# best age to neuter a chihuahua



## 1st timer (Aug 23, 2016)

what age is best to neuter a chihuahua? My vet says 6 months. I wanted to do it earlier cause i don't want to remove his manhood after he's had the feeling of "loving another female",lol.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

There are so many posts on this subject, both pro and con, that you can put in spay/neuter and they probably will pop up!


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## MsCarter (Aug 9, 2016)

My vet recommended I wait to neuter my chi when she was 6months. In fact he would not preform the surgery until than. Some suggest up to a year, though I neutered my girl at 6 months with no issues.
My vet explained to me that the breed is so small and sensitive that it's risky putting them under before a certain age


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## 1st timer (Aug 23, 2016)

That's what my vet told me. Their organs are tiny and surgery at a very young age is dangerous.


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## 1st timer (Aug 23, 2016)

The more i read on this, the more confused i get. Pros and cons on both ends.
I'm not planning on keeping a female,so should i forgo the neutering?


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Keeping an intact animal, female OR male is something you have to research. Some males mark inside when they get mature and there is a female in heat around. Some don't. Then there is the question of cancer later in life. Some research says this is true, others do not. What it boils down to: is you! Many people on the forum advise neutering, others do not. Good luck on your decision. (I support neutering any animal around 6 months. JMO)


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## CuddlesMom (Feb 22, 2014)

We have a male Chihuahua mix who is still intact (at least for now) who doesn't mark in the house. We were planning on getting him neutered as a puppy, but since we have not had a problem with him, we've put it off for now. All of our females are spayed, so it's not much of a problem. 

I've read a lot of things about how neutering too early can predispose a dog to joint problems, since the growth plates take longer to close. I somewhat wish I waited with Cuddles, but I wasn't aware of this at the time. She seems rather long for a chi, and I've been wondering if that's why. 

According to this article, "Spayed/neutered dogs are greater than three times more likely to suffer from patellar luxation".
Spay Neuter And Joint Disease


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## Kismet (Jun 18, 2014)

I think its really interesting all that we are learning about the pros and cons of desexing our dogs. Interestingly enough I chose to wait until Chad was nearly 2 years old to have him neutered because I knew that I wanted to do Agility with him. He still ended up with bilateral luxating patella's, although they are mild and haven't needed treatment and generally don't cause him to hop. He also has had a partial cruciate tear that he did in the hallway at home and not on the Agility course. I don't know if delaying his neuter helped at all. Nibbler is a rescue so was neutered as a baby but his confirmation is shocking anyway. 

In the future I will likely continue to spay my girls around 6mths of age and neuter my boys around the 18mth - 2 year mark unless there is further information that makes me reconsider. It ends up being a personal choice I think.


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