Neutering a dog?

Neutering males makes them less aggressive. This has long been done to racehorses (neutering="gelding") who are hyperactive or otherwise untrainable. If you don't neuter your dog, he may be more aggressive towards other dogs when you're walking him. He will also go nuts if there is a female in the vicinity who is in heat.

Neutering females prevents them from going into heat every few months. This can be very disruptive to your household.

I've read that dogs and cats don't have sex drives in the same way that humans do. If unneutered, they will respond to their hormones and do what comes naturally. However, once neutered the conventional belief is that they don't miss having sex. Not dealing with a sex drive may even reduce your animal's stress and improve his health. For females, I think the elimination of her hormonal cycles is also good for her health.

 

When I first got my dog...a short haired miniature lab...I had her spayed. The vet informed us that if we were not going to mate her, it would actually benefit her health to have her spayed. He said it would reduce the stress to her during her heat cycle and she would lead a more comfortable life (apparently going in heat can be somewhat traumatic for the pet). She died last year at the ripe age of 16. She was a great pet, and lived a full life.

I felt bad at first, but I didn't regret it...I've had all four of my cats fixed also. Not something I enjoyed doing, but I do understand the health benefits to the animals.

Thanks

Tim K.

 

Joseph, very funny, tis true you wonder sometimes about the supposed health benefits, as nature made us all this way.

Male dogs if they live to a ripe old age, can be prone to testicular cancer. You would avoid this situation.

I have a male dog we never neutered, same scenario; he is never outside, without us. He is a Lab/Rotti mix, so this decision was not made due to breeding considerations, simply my husband couldn't stand the idea.

The drawbacks, as they age, males will become more aggressive towards other males. Ours is so well trained; I have never had an incident in 13 years, which he himself started. (Our worst incident was when I was walking the crew, and 3 midsize to large dogs jumped a fence and came at us. I threw the leash and let my dog deal with it. (I felt like I was deserting him, but I had to get my 5 and 3 yr old sons up off the ground and out of harms way). When our dog was younger we would have wary moments out on a leash when he touched noses with another male. Circling action - then he was fine.

As he aged, if he touched noses, with a male, and that male growled or snapped ONCE, he's into it. So no more touching noses with males when he was past 6 to 8, I couldn’t predict the other dog’s behavior. He will not tolerate a challenge of any kind. Therefore, if I cannot 'see' the sex when we meet another walker out, I will ask. He's completely controllable on the leash, but the other dog might not be. Then again I am serious as to putting an intense 2 years, into molding a puppy into a truly great dog. It takes dedication and many hours of your life (a tradeoff well worth the sacrifices involved).

All females within a couple of blocks zone were spayed, but this situation can change over years. Our Male drove us insane: - he would stop eating for a week, dropping noticeable poundage, pacing, crying and whining, when a feral female puppy machine roamed the neighborhood for almost 4 years, before she was caught.

Every time she came into heat, we were treated to over a week of this tapering off in the second week, - AND had to watch him like a hawk....he wanted OUT.

If your concerned about the machismo and Male behavior pattern of your dog, don't be. I can't count the # of viscous fixed male dogs I've known.

I do wait a little later than some vets suggest, 1 - 1/2 yrs. but that’s just me.

I can say I would not make this choice again unless for breeding purposes. It’s other owners and pets, never an issue under your control that can cause you major incidents. And unless you are an extremely responsible full time dedicated pet owner, you are allowing an extra window of danger, which might haunt you sometime down the road.

I am in the position of having to decide these issues, with Quarter horses, right now. When the stud colt has great bloodlines, and your just starting to train, its very hard to judge if it will become a great performer, in which case you would not desire gelding. If the horse does not pan out as a super athlete, consistently taking firsts, - you are just leaving yourself open to many tedious and very dangerous moments. That’s why I much prefer having fillies, no choice has to be made.

 

Thats great Mary,

I too have met aggressive, neutered dogs. Indeed i have heard that neutering holds some health benefits, but i have never neutered any of my dogs.

Call me crazy, but i think its cruel. Those same people that will neuter cringe at the thought of cropping a dogs tail or ears.

Im a responsible dog owner and do not have to consider the accidental breeding of my dog.

 

As said above, neutering male dogs reduces 100% the chance of testicular cancer (not real common in dogs). It also reduces greatly the chances of prostatic hyperplasia and/or prostatitis, both fairly common in older dogs.

Spaying (ovariohysterectomy, removal of BOTH ovaries and uterus) BEFORE the age of 18 months GREATLY reduces the incidence of mammary (breast) cancer in female dogs. It also prevents (100% if done correctly) pyometra (uterine infection) in female dogs and cats. And doing a spay after a pyometra has developed is no great fun, believe me, although I do get to charge more, a LOT more.

Julian Reville, DVM

 

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My 9 yr old dog got testicular cancer and they had to remove them. So I figured at least he did have ten good years with them. He is fine now and is going 11 and he is still the same as always, lazy. Ever see the movie Funny Farm? Yellow dog is my dog.

 

Dear Dr Reville,

If you have the time...

I had a DMV tell me years ago that not neutering male or female dogs can greatly increase the odds of tumor development in various body locations in older canines. I believe he stated this was due to hormone production.

I have never seen research tying a higher rate of occurrence of tumors, malignant or non-, to neutering.

Is there current research on this topic?

 

I thought they just took bad driver's license photos.
The DMV is the Department of Motor Vehicles in California.

 

Some unneutered male dogs may decide to 'spray' to mark even their indoor territory.

I've never seen an unhappy dog that was neutered before 6 months and treated well.

 

Mary,

I'm not a researcher, I'm a lowly practitioner. Researchers work in ivory towers and do not speak directly to peons such as I.

I know of no such connection, but that does not mean that it does not exist, or that someone is not investigating it, God knows they investigate all sorts of seemingly useless stuff and occasionally even learn something useful.

All 4 of my dogs are spayed or neutered, I wouldn't have an intact dog or cat as a pet. Too much spraying, marking, and fighting.

 

Denward you caught me, - I do that all the time. (Mix up a string of alphabetic designations, I'd never make it in the military)
Thanks Julian, at the time of the conversation I didn't think he had any research to back it up and it crossed my mind with this post.
I imagine the everyday grind keeps you more than busy enough, My Poor Large animal DVM, met us at the barn the other day 9:30PM on a Sunday night, when my mare had a placenta retention. She was going to take care of business, then still try to meet with her church group at a pizza parlor after. Got to be dedicated!
My unfixed male did hike his leg on a door in the house,(once) when his best female (fixed) buddy came over one night. I was so shocked I didn't' do much about it. He had never done that in all these years!
This dog is so tuned in, a stern word is plenty, and he is shamed.