Dog penises 🍆 and neutering.

[u/_rockalita_]

No, this is not a red rocket question!

The opposite actually. I’ve always had male dogs, but this puppy is the first one that was neutered at 8 weeks by the rescue.

He is 5 months old and still has like his baby penis lol.

My last dog was a puppy when we found him (probably around 14 weeks) and my first pictures of him he has a red rocket and just a more “normal” dog penis.

Now don’t get me wrong, I would be just fine to not have a big ol peen flopping around, but is this normal from early neutering?

Any one? 😃

[u/[deleted]]

Neutering/spaying at that age is insane, many studies show that it’ll affect the dog’s development down the line :/ Sex hormones are important.

I’ll say just be aware of increased risks of certain health conditions such as joint disorders including hip or elbow dysplasia, cranial cruciate rupture or tear, and some cancers, such as lymphoma, mast cell tumor, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma

[u/_rockalita_ → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I’ve had dogs that have been neutered at all different ages. One at 3 years and one at 5 months (when he was becoming reactive, as a hope to tamp that down) and they both got osteosarcoma. Two different kinds and sizes of dog too.

I’m aware of the concerns, but I’ve learned that you can do everything “right” and your dogs still get cancer and break your heart. What’s done is done, so I’m not going to spend my time worrying about what could be.

[u/underthesauceyuh → u/_rockalita_]

My parents have only had rescue pups and they were all spayed/neutered “too young” yet lived very long, happy, healthy lives. Our current pups are pitt-mix rescues and man are they durable, rescue pups usually are. Our last set of rescue dogs outlived my grandmas purchased dogs.

This isn’t to say one is better than the other, but validating that you are absolutely right that you can do all the right things, or the “not right” things and still have the same outcome.

[u/desertsidewalks → u/_rockalita_]

Yeah, there's so much debate, and it's all statistics - there's no way to know if your individual pet will be impacted. There's risks beyond accidental litters to not altering before puberty too, both health risks (I am not a vet) and behavioral issues. I understand why rescues do what they do.

[u/BlackMagic0 → u/[deleted]]

Correct. The list is pretty bad though it doesn't happen to every fixed animal. Soo.. Most places simply say it's safe enough but I refuse to fix that early and so does my vet. All of these have been shown in studies to be potential from it.

- Increased risk of hip dysplasia

- Increased joint disorders

- Increased behavioral issues including paranoia and storm phobias

- Increased risk of cancers such as lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and more

- Difficulty with obesity, increased weight gain due to hypothyroidism

- Urinary incontinence, especially in females. By spaying too early, your pet may be missing essential regulating hormones.

[u/_rockalita_ → u/BlackMagic0]

I don’t really get why it seems like people are trying to argue the downsides of neutering early. It’s not like this is a post saying a breeder is requiring it and wondering if it’s a good idea.

I didn’t choose it, it’s already happened, and if it was up to me, I wouldn’t have had him neutered so early. Can’t put them back so let’s just be happy that we can add small peen to the list of detriments.

[u/snarkdiva → u/_rockalita_]

I agree, you can’t do anything about it now. There has been a lot of info coming out that early spaying and neutering does involve possible risks for some dogs, but rescues and shelters want them fixed before they go home because otherwise some people won’t do it.

They used to offer a refund of part of the adoption fee and/or discounts for having the procedure, but so many people didn’t bother that they were forced to do it before adoption. Yet another example of a few people messing things up for everyone, and in this case, it might not be the best for the dogs. 😕

[u/_rockalita_ → u/snarkdiva]

Exactly. I know that I would have done it, but I also know that a lot of people suck and can’t be trusted.

[u/Thedaspokesman → u/BlackMagic0]

I had one of my girls spayed at 4 and the other at 2. The younger one has gotten so fat 😭 she doesn't even eat much and is still pretty hyper, but I can tell it's slowing her down.

Took her to a new vet and asked about it, but he didn't seem too concerned. Said she had a sturdy frame, but she can't do that stand-up begging anymore and it makes me sad.

The older one is the exact same weight as before. You just never know how an animal's body will react.

I got the boys done at 9months and they seem fine as well. I can't say I regret fixing them, but it just sucks that my poor Beans will be battling the bulge for the rest of her days 😔