ■■■■ at the individual level (for animals and humans), in which case do your own research and act accordingly.
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Just like to point out that at this moment in time Jasper is not our dog. We’re fostering him for the RSPCA. It’s their rules and they’re paying for it to be done but they get the money back from either us, if we keep him, or his new owners. All dogs on Facebook from Tasmanian dog homes are advertised as de- sexed and microchipped and cost either 350 or 450$. That’s what the RSPCA will do with Jasper. I reckon it would be the same over there on the big island.
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Yep you are correct, my comment on Vets and money was a throw away line and while my Vet and I have a disagreement on neutering , I do love her to death. My Vet owns with a Partner a big practice with three locations and many other Vets. She does ok.
I disagree with some of your stats on testicular cancer, but it depends what studies you read and what is the criteria. In most studies, it is clear that smaller dog breeds seem more susceptible to this complaint and that it is not problem that Labradors suffer widely. Older dogs account for most cases, and some stats show an average age of 10.
Clearly neutering eliminates the threat of testicular cancer, especially for dogs where their balls do not drop. However, neutering before maturity may increase the risk of bone cancer,
cardiac and organ cancer, and prostate cancer. Clearly as many studies show, it also affects Labradors in particular with mast cell cancer.
It is probably best to wait until your dog is an adult before neutering, or not do it all, as we have decided.
I worked for a period as a Scientist at the Veterinary Research Centre in Parkville, and I saw how hard Vets work to understand the clauses of animal diseases and other complaints. My real issue though, as with many GPs in treatment of humans, is that Vets often have fixed views, especially when it comes to neutering dogs, and this influences how Governments legislate. It costs me $60 a year to register our neutered Alaskan Malamute girl (a condition on purchase from breeder), and $490 to register my intact Lab. I pay more because some dog owners are totally irresponsible and Vets in Australia are behind the times.
I reckon there should be a qualification test in order to have children and own any pet.
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And on a somewhat lighter note, I was going to post this in the what annoys you thread, but probably more appropriate here.
My black lab got a wash yesterday at our local car/dog wash and today on our walk he found something nice to roll in that a cow had left behind. It was only when I got home that I noticed something wet down one side and a nice mess in his collar. He seemed pretty pleased with himself but at least he smelt nice for one day.
He got cleaned up with the hose but he probably still thought it was worth it.
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What smells nice to you could be the opposite for your dog, As soon as I managed to get through washing my dog against its will, it would belt outside to roll in dirt to kill the smell.
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I reckon farmers should be responsible owners same as dog owners and carry a bag to pick up their cow pats 
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Camelids like lamas and alpacas beat cattle and sheep in that regard. The flocks poo in one spot, neat piles.
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Well it was outside the farmer’s property, so they must have been taking it for a leisurely walk along the rail trail. Would need a bit bigger bag than the one I carried though. 
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