# So many opinions!! (Neutering)



## eusty (Jan 5, 2014)

Pebbles was at the vets today having his worm/flea treatment and my wife was asking about neutering.
The vet said that his balls had dropped (he's nearly 5 months) so it can be done any time.

I've been reading and there lots, and lots of opinions!! :afraid:

One of the things I've read is wait until his growth plates are closed.....I've no idea what that is!! *[EDIT: After a google about I do now :clap2:]
*
My feeling is to wait until it's necessary, as he isn't marking and the chances of him getting to another dog to hump are pretty low. He's with us all the time so can't wander off on his own.

Also I'd like to wait and see if his baby teeth need removing, so they can do this at the same time?


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I personally would wait until he is at least a year. Here is an interesting article.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf


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## eusty (Jan 5, 2014)

We're in no hurry as long as we don't get any issues :act-up:


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Pushkin's previous owner had him done at about 2 years old. Apparently he'd become quite "sexual" but I'm not sure if she meant humping - language barrier came in a bit. 

If you've got no issues with him, I'd definitely wait until he is fully developed. There you go - another opinion LOL!


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

eusty said:


> Pebbles was at the vets today having his worm/flea treatment and my wife was asking about neutering.
> The vet said that his balls had dropped (he's nearly 5 months) so it can be done any time.
> 
> I've been reading and there lots, and lots of opinions!! :afraid:
> ...


I would wait until he is a year, especially if there are no real issues now. I would think they could do both at the same time.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I don't plan on neutering either of my two unless I have serious issues that I can't deal with and then it would only be Maurice since I'm showing Matisse and may be using him for stud. But the issues would have to be something more serious than marking or humping. Those things can be dealt with. Marking is discouraged the same way regular peeing is. OUTSIDE. lol. Humping is not a big deal at all to me. And neutered dogs and girls hump anyhow. It's a dog thing. Dog to dog aggression? I think that's more prevalent in neutered dogs and more in certain breeds. So, unless there is some health reason or behavior reason that it would really help, I'm not doing it at all. They're _suppose_ to have those parts for a reason...the hormones, the benefits those hormones have etc. 

Unless someone is going to let their dogs roam around and impregnate an un spayed bitch, there are few reasons imo to neuter. It's just been pushed so hard and so long that we just take it for granted that it's the thing to do. I think we need to do our own research and then decide what's best. Again, for a lot of dog owners, they should neuter their pets if they're able to breed accidently. Heaven knows, there are enough unwanted puppies out there.


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

Our vet recommends waiting until at least a year, especially since we are considering having his stomach tacked at the same time.


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## fnelsen (Mar 3, 2014)

*You helped me make my decision*

I get so much from this forum, thank you all. After reading this thread I did more research and then called my vet, she told me that a friend of hers had just written a paper about this subject and in it supported the case for waiting until the dog had maximized his hormones. I may wait as long as another person on the blog unless there is a problem and that decision will be made at that point.

Without this forum I would not have know that this was even an issue. Thanks for helping me make the right decision and to help reduce my baby's chances of hip issues later on.:adore:


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

*fnelson *- great that the forum helped you so much! That's what a lot of it is about, education. And that goes for all of us - none of us know it all, some of us a LOT less than others, and so by sharing all our experiences it helps all of us learn new stuff! Everybody has something to share 

I've learned things on here that would never have entered my head in a million years, medical conditions I'd never heard of, training and grooming stuff - you name it. Not to mention support in rough times, which is priceless.

And of course, we often get to have a good laugh at the same time!


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## Grandma's Boys (Feb 28, 2014)

I remember the Mini Poodle I had as a child was never neutered, he never marked or Humped, our Male Chihuahua however did hump. How about Spaying the females, would a year be the correct time for them.


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## lilypoo (Jul 25, 2011)

As a kid we always had minis and the first was never neutered. He was very "macho" (that's what we said back then LOL) and loved to hump anything that moved. He also bolted and got hit by a car (and killed). He was always frantic to get loose...I think it might have had to do with his sex drive. There were a few dogs behind a fence across the road. 

Another mini we had was neutered at 14 when he started marking. He became completely incontinent after that and had to wear a diaper the rest of his life. That was a drag.

I've been thinking about this a lot since picking out my new baby a few days ago.  He's only 12 weeks and nothing has "dropped" at this point.

I was thinking I would just leave him whole and find a female on Craigslist to mate him with, to make some extra money on the side. You know, to help pay for dog food, etc.

KIDDING!!!!!!!!! :aetsch:

I think I'm going to wait till a year if we have no issues before that. I don't think there's quite the rush as with a female...with Lily I did not want to deal with a heat cycle (personal preference) or have her spayed while in heat. If he starts marking, spraying, humping my children or getting aggressive, than I might do it sooner.  I can't imagine doing it before 6 months.

Oh and I did once have a rescue who was fixed at about 2 years of age and he never did stop spraying and humping.


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

Grandma's Boys said:


> . How about Spaying the females, would a year be the correct time for them.


The western vets (US, UK) are pushing for early neutering claiming that it prevents breast cancer and reduces the unwanted pet population ....... Lucia also needed her baby teeth extracted at 7 months old when I got her she still had them, my vet in the UK was trying to get me to do the both at the same time... But there are so many studies that prove that early neutering might do more harm than good both to their health and to behavior too, so I didn't like that idea. 

I recently went to visit my family in Slovakia (who I used for many years while living there) I had my baby's teeth done and I also discussed the neutering issue with them. 

Their opinion was quite different, they said that with a toy breed they wouldn't recommend it before the dog is at least 2-3 years old, and everything is properly developed. He was quite fired up on the issue even bringing up examples on how hard it is to treat undeveloped dogs, how you can't even easily insert a catheter if you need to, because everything just stays too tight. He would recommend neutering on bitches before they are 6 years old as it is more common in older bitches to develop pyometra. So unless there is some health reason why I will have to do it sooner, I am not planning to neuter Lucia until she is at least 2-3 years old.

This I already linked to in another topic but here it is again: 
Neutering Dogs. In Depth | Doglistener

Neutering: What?s Behaviour Got To Do With It? | Dog Star Daily


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

I haven't spayed Indy, and don't plan to spay Aria either, unless there's a reason. I had Maddy spayed at around 2 years old because she was so, SO active I thought it might slow her down a little bit. I think it did, but also she packed on a lot of weight in only a few months. Anyway there hasn't been any problems at all when Indy comes into heat, so I don't really see the need. Think of all the people in Europe who never do unless there's a problem; I don't think they see mammary cancers exploding over there.


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## Grandma's Boys (Feb 28, 2014)

I may rethink the spaying then. I actually never had my two females Chihuahua'sspayed. The one was so tiny, even the Vet did not want to. She was only 1.4 pounds most of her life. The 4 pounder on the other hand was quite a problem for the Vet who asked ever visit for many years, when I planned on spaying her. I did plan on spaying this girl, as I am hoping to have her very involved in obedience, and therapy work and if she seems so inclined Agility. If I do decide I will most likely wait until about one year.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Could it be the vets pushing for early neutering are looking for quick income? I say wait. Would we want our sons and daughters neutered at age 5?


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Another opinion for you! : P I have two unspayed females and they'll be staying that way for a long time, if not forever! With females I find more of a trade-off of good and bad with spaying, with my research on males, though, it's seems much more clear-cut; intact! Honestly, one of the reasons I don't want males in the future is simply because I don't want a loaded gun that *might* impregnate someone if he just got loose for an hour. Not that I make a habit of letting my dogs loose, but my ladies are only fertile twice a year. That's it! Boys are, ahem, available any time, any day! Hahaha But, unwanted breeding aside, intact seems to be the healthiest bet. If I actually had a male, though, chances are I'd be just as torn as I am about spaying, simply because that'd be my baby I was deciding for, and that makes any decision harder!! It's so easy to make these calls from the other side of the fence. : P

Also, regarding marking and other hormone-related behavior, there are other solutions than removing the hormones. During Lumi's first heat she peed in the house several times. It seemed she'd forgotten everything about house-training, but she was only responding to a new urge she was having, that was different than a simple full bladder. So, she had to relearn, just like when she was a puppy, the appropriate behavior regarding those urges. Amala also had recent flub after Lumi came into heat this month. I think she's about to have her first heat herself, or is at least grown up enough now to be responding to Lumi's scent. So, we're having a potty training crash course for Amala! I wouldn't trade their uteri for the bit of extra effort. I'm sure human children would also be much easier to raise without that pesky puberty!! Haha

*Wild Kitten*, I'm with the Slovakia vet regarding undeveloped dogs! I've gotten to a point now that I just find those teensy little tucked up vulvas disturbing when I'm doing a sani trim. Or the virtual lack of nipples. I suppose just because I'm now used to my pups that actually have female anatomy, it just looks wrong and, well, "mutilated" to me. I mean, maybe that word is a little strong, but it just doesn't look right. I suppose if I had a male dog with all his bits I'd find the neutered males looking messed up, too. The whole concept just makes me think of foot-binding and eunichs and it's crazy to me that it's just "standard procedure" right now! I mean, I can see the merits, and for both health and lifestyle reason, it really is the best choice for some dogs. But it's the way it's entered into so lightly as just a simple procedure that I find strange.


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## eusty (Jan 5, 2014)

We have decided that they might be done 'sometime' after a year, if at all.
It's probably likely that they won't as there really isn't a great need to have them done that I can see.....

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

I'm agreeing with PammiPoodle here - altered dogs look so wrong to me. I also don't care for spaying the girls because it seems to cause them to 'leak' and I let my guys sleep in my bed. I have found a suppliment that helps with the girls I have altered, but I would rather not have to do that. 

The dogs (male and female) that I have had done had reasons not to ever be bred and since I do have intact dogs of both genders here, I refuse to take the chance with them. But, if the dog is healthy, I just don't bother altering until the they are usually about 8 years old. 

I fell for the young neuter hype years ago and have almost always regretted it. One dog proved himself to be extremely healthy with an excellent temperament and work ethic, but because I neutered him like a 'good owner,' two members of my training club were unable to use him for breeding and they really wanted to. The other dog became so reactive and frantic within two months of being neutered, I can't help but think that had something to do with it. 

I have debated having Bug neutered, but keep telling my daughter that i don't know if I can stand the way he would look shaved and missing his 'bits.' Pathetic, aren't I? He's not neutered and he'll be 3 years old in August. I have intact bitches here and he doesn't go off feed (too badly) or get weird when they 'come in.' so I will probably not have him altered. (Although, I threaten him with it all the time lol). I do isolate the girls when they are in season because the breeder I work with would kill me if I made a litter of Kelpie-doodles or ******-doodles. lol (I bet they'd be sooooooooo cute, though!)


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

We had Pippin spayed at about 17 months. She didn't appear to have her first season until about 14 months, then we had her done 2 months after that.

We weren't going to bother, but leash laws are not well enforced here - in fact not at all - so there are lots of dogs being walked off-leash even in the town.

Once she'd been "bothered" by a flipping Irish Wolfhound and scared to death we decided enough was enough. She is too active to keep housebound for three weeks...!

She had a little bit of urine incontinence for a few weeks, but then has been absolutely fine.


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## Spoos+Ponies (Mar 26, 2014)

This is always such a big decision. I'm just waiting for my next spoo puppy to be born, and the breeder does pediatric spay/neuter. I can see why shelters and breeders would want to push this with all of the -oodles happening lately (just the other day I ran into a couple of sheep-a-doodles ...Old English + poodle. Apparently they're quite rare.....hmm hmmm).
I've been doing a lot of research, too, and I just can't do it. There is a tubal ligation option for an extra $100, so I'll be doing that.  I've never had an intact female, and am wondering just how lengthy/messy heat will be. I still have a lot of diapers left over from my last girl who was an early (8 mos.) spay, and incontinent for the last several years of her life...


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

We're getting a male pup from Tintlet in May. I haven't discussed neutering with Gloria, but I'm assuming that's what she requires for her pet puppies. I'm going to investigate the possibility of a vasectomy instead of castration. If I can find a vet who will do that, and if Gloria is okay with it, that would be my preference. We have an intact Lab who will be 12 in a couple of weeks--he's never been a problem in terms of marking, humping, or aggression, so we never felt the need to neuter him, and I would much prefer not to neuter this new puppy. (But I will, if you require it, Gloria!)


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## grab (Jun 1, 2010)

Another option that is becoming more popular with people in dog sports is Ovary sparing spays. This is where one or both ovaries are left, but only the uterus and cervix are removed. They do still have cycles (and, thus, the benefit of hormones), but the risk of pyometra is pretty much eliminated.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

When we got Jazz, I asked our vet about leaving the ovaries when she was spayed. The vet was horrified, said the risk of breast cancer was much higher under those circumstances, and wouldn't even consider it. I wish now I'd looked for another vet.


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## Spoos+Ponies (Mar 26, 2014)

grab said:


> Another option that is becoming more popular with people in dog sports is Ovary sparing spays. This is where one or both ovaries are left, but only the uterus and cervix are removed. They do still have cycles (and, thus, the benefit of hormones), but the risk of pyometra is pretty much eliminated.


That's very interesting, too. Would be nice to avoid the heats, but keep the hormones.


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