I've been mulling over the problem of the practice of Early Spey Neutering coming into this country via the Australian labradoodle and their progeny.
There are a number of inexperienced buyers of such pups who faced their outraged vet when they happily took their new pup for the first visit. That was the first time that they realised that something harmful and extraordinary had been done to their pup. I've spoken to a number of them and also rung the surgery that performs this "service"
Strangely if you ask advice about a pup you are collecting and what would be the earliest possible date of neutering, they will tell you 6 months old, and will refuse on health grounds to do it earlier!
At this veterinary practice in a pet shop, there is one rule for this breeder and another for the general buyer and yet of course the puppies are made the same and require the same treatment.
For one pup apparently it is okay at 6 weeks and for another it is 6 months at the earliest. You would think that it could be that the 6 week old pup was of such little value that his future health is of no consequence. In fact such a pup may be up £2,500 to buy, and are typically over a £1000.

Are you talking about the UK?  Are people importing Australian labrador poodle crosses? Haven't we enough of our own?

Unfortunately this is happening in this country, the surgery involved is in Wales, and although I do not breed anything but Standard Poodles I do believe that all dogs deserve the best possible start in life.

They already do it at this age in America before the dogs go to their new homes.  I think it's awful and could not put a 6 week pup through this but in America it seems to be normal practice.  Good job we don't do it over here, especially as we've just lost a 7 week old Pomeranian today.  I don't even vaccinate them until they are at least 12 weeks old because they are such a heartbreaking breed!

But it is happening over here, and is likely to happen more and more. So sorry to hear about your pup, even so young they are such lovable personalities.
PS I dont vaccinate under 12 weeks either

You brought this self-same subject up last year, Carole, in October ......

Well spotted, Margot.

Its always Wales isnt it :rolleyes:

I was not aware at that time that the the vets were doing it while advising the general public that neutering should not be done early, I've also come across more research into the consequences of ESN published by Laura Sanborn and others.

You do seem to have an interest in labradoodles, Carole ....

I do, well so would you if you had standard poodles! I haven't managed to protect all my stock from cross breeding but I am alive to the threat and it will not happen again. Nevertheless they are dogs and i have been interested in welfare all my life and there seems to be an unusual amount of outrageous breeding practices amongst these crossbreeds, mostly sold to the very inexperienced puppy buyer. Ultimately a puppy is a puppy whatever its breed or none.
Yes,Wales does have more than its fair share.

But giving them additional publicity is not good :(

Double standards at a veterinary surgery points to me that there is a general understanding that the practice is harmful and Im frankly amazed that it it could be done at that kind of high profile surgery.

There is an interesting article here
http://escregistry.kattare.com/healthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf