I've always believed that a male is much more content and less"rammy" if they are neutered, especially if they aren't being studded.

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And you still drive all the males crazy, chasing after you!!!!:D:D:D

I will post again. I understand that many here are more biased towards neutering/spaying, that what-ever the health costs to the YOrkie might be, it does not outweigh the benefit of not contributing to population control.

I will point out several things; there have been more than a few studies, and many many studies done by reputable research facilities in Europe on this topic. The mere fact that a study comes from Europe does not mean it is not Applicable to us, or is somehow erroneous because it was from Europe!

What I advocate is for an informed puppy owner, responsible enough to do the research, knowledgeable enough to know their limitations, commited to no breeding of any "pet" they own.

More than one study (and yes here in N.A,) put paid to the, marking, aggression and behavioural issues. That being neutering is not a preventative for same or a cure-all.

I also urge you, that if you share with your big dog owners that neutering/spaying early is just hunkey dorey for all dogs,more research is coming in upon the disasters of early de-sexing of large dogs.

Golden Retreivers in particular female Golden Retreivers that have been spayed at any time, but particularly prior to 3 yrs old, have a 4xfold increase of hemangiosarcoma. This is a sarcoma with poor prognosis. And there is a critical something like 40% probability. These dogs die at 5 or 6 yrs old from cancer!!

For many large breeds two recent studies have shown a 30% increase not only in HD or hip dysplasia but also in the severity of same. And at least one was a large group study. This is associated with "early" neutering, neutering prior to 18 months old.

Sobering findings for a breeder of large breeds. Our growth plates don't close until at least 18mths old; many owners on the instruction of the best knowledge of their breeders say neuter prior to one years old.!!!!

I also wonder - given the propensity of de-sexing toy breeds at 5 or 6 mths old, and the literal pandemic of LP in most small breeds, heh heh, could there be an association??????? The tibial plate is the last to close at closer to 8 months old. Then you neuter at 6mths old. ANd for those that don't know the tibial plate is intimately connected to the patella and knee joint. The tibial plate is the foundation base that the upper femur, and the patella all articulate with.

Now all this may seem to be too detailed and not related to Yorkies; but I post to ask you to think on things, and not to translate that what-ever you think might be good for a toy breed is good for a large breed.

I ask that you intelligently weigh the pros and cons for your own Yorkie, based on research, on clinical markers, on your own disposition and commitment to keeping your Yorkie safe and healthy! Over their lifetime.

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:eek::D

all joking aside..I have always had my male dogs neutered.

Good post. I've seen several things about the down-side of neutering males lately and have started sitting up and paying attention.

My veterinarian, who is young and presumably up on the latest research (my vet is intimately associated with the University of Illinois Veterinary College as it's in the same town), overwhelmingly recommends spaying before the first heat for my Yorkie. 90+% of internet articles support this conclusion as well. I will raise these issues about physiological maturity before I have it done, just to be sure, and if there are new revelations, I will be the first to shout them to the four winds ;).

Well what is spaying before the first heat? Before or after boney plate closure, because the research is pretty suggestive of problems with same.

And as almost always suggested and talked about is the incidence of mammary cancers (which is less than <10%) even if in un spayed females.

And mammary cancers cancers should be easily detected, and with a great cure rate.

All I can say and point you to is the research that has been done. For me, still we de sex females, but after at least their first heat.

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Hmm now I know why my old vet said we needed Xrays before he could take away Guinness's manhood, which we waited till he was 10 months old as the vet stated it would be best but never gave me a real reason why. Which that was before I was hooked on YT :p
Now we are waiting till after Stella's first heat... to me she is so tiny that it freaks me out putting her under... yes my idea of tiny is 7.8LBS haha

I try to stay right on top of all these issues, simply because I sell people their Yorkie and I want that Yorkie to have the best future available to them. I am big on "evidenced based research"....learned behavior from my experiences as an RN.....I read and research and re-read and all the research that I have been reading, and this is research from vet schools and genetic studies and reproduction vets.....(people that are not associated with advocating population control in pets, because THAT puts a kink in the control data).....based strictly on health concerns and growth issues and patterns of osteopathic related injuries in dogs as they mature, as well as studies into calcium leaching .....the majority of the most up to date articles and seminars and texts, are indicating it is better for the dog's health to wait until the dog is 1-1.5years old prior to spay/neutering. I have had to change what I preach to my new owners....and I sell on a spay/neuter contract.....I now advocate they wait until about 1 year old...females have had their first heat and possibly a second heat....and the growth plates have stopped growing on males usually by 8 months to a 1 year old. I always think about those little puppies that are 8 weeks old, born at the SPCA and some of the rescue facilities, and they are spaying/neutering those tiny little things....just wonder what kind of damage is being done to them.

I just personally don't think the general public cares enough to suggest to them with females to let there female go through heat first and to possibly not fix there males. People on this board are different but I know a lot of people who if they didn't have there dogs fixed simi early there would be lots of pregnancies that just shouldn't have happened. I know someone who lets there intact male have full run of the neighborhood and have made many many females in the neighborhood pregnant but the owner just doesn't care. Not everyone should have an intact dog and I think suggesting to people who don't care as much about there dogs as we do on this board is such a bad idea.

this is certainly great information. We have to weigh what is more important. If the majority of breeders are responsible and the majority of pet buyers were educated on the details of the breed they are buying then waiting to spay or neuter is absolutely the answer..... but ....... as we all know hundreds and maybe thousands of breeders and pet buyers are not educated and are not particularly interested in the health issues, the byb's and mills want their money and the uneducated want their cutee patutee baby mini cross bred (who knows how many times) puppy. In the later cases, I encourage the vets to spay/neuter asap, as unhappy that makes me feel.

Check the dates on those articles.... change comes so slowly to the medical community... animal and human. Status quo and all that.

I'll run the idea of waiting until after the first heat before spaying past my vet at my next appointment and see what she thinks...

Thanks everyone, love the opinions. I want to neuter but I will definitely talk in depth with my vet about the subject. I just want him to be happy, I spayed my females quickly but Im over thinking it with him. I saw in person the neutering of my moms fox terrier (the vet was a family friend and I wanted to be a veterinarian while growing up) and even being put to sleep I heard him cry,he moaned and even jumped a little in his sleep. I felt so sorry and I was told that he was being good, and that that's what happens behind closed doors. Im way too over protective possibly, neutering is part of it.... :):)