[SoCalyorkiLvr]

My vote is not to neuter him!

If you are having these kinds of second thoughts now then I say you are not sure it is in Riley's best interests. My vet is not in favor of routine neutering for the sake of preventing pet overpopulation. He feels that all dogs should keep their God given "parts" unless there is a valid reason that is in their best interests to put them through the pain and risk of this major surgery.

Some vets will tell you that it is healthier for the dog to be neutered and they usually cite the fact that neutering a male protects him form getting testicular cancer is fallacious since testicular cancer is very rare in canines and when it does occur, the "cure" is to neuter at that point. There are cancers like bladder cancer that occur more frequently in neutered dogs than in intact dogs.

The reproductive hormones serve purposes other than for reproduction and actually protect the heart and other organs so the health benefits are not a reason to neuter imo.

There are also less invasive procedures that are easier on the dog that your vet will not usually tell you about like a vasectomy.

Please do a search on this forum to find out all you can and get links to other research on the subject.

Good luck with your decision.