09/03/2025
I learned the hard way why you shouldn’t neuter a giant breed too early… I adopted Winston from the humane society in March 2025, when he was about 7 months old. If you’re not familiar, shelters neuter/spay all dogs before they can be adopted out, regardless of what is best for the animal. Winston was neutered when he was 7 months old, just a few weeks before I got him.
Fast forward to late July/early August… we started to notice a limp and lameness in his right hind leg. By mid-August he wasn’t weight bearing at all on that leg and hobbled around.
He then saw an orthopedic surgeon. Ok exam, the surgeon immediately knew he had a torn ACL. Sedated X-rays showed us how bad it was and how unstable his knee was. It also showed us his growth plate is still open, which is what you would expect in a one year old Dane. But, because they neutered him so young, his bone started to grow in the wrong direction at a severe angle. The tibial slope should be between 20 and 25 degrees and up to 29 is usually normal. Winston’s measured at 36 degrees. This borderline excessive slope (per the surgeon) caused his ACL to fully tear and required TPLO surgery to put in a plate and stabilize his knee and an additional implant to prevent the tibia from breaking as that growth plate is still open. His left knee is at 30 degrees and he is 50% more likely to tear that side in the next 9-12 months.
We all know experts say it’s not recommended to spay or neuter giant breeds before they’re done growing. The shelter’s strict policy and early neuter caused a perfectly healthy puppy to need extensive knee surgery at just a year old. I wanted to share my real life story with y’all in case anyone is wondering why it’s not recommended and what the real life consequences are.
