Neuter or not??
 

We are loving our 4 month old male..I need to know pros and cons about having him neutered..Can you guys help me?

There are some major concerns with desexing too early and I suggest doing a lot of research on it and do what you feel is best for your dog. Having an intact dog comes with a lot of responsibility and if you are not willing to take that responsibility then by all means have him neutered. :)

Thanks but that's what I'm asking..I'm looking for specifics. What concerns and what responsibilities?

The general recommendation is to wait until the growth plates close in the legs, which I believe is closer to a year in a Yorkie.

The pros: preventing unwanted mating, preventing testicular cancer, possible prevention of marking and aggressive behavior, preventing the urge to run and find a female in heat.

Cons: some recent studies claim various health issues related to de-sexing, and rare reports of depression.

I am in favor of neutering.

Responsibility to prevent your intact male from impregnating a female. There is also some staggering statistic out there relative to intact males that get loose and hit by cars. Apparently they are more apt to run off because of the drive to find a female in heat. There might be other factors.

I think what she's getting at here is the responsibility of keeping an intact dog away from intact females bc of the chance of breeding. We definitely don't need any more indiscriminate breeding of dogs in the world, so you'd really have to watch your kiddo closely, for his whole life.

Some will tell you that you should neuter bc of the chance of testicular cancer. That, in and of itself, is not a good enough reason to neuter for me. It's like me having some body parts removed merely bc of a chance of cancer, ya know? Geez, I'd have no parts left :p! Hormones play a HUGE part in our bodies, they are catalysts for all sorts of important things - so it's a valid concern that when we spay/neuter our pets, we are definitely depriving them of important hormones. However, they seem to do okay/fine/great. It's hard to know if they'd be any different with the hormones, one does wonder.

For me, the main reason I chose neutering for my 2 boys was bc of the chance of marking and the chance of breeding...also, I didn't want a male dog who would have to go nuts whenever he was aware of a female in heat in any 1mile radius, ya know? That sounds miserable. I will tell you that neutering does not necessarily help w/ marking...some males seem to just have a propensity for marking, with or without neutering.

All great info!

Thanks....I have a female Great Pyrenees that I believe I spayed too early..I don't want to make another mistake..My feeling is that I would rather wait a little too long to neuter than neuter too soon..From my research and from your comments I'm inclined to neuter but not before he is 9 months old...I know some say 6 months but I may wait a little longer..

Other comments and input would be very appreciated..

I have 2 boys, full brothers. One was neutered at 6 months, and the other closer to 8 months. I believe that little bit of time did make a positive difference, although nothing that I can explain scientifically. If I have another boy in the future, I will wait closer to a year.

As Ann wrote above, it does deprive them of certain hormones and we don't know the full extent of that deprivation. I'm inclined to keep the hormones during the critical development period.

With a male, I would want to neuter before marking becomes an established habit, so closer to 8 months maybe, although it depends on the dog. My vet also considered if enough of the adult teeth were in because Yorkies don't lose all their baby teeth on their own, most Yorkies have at least a few that will need to be pulled and this has to be done under anesthesia, so it's best to have it done when neutering. A double row of teeth can cause future dental problems.

For me, one of the main reasons you neuter a male is that the number one cause of death for unneutered males is death due to injuries from car accidents, your unneutered male is much more likely to bolt out the door every time you open it, he can smell a female in heat up to 10 miles a way. Also, remember that males and females are fertile all their lives, and so you always have to be extremely conscientious if you have a unneutered animal.

Here is an article that gives some information about the long term health effects of spaying and neutering.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf

Holy cow...what a can of worms...Maybe I'll just keep this little guy just the way he is..:)

You might want to read this too. The Spay/Neuter Decision: Studies Offer Conflicting Advice

I'm on the fence. I don't think either way is better or worse for males honestly. However, early neutering is definitely something I will never do. I will most likely always neuter out of convenience honestly. But probably not before 10 months. Jackson was 7 1/2 months, but knowing what I know now, I'd wait a bit longer, although luckily he had already done a lot of growing (he was already 12lbs by then, and is now approx 17lbs at 5yrs).

For Goldens and certain breeds though, I'm not sure I'd ever neuter. They did a study recently on Goldens and neutering. Very informative.

It is a can of worms and it is not an easy decision. I recommend having an serious talk with your vet about any concerns you might have. There are risks in everything we do for our pets; the food we feed, the treats we give, the shots we give them, the flea and heart worm medication we give them. There are many things that can effect their health and well being.

I think the personality of the dog also plays an important part of the decision. Some males are never neutered, are easy to potty train and they don't hike their legs on everything while others are just the opposite. Good luck with your decision.

I agree with Ann. I'm not going to have something from my body removed based on a low percentage that I may develop this or that.

Yes when I was referring to taking responsibility I was referring to making sure that your intact male is NEVER allowed near an in heat female. I have an intact female but as of yet has not gone into heat. She will be 2 in July and I will have had her for a year in July. I don't know if she had gone into heat prior to me getting her. I have no other dogs in my house and she absolutely is not allowed outside by herself.