alligande Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 I have a new foster dog and was told he was 10 months but he has visible growth plates and I was wondering when you can usually no longer see them. I am just curious if he could be a little younger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denice Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 There would be breed differences I think. I would not be surprised if it was 2 years plus for some of the larger dogs. Not sure if anyone other than a vet that specializes in radiography and orthopedics could really answer that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordercentrics Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 A friend of mine had a dog that she planned to compete with in herding, and didn't want to neuter him until his growth plates closed. He was a Welsh bred BC and larger than average. She kept having him x-rayed, and they weren't closed until he was 26 months old. Most people say that most dogs have closed plates around a year old. I think it actually varies quite a bit. If it is really crucial to know, you probably need to x-ray as my friend did until you see that the plates are closed. Kathy Robbins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Really nice for the vet, expensive machines, x-ray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aschlemm Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 My Border had clicking joints at an early age and I had his pelvis and stifles radiographed when he was 6 months old and I was shocked that most of his growth plates were already closed. He is a lean, 45 pound dog, about 22 inches tall. He was intact at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 It was just curiosity as I don't remember my dog having visible growth plates at that age and I know that he was still growing, and this guy is very obviously still a puppy, slightly nobly and uncoordinated, although not knowing where his feet are is probably due to not doing much, he was living on a farm on a chain. Edited to add: he is a border collie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted January 2, 2016 Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 It is different for different breeds(sizes) and different for different growth plates. Smaller bones close faster than larger bones. Rear leg bones are the slowest, closing at about 14 months for a 45ish pound dog. One of the threads on here, a couple years ago, about problems with neutering early, had a great chart with approximate closure ages for each growth plate. You might be better at doing searches than I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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