Neutering?

Does anybody have an un-biased opinions on neutering a dog? like your experience etc..? just trying to decide what's best for my pet.. I have never have any intention of breeding him.. every website I go on just seems bias in one direction so just thought I'd ask people on here who have had there pet neutered or anything?

Thanks

I only have a female dog, but unless you are showing or breeding, I see no reason for a male dog to remain intact. I know a lot of people will wait until the dog is closer to a year old before neutering, but I like that it reduces marking and aggression too.

Sorry I don't have first hand experience!

My family raised and showed wire fox terriers for decades. Once a dog was out of the show circuit or not breeding, it was neutered. For a male dog, you'll will have a better behaved pet, no indoor marking... One of our males was always marking furniture and almost destroyed an antique chair. We neutered him and he stopped. There are studies that it reduces some medical problems. And it's the responsible thing to do. There are millions of dogs in shelters that are basically waiting to be put to sleep... Part of the reason they are there is someone who wasn't ready to be a responsible breeder didn't have their dog neutered. It's an easy operation for the males too...there really is no negative to neutering your dog.


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I'm for spaying/nuetering but I personally have had problems with a couple of animals. One developed myoclonus shortly after surgery (most likely he had distemper as a pup and made it [I adopted him]). I have no idea if the stress of the surgery actually had triggered it or if it was just a coincidence. I had to put him down because he couldn't pant, eat, or drink... poor baby.
The second was another rescue who must of been used as bait (missing/ broken teeth, broken upper jaw and ribs) or tortured. She was a sweet dog but after getting spayed, she became extremely dog aggressive.
But those are the only incidents that were negative. The rest were completely positive, but there is always a few animals (same with people) that will have negative effects after any kind of surgery.

I am very much for neutering, though I am biased what with being a vet-tech. On the medical side, when I was in a day practice, a couple times a year we'd have an older intact male come in with bloody urine and difficulty urinating due to an enlarged prostate. As the intact dog ages, the prostate continues to grow due to influence from testosterone. When it gets too large it can be painful/become infected/block the urethra. The fix for it is neutering as without the influence of testosterone it shrinks down to a small size.

After college, I had got my first apartment and happened upon an a Japanese Akita. They are huge dogs the size of, if not bigger than, Rottweiler and hairy like a Husky. The second I got him, I neutered him and my vet thanked me for doing so. He said neutering reduces the possibility of many ailments later in their lives as well as reduces their aggression. I did the same when I got a female Japanese Akita from the pound. I never wanted to breed but from everything I read back then, pre-Google, neutering/spaying was the way to go. They were very pleasant animals to be around. Cant say the neutering made them the calm, gentle animals that they were but I'm sure it didn't hurt.

Decreased likelihood of testicular ailments later on life
No risk of accidental puppies to go to the pound later
No drive to mate
On average, better behavior and decreased aggression (not a guarantee; depends on housing environment and other influences)

Im all for neutering our pets; when you see how many animals are euthanized each week in shelters, population control pre-breeding is key.

I have THREE intact males. 2 of them are retired show/performance dogs (titles on both ends), who have completed their showing career and breeding career (well, I think the younger may be bred again, but that's not up to me, that's up to his breeder and coowner) and now are just pets, and the other one is a giant breed mix we're waiting until growth plates close to neuter on the young one. The older ones probably will never be, because I see no reason to - they are 5 and 7, the only breeding they have done was deliberately planned and set up, and they've just about no chance of ever impregnating a female (I'd say no, but well - things to occasionally happen). That leaves it really hard for me to see a point.

You need to be very sure of your ability to keep your dog away from intact females in heat (ie: to not let the dog breed and that means being sure of your fences, and keeping your dog out of places like dog parks and daycares), aware that most intact male ADOLESCENTS can be highly distractable nightmares, and that a lot of people find intact males have a target on them when it comes to other dogs and make them hate them.

There are some health benefits (lower prostate and testicular cancers)- there's also some studies that show some health RISKS (higher incidence later in life of bone cancers and body wide cancers). Some breeds neutering reduces the risk of same sex aggression. I have not found in my experience in MOST dogs that it makes any behavioral difference once they are adults. Things like marking and humping are training issues (my spayed females... one marks constantly on walks, and hte other hand a major humping problem as an older puppy that she's sense been diverted away from).

It's a personal decision, but really take a HARD, solid, GOOD look at your ability to prevent breeding first and foremost and then talk to your vet about what you want to do and get their thoughts. A lot of these benefits and risks, health wise, vary with the dog's breed, too. (Ie: the studies that show higher rates of bone and other cancers were rot and golden specific, where there's a higher rate of cancer anyway. Neutering increased those risks, but if there's a low risk of cancer to start with, it probably doesn't matter.)

I agree with captjack. I have not neutered our 2 year old dachshund.

1. Dachshunds have bad reactions to anesthesia as a breed in general.
2. I have never had any issues with him marking in the house or with any aggression.
3. I am of the opinion that we do not do needless surgeries on humans why do them on our pets. My husband and I are responsible pet owners and he isn't roaming the streets. I have a very close friend who lost her puppy during this surgery.

I groom dogs for a living and I do find intact males are in general harder to work with (especially those itty bitty land piranhas!). With that said, it really depends on the dog's personality and owners situation imo. If your dog is a well behaved, well tempered boy who can be safely kept from breeding (if that isn't an intention) then I see no problem with leaving him intact. There are health pros and cons so it's a very personal choice when it comes to that department.

I personally own an unaltered male bull terrier that is 1yr/3mo old and he's a joy. I wouldn't change him for the world :)

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Originally Posted by Wapadi

I agree with captjack. I have not neutered our 2 year old dachshund.

1. Dachshunds have bad reactions to anesthesia as a breed in general.
...
3. I am of the opinion that we do not do needless surgeries on humans why do them on our pets. My husband and I are responsible pet owners and he isn't roaming the streets. I have a very close friend who lost her puppy during this surgery.

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#1- Really? In my years in a day practice, and in my time in the spay/neuter section of the humane society where I work, I have never experienced this.

#3- Did you friend do labwork prior to surgery? Any surgery does carry a risk, of course. I had to sign something saying that I understood I might die when I had my appendectomy done.

Considering the sheer number of intact male dogs that come through our shelter (about 85% of the dogs we have for adoption are males), and the numbers of puppies we will soon see from accidental litters... And accidents can happen to responsible owners. My last dog was from an 'oops' litter at a breeder. She wasn't planning on breeding that female that year, to give the male more time to mature. But the neighbor's working-line and intact cattle dog climbed several very tall fences and got to the mom. The result was 9 puppies. I also took as a surrender 2 years ago an 8 year old chi that was in dystocia from an 'oops', when the owners found an intact male stray chi in the backyard. He'd dug under the fence.

I have also seen far too many females die from pyometras, including a 2 year old pitbull.

I spayed my female dog. I had actually intended to breed her at some point. She was a rescue american bulldog mutt but is absolutely gorgeous. I thought id love to get some puppies from her. I absolutely could not handle managing her heat cycle tho. We were both absolutely miserable. And ill second the idea that being responsible with a :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: in heat is not nearly as simple as it sounds. Even the neutered dogs in our neighborhood were trying to dig through my fence to get to her. She ended up having to basically be crated for most of her whole cycle. It sucked for both of us. After that I had her spayed and never looked back.

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Slightly off topic but relevant:

I'm planning on getting a highly rated (by the German letter rating system) German Shepherd in the next two years or so. I've even picked out a breeder and put down a deposit for when the right puppy arrives.

I grew up with a neutered boxer and have always fixed my cats. And my first instinct is to immediately get the guy snipped when he arrives (I want a male, but I'm not 100% set.)

Anyway, if he's sort of prime breeding stock, is it wrong to neuter him? He'd be living in a situation with no chance of accidents, but I'd personally prefer to neuter for many of the above-listed reasons.

Do you guys think the breeder will try to stop me from neutering him? Not that they really could stop me, but they could try to discourage it, no?

To start another topic entirely, has anybody noticed issues with increased weight gain after neutering?

IF the breeder thought he was good enough to breed, he wouldn't sell to you - just to be blunt - or would do so with a contract that he maintain co-ownership, the dog be shown/proven in working arenas and that he be bred. If he's not doing those things and you're more comfortable neutering - neuter.

Even the best line dogs have litters that are not The Best. That's the way genetics work and most will hold onto the ones they want to breed themselves, or to known working or show homes. That isn't saying that the pups they sell are somehow 'bad', or defective, just that they only breed the very best of the very best, who PROVE themselves to be the best in either conformation or work (and send those dogs to homes that will be showing or working homes). The ones who go to 'pet' homes almost always do so with a contract that says you will neuter at some age/will not breed.

So no, you're not likely to have any issues with the breeder.

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Originally Posted by dkspftw

Slightly off topic but relevant:

I'm planning on getting a highly rated (by the German letter rating system) German Shepherd in the next two years or so. I've even picked out a breeder and put down a deposit for when the right puppy arrives.

I grew up with a neutered boxer and have always fixed my cats. And my first instinct is to immediately get the guy snipped when he arrives (I want a male, but I'm not 100% set.)

Anyway, if he's sort of prime breeding stock, is it wrong to neuter him? He'd be living in a situation with no chance of accidents, but I'd personally prefer to neuter for many of the above-listed reasons.

Do you guys think the breeder will try to stop me from neutering him? Not that they really could stop me, but they could try to discourage it, no?

To start another topic entirely, has anybody noticed issues with increased weight gain after neutering?

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Unless you sign some sort of contract stipulating you CAN'T have him neutered, then there's nothing to think about there. I am a retired VT, and I can toss in some input from experience. Some folks prefer to wait until their pup reaches around 10mths to a year old so before neutering so that their growth isn't hindered compared to a dog that was neutered earlier on in puppyhood. You can sometimes look at a dog and tell that he was neutered early. Some folks could care less. Personal preference. I will also say, in seeing/handling/treating and owning some fixed and some non fixed dogs over the years....fixed dogs DO have a high trend of being over weight. Now this of course also is affected by the owner and how much they feed, but I see obesity in dogs more often in ones that are fixed. Now, I own both show and hunting dogs, meaning a lot of my dogs are intact, but I know how to keep dogs separated, and each of my dogs has their own living quarters, so that is not an issue at all. I have raised some intact dogs to old age, and never had an issue. I have seen a few (not many) intact males over the years that came in with bloody urine that wound up diagnosed with prostate problems that had to be neutered, but not as many as you would imagine. With the males, there are some behavioral benefits of neutering of course as already mentioned. When done EARLY on, less chance of marking everything, possibly less territorial. I have raised intact males indoors over the years with no issues. Matter of fact, I have had a male rescue that was neutered very young that was a complete arse in the house. All in all, it depends on YOUR preference. If you know you are responsible enough to keep him confined properly at all times, I don't see an issue with keeping him intact. I have worked in veterinary hospitals as well as shelters for many years and I have seen what irresponsible ownership of intact dogs can lead to, hundreds of dogs/puppys/cats/kittens have died in my arms as a result, but I am not one to go around insisting that one MUST spay and neuter everything or else you are part of the problem. The people who are part of the problem are the ones that aquire dogs that they can't take care of or confine properly and allow them to roam free and breed at will. If you prefer to neuter, go right ahead! It's ultimately a personal decision best made by you.

If you never intend to breed I would say get your pet spayed/neutered.
Honestly I am totally against unnecessary cosmetic surgeries on animals(Tail docking on something like a Dane that cab break your nose with its tail is however understandable).
But, the risks of an unwanted, unexpected and possibly unknown heritage litter of pups would outweigh the negatives.
But, then again that is simply my own opinion and worth no more or less than anyone else's.

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If you never intend to breed I would say get your pet spayed/neutered.
Honestly I am totally against unnecessary cosmetic surgeries on animals(Tail docking on something like a Dane that cab break your nose with its tail is however understandable).
But, the risks of an unwanted, unexpected and possibly unknown heritage litter of pups would outweigh the negatives.
But, then again that is simply my own opinion and worth no more or less than anyone else's.