One of the questions that I hear from new dog owners a great deal is "What age is ok to spay/neuter my boxer?"
All Black Beauty contracts require that you wait until 24 months of age to alter your Boxer. This has been a subject we have researched through a multitude of sites, research articles, our own personal experiences, as well as watching the effects of Boxers that have been spayed or neutered before maturity. After the 24 month mark the choice of when to spay/neuter is then in the hands of the Beauty buyer; we hope however, that all will realize there are many boxers who take longer to fully mature than others. It is not uncommon for a Boxer to continue growing and filling out up until the 3-3.5 year mark. Spaying and neutering a boxer before that time period causes increased health risks, stunts the growth of the dog, and impacts the conformation of the Boxer.
VETERINARIANS
We recognize that in an effort to keep dogs from being bred by unexperienced owners, there are many veterinarians who push for a dog to be spayed/neutered before the appropriate age. While we understand and share veterinarians concerns, we urge owners to do their part in waiting until the dog is of full maturity to sexually alter them, and to separate intact males and females so that unwanted pregnancy's do not occur.
RESEARCH:
There are many articles that can be found on the effects of early spaying and neutering. One of my favorites however is https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full The article goes through research on 35 breeds, giving breed specific research to help owners and breeders make the best decisions for their particular breed. I recognize that many of you also have a variety of breeds, we hope this will be a helpful tool not only for your Boxer but your other fur babies as well.
RISKS THAT COME FROM EARLY ALTERING
Joint Problems- A dogs body is growing and growth plates are fusing together. Altering a dog too early causes a stunt in the growth of the dog, and often causes orthopedic problems later on as the dog continues to age.
Increased risk for Cancer-Boxers are already a breed that is prone to cancer, we should not increase these odds through early spaying and neutering. Examples of cancer types increased through early altering are found in the screenshots above.
Ligament Ruptures- this goes back to the first point, ligament ruptures occur more often when the body never had the chance to fully mature and grow properly.
We hope that all of this information will be beneficial to you in making decisions that further the health of your fur baby.