Pros/cons for neutering?

trumpetjock

Just as the title says, I'm wondering what the pros and cons are going to be for neutering a dog. How much, and in what way does it change personality, energy levels, etc etc. Just trying to decide if it's something I want to do with Odin or not.

TeddieXRuxpin

Neutering your dog will not change his personality or energy levels. Your dog will only be missing his man bits.. Nothing changes. All of my dogs are spayed or neutered.

My Shih Tzu was neutered after I had had him for about 3-4 weeks and nothing has changed.

Willowy

If it's done before puberty you won't notice any changes. If you have it done later in life you may notice some changes, almost all of them positive.

If a dog is hyperactive, neutering may slow him down a bit. If he's of a normal activity level, you probably won't notice any change.

It will decrease his caloric needs---testosterone uses a lot of calories. If you continue feeding him the same amount, he will gain weight. I consider this to be a good thing in my case.....Rottweilers eat a lot. I cut Moose's daily rations back from 6 cups to 4 1/2 cups after he was neutered. This saves a lot of money.

Intact dogs usually have a desire to wander, looking for bitches in heat. My grandpa's dog did this even when he was 12 years old and arthritic; he nearly didn't make it home again. He only got back because somebody found him lying in their yard (2 miles away from home!) exhausted from his travels, read his tags, and brought him home. I doubt he could have made it by himself. A neutered dog will not see the need to wander for romantic reasons, though some dogs just like to explore or follow their noses. They usually come back sooner if they do run away, though.

Obviously, your dog will not be able to father unwanted puppies if he's neutered. Don't discount this; it's not likely you can get through his entire life without him getting away from you at least once. The world does not need more unwanted, random-bred puppies.

A neutered dog is less likely to be crazy about marking....you know, the kind of dog that drags you to every tree on the block so he can mark it. He might still mark but he won't be as driven.

Obviously, a dog cannot get testicular cancer if he's neutered. The studies on prostate enlargement or cancer do not seem to be very definitive, but there may be some benefit in that regard, too.

A dog neutered young may seem to some people to be a bit "girly". They might not learn to lift their legs and will squat to pee. I prefer to have it done after they're 18 months old. This will set the masculine behaviors more firmly. Having it done after that age will also help with a large dog's bone development, and is preferable if you plan to pursue doggie sports. This of course only applies if you're capable of keeping him from impregnating a female before then.

Wimble Woof

Pros eliminate the potential for testicular cancer
Cons, can easily father many pups that May or may not end up in shelters, either way taking away from a dog who needs a home and is alive.

After neutereing my gang of cats dogs and rabbit, as well as spaying nothing has changed, they are still the same as they were, Meiko my aggressive boy has slightly calmed down, but I think that has far more to do with age than the loss of the "furry plums"
Altered dogs do not get fat either, that depends on how much you carry on with their excercise and diet. No one here has gained any obsene weight so thats another myth on neutering

I'd say its the best choice, but I am partial to spay/neutering to begin with.
Just be sure to consider age if you do neuter (which I really hope you do) I personally dont like to do it when they are young, 8 months is my ideal time for a medium sized breed, but each of us varies on that perspective.

animalcraker

what reasons would you have to not neuter your dog?

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Annamarie

unless you have a champion quality dog and are showing it and are a knowledgeable breeder, there's no reason NOT to neuter your dog.

Shalva

there are plenty of reasons to NOT neuter a dog...... the health benefits are overstated, its true that a dog cant get testicular cancer.... and of course there are the benefits of not having to deal with the wandering which is a big problem and the responsibility of a unwanted litter. However, the most aggressive form of prostate cancer is in intact dogs. I would also point to studies regarding osteosarcoma and other benefits .......

that having been said..... I do require that all my puppies are neutered but I do not recommend doing it prior to sexual maturity at age 2.

but that is just my two sense. I have three intact males in this house who all get along. I have one neutered male due to seizures, I was hoping the seizures would decrease with the decrease in stress when the girls come into season. I have two intact bitches here as well but that did not seem to be the case, he still seizes when the girls come in.

it is best to do your homework and make an educated decision regarding what you want to do .
s

Inga

decrease in stress when the girls come into season

Another great reason to neuter a male dog. Also the CDC says that like 85% of all unprovoked dog bites are by unaltered males. Food for thought.

007Dogs

From a breeders stand point, I say any dog that is not being shown or slated for a breeding program should be neutered. If I have a male dog that I know longer will be using in my breeding program, I can not get them neutered fast enough. It is just soooooo much easier to live with altered dogs.

As for the reasons to wait, still not sold on that one either. I still think the benefits out weigh the cons. If someone was to place a pup and have the new owner wait until two years of age. No telling how many pups a dog could potentially sire before the neutering occurs. The reasons most spays and neuters occur earlier rather than later, is that most people plan to be responsible owners, but how many times have we come to this site only to read about another so called responsible owner with yet another OOPS litter on the way. So for me the reasons to alter far out weigh the reasons not to alter.

trumpetjock

Thanks for all the great information guys. I was assuming that there weren't really any drawbacks to it, but I've been doing my homework on every subject I possibly could, and this is one that still eluded me.

So the consensus is that the earliest to get it done would be about 8 months, and unless I have breeding plans (which I don't) there isn't really a drawback. He won't have any issues with gaining weight, as I already plan for him to be my running/biking/hiking partner (I'm a triathlete and very much an outdoorsman), so exercise will be MORE than adequate.

Again, thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it!

TeddieXRuxpin

That is correct. I don't think I'll ever own another dog that is intacted. Keep us posted about your dog. And welcome to the forum.

Annamarie

we got ours done at 4 months, i beleive? it was actually better for us to do it this way because he had fear aggression issues, and hormones would have made matters way worse. his testicles dropped rather early for a pup but we took him in at the youngest age the vet would do his neutering.

there's really no reason to wait until they're older as far as i'm concerned. in fact i would recommend getting it done the earlier the better, that way you avoid issues with marking, humping, territorial aggression, and all those other fun things that come with having a "teenage" dog with lots of hormones but not enough brains/training to control them (because they're so young).

TeddieXRuxpin

Neutering too early can effect them in many ways such as stunting their growth, not in all cases, but it can. When a pup is neutered too early their body doesn't produce enough hormones and can sometimes make them stop growing at an ealrier age than they would if you wait until an older age. Also giving them more time lets their organs grow to full size, neutering early can also effect all of the different organs growth.

Willowy

This is especially true of the extra-large/giant breeds, their bones and joints can really get out of whack if they're neutered too young. It isn't as much of a problem for females, but males can have some trouble. I don't think it's so much an issue with the smaller breeds.

TeddieXRuxpin

With the larger breeds the bones, joints and also the organs can be effected. With smaller breeds it's more just the organs. They are already small, but if not fully developed it can cause problems down the road.

If I got to pick I'd neuter after 8 months.

Annamarie

not trying to start a fight, but i have yet to see a scientific study to back this claim up. i've heard of smiliar studies done in horses re: gelding early or after 5 years old, and the results were that it does NOT stunt their growth.

trumpetjock

Well, Odin is a Norwegian Elkhound, so he's pretty much right in the middle of middle sized dogs. I plan to take the info I've gathered here and back that up with the info I get from whichever vet I decide on and make a decision from there. From the reading I've done here, and other research it seems I'll probably end up getting him neutered between 8 months and a year.

Again, I really appreciate all the opinions from all the experienced owners, and I'll definitely keep you all posted on Odin's progress!

Shalva

dogs are not horses and I would be happy to send you the citations i have regarding early spay and neuters and the increases in joint problems, various cancers, kidney and bladder stones etc.

the problem in dogs is that neutering and spaying early does NOT stunt their growth, rather they were long and leggy and disproportionate and more likely to joint injuries and orthopaedic problems.
s

ACampbell

I agree with Shalva...gelded horses and neutered dogs are two very different things. If you geld a horse young (before 18 months or so) they tend to keep a "girly" voice instead of the deep stud voice, and tend to be more compact and rounded than a stud - no matter when they are gelded.
As for dogs, I can see how the lack of testosterone would cause some kind of growth problems. Spaying as well, since they no longer produce any estrogen, wouldn't that cause bone problems, like a human female going through menopause is much more likely to develop osteoporosis than one that is not. I wonder if it's the same with a female dog or a male dog...that it could cause bone deficiencies or a lack of bone density...

Mdawn

Awhile back someone (I think Boxmein?) posted a link to a article/study that was really informative and had some bearing in why I decided to wait to get Eddie neutered. My vet prefers to wait anyway and won't neuter or spay until the dog is at least 9 months old.

Anyway, I found a link to it:
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf

Here are the highlights that I found the most interesting:

"On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a
common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations"

There is a high level of responsibility in having a dog that isn't altered. I chose to wait because I felt it was in the best interest of my dog. However, I take very seriously the responsibility of having an intact dog and realize that it's up to me to make sure that he doesn't roam and have a chance to impregnate a female. I wanted to get Eddie neutered this month but wasn't able to get him in so now I have to wait until after January 13th. I really can't wait until I can get it done but I don't regret waiting because I believe that I made the best decision for him. It will be the same with Uallis. He won't be neutered until he's 12 months old.

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