My vet does not believe in "routine" neutering (this word applies to both sexes) of pets. It is major surgery and effects the long term health of the animal and should not be taken lightly or done simply because a dog will not be bred. There are many arguments for and many against and it is really up to the individual pet owner to decide what is in the best interests of their dog.
Although the current "popular" view is to neuter because of the pet over population problem, I think with little indoor yorkies most owners can be responsible enough to prevent unwanted pregnancies w/o resorting to this painful and elective surgery.
As for the argument that dogs will not have as many health risks if they are neutered, my vet has done the research and doesn't buy it. In fact, there are studies that show that
there are some cancers like prostate and bladder that neutered dogs get more often than intact dogs.
There is also an
increased incidence of incontinence in females who are neutered. Of course male dogs cannot get testicular cancer if they are neutered but this disease is very rare in dogs, and when it does occur, neutering at that time is a 100% cure in most cases. Why do the surgery "just in case" when it is so rare.
There is plenty of evidence that
the reproductive hormones serve important purposes all over the body and for the entire life of the animal. The vets in other countries like Spain are more progressive than ours and do a
less invasive procedure like a tubal ligation to prevent pregnancy but leave the animal with it's necessary and God given organs.
There are many many threads on here that address this important issue and give citations to articles on both sides for the members here to be able ot do their own research and decide what is right for their baby. Here is a recent one to get you started.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ly+spay+neuter Good luck and feel free to PM me if you need more links to other good info.
