Early Neuter??
As a Golden Retriever breeder with 30+ years I am providing you with current best practice in regard to not spaying or neutering your dog at 6 months. Please read this before you make that appointment.
I have watched this happen . A family brings home a beautiful, healthy Golden puppy. Their vet recommends spay/neuter at 6 months. They follow the advice, because they trust their vet.
Then at age 3 their dog tears an ACL.
At age 5 they’re diagnosed with bone cancer.
At age 7 they’re gone.
And the research is now exceedingly clear that EARLY spay/neuter is a massive contributing factor in Goldens specifically.
UC Davis studied this extensively and their longitudinal research is available here at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055937 The results were shocking. Golden Retrievers spayed or neutered before 12 months had SIGNIFICANTLY higher rates of:
Hip dysplasia
CCL tears (ACL equivalent in dogs)
Lymphoma
Hemangiosarcoma
Mast cell tumors
These are not rare conditions. These are the exact things Golden Retriever owners deal with every single day. Sex hormones are not just about reproduction. They regulate bone growth, joint development, and immune function. Cut them off too early and you are robbing your dog’s body of what it needs to develop properly. The science has moved. The recommendations haven’t caught up. Find a vet who will have a real conversation with you about timing. If your vet dismisses this conversation entirely, get a second opinion.
Your dog cannot advocate for themselves. You have to do it for them.
***these are just personal opinions based off actual facts and scientific research- however we do understand that having an unfixed dog can cause problems and sometimes there aren’t any other options other than getting the dog spayed/neutered sooner rather than later!