To Castrate or Not???

[Emmsmom]

http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenl...ionindogs.html


I was just wondering what your thoughts are on this. Diesel will be going on 3 soon and is not fixed! To be honest I don't think I ever will get him fixed. I thought this was intresting coming from a Vet who work at a Canine Fertility Clinic. It really makes me stop and think.

[autumn star]

For me, I have all my pets fixed! But if its not for someone than thats fine.........you have to be most comfortable w/your decision!

[Emmsmom]

Oh I understand. I was just wondering what others thought about this Vet saying that it should not be done except for certain conditions.

Diesel makes EVERYTHING under the sun OUTSIDE. He has NEVER marked our house the first time. I do know that it isn't always like that for others. My grandmother has a male who isn't fixed and he doesn't hesitate to mark when given the chance. I have been VERY fortunate with Diesel. He was easy to housebreak, never marks the house, doesn't run even when the chance is there. He is a VERY VERY well behaved Yorkie. I couldn't have done any better.

[MyFairLacy]

My pets will aways be spayed and neutered. It's the responsible thing to do and the best thing health-wise for them

[Patti]

Interesting. Growing up we had dogs mostly shelties and then my first Yorkie none of them were neutered. I guess my parents didn't think it was a necessary expense. The shelties never marked my Yorkie marked all over the house. Also maybe 40 or so years ago it wasn't done as much. One thing in that article he mentioned that you should never neuter/spay at a young age as they will grow taller? Is this true, it seems people are spaying/neutering around 6 months. I wait until they are almost a year just because I usually can't bring myself to make the appointment.

[Nancy1999]

I thought it was hogwash. The number one cause of death for male dogs is injures due to car accidents. I have read the breeder's forum where members describe the anxiety of the males when they smell a bitch in heat. Of course they are thinner; they don't eat, during this time. In any profession, you will find people who speak for or against a widely accepted belief. The vast majority of vets believe castration is the responsible thing to do. I would rather Joey behave more like a 2-8 year old boy than a 16 year old boy. I'm glad you don't have any problem with your dog running away, and I hope this continues for you, but so many of us live in busy traffic areas, and don't want to take a chance.

[SueNCricket 2]

My Cricket was very tiny as a pup and I was hoping she would get close to 5 pounds, so I had her spayed at 4 months. She was abotu 2.75 pounds at that time. She tolerated it very well, healed quickly and was her bouncy little self the next day.
She did not grow taller or bigger from being spayed though. She is nearly 4 pounds at adulthood. It did not change her size or her personality at all!
I do rescue and think every dog should be spayed or neutered, JMHO...

[kalina82]

i believe that a simple surgery at a young age can prevent an expensive, messy, and painful surgery later. I see lots of males come in for surgery because they have perineal hernias. These hernias cause some serious pooping problems. Plus since there is a hole in that area, its hard to explain, but it creates pockets that poop gets stuck in. Before surgery we have to clean these pockets out and its not pretty. After surgery the dog will still have pooping problems for a while and their bum will hurt and get irritated not just from the surgery but from the bad poops. PLUS the dog needs to be castrated as well. This does NOT only happen in "old" dogs. I've seen them as young as 5 in small breed dogs.

this article is full of it, if you ask me.

[pea496]

I would never not spay or neuter my pets. I am not interested in breeding, and therefore, do not want my little guy interested in breeding. At least I know that he is "safe" at the park, and no trollop can come to my house and say my dog got their dog preggers.

[Ichabob]

very interesting because like you I have not had Wicket neutered. he was a year old in Feb.
my reason is fear, I lost my first yorkie while he was going under, he was 6yrs old and weigh 15lbs.
Wicket is only 4lbs 2oz my Vet will not consider neutering Wicket until he reaches 5lbs, my vet also says that it's not necessary to neutered males, most people do because of the marking and male habits. Wicket has never marked or had bad habits, also my vet has raise yorkies for 15 years.
I think you should do what feels right for you, listen to that little voice we all have inside us, I have found it's more right then wrong.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Ichabob

very interesting because like you I have not had Wicket neutered. he was a year old in Feb.
my reason is fear, I lost my first yorkie while he was going under, he was 6yrs old and weigh 15lbs.
Wicket is only 4lbs 2oz my Vet will not consider neutering Wicket until he reaches 5lbs, my vet also says that it's not necessary to neutered males, most people do because of the marking and male habits. Wicket has never marked or had bad habits, also my vet has raise yorkies for 15 years.
I think you should do what feels right for you, listen to that little voice we all have inside us, I have found it's more right then wrong.

My little voice would say save money don't do it, I'm glad my bigger voice researched it better.

Originally Posted by Emmsmom

http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenl...ionindogs.html


I was just wondering what your thoughts are on this. Diesel will be going on 3 soon and is not fixed! To be honest I don't think I ever will get him fixed. I thought this was intresting coming from a Vet who work at a Canine Fertility Clinic. It really makes me stop and think.

I did find it interesting that the vet quoted in the article was a "breeder vet" and the link came from "The Show Dog Super Site - The Best of Breed of Online Show Dog Magazines", the fertility clinic that you are referring to does this sort of thing
· Diagnosis and Treatment of sterility in stud dogs ( retrograde ejaculation, aspermia)
· The complete range of reproductive medicine and consultation.
· Infertility work-ups for the Dog and Bitch.
· Breeding timing utilizing endoscopic examination as well as hormone assay and exfoliative cytology.
· Artificial insemination and assisted natural breeding.
· Endoscope guided trans-cervical insemination, eliminating the anaesthesia risk of surgical implants.
· Diagnostic ultrasound utilized in pregnancy diagnosis, prostate evaluation and general imaging.
· Fresh-extended (chilled) semen preparation - CLONE Process.
· Semen freezing - CLONE Process.
· On site Semen Bank
· Ovary freezing and banking.

http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/aac/index.html

[Ellie May]

I didn't read the article but I do think there is another side to the "have your pets spayed or neutered" campaign. First, just because someone doesn't do it doesn't mean they aren't responsible. What if they don't believe in it? What if they feel that there are more health benefits if they don't neuter? Because that can be debated. If you are willing to keep your dog from breeding if they aren't spayed/neutered, then it is your business if you don't want to do the surgery. If you allow your dog to have pups and they end up in the shelter, it then becomes my business because some shelters receive tax money and the public is expected to "rehome" these animals.

Second, it is debatable whether or not neutering a male is the healthiest choice. Yes, things can go wrong if you don't but things can go wrong if you do. Females are a bit easier of a decision because the health benefits seem to clearly outweigh the risks, but in larger breed males especially, it would be a hard decision for me.

Yes, there are always "mistakes" or "accidents" where a dog gets out and gets to a female but if you have an unneutered male, I don't think it is a good idea to leave it out unattended at all. It is a big responsibility to own an unaltered animal. There are HONEST accidents but if the pups from the honest accidents were the only ones that ended up in shelters, it would be a more manageable number.

[MyFairLacy]

My honest opinion is that anyone that does not spay/neuter their pet is irresponsible. Too many "accidents" happen...I see it here all the time. Most people are just not responsible enough to own an intact animal and never have an "accident" arise. I truly believe it is healthier for an animal to be spayed/neutered as well. Unless a dog is a wonderful example of the breed and healthy, it should not be intact.

[buddybramble]

I don't think it really matters if the dogs a perfect example of the breed or not, if you dont intend breeding then neuter, i remember reading a while back a post ( i think it was my fair lacy) when she said something about, imagine having to live with uncontrollable urges to find a female and mate but not being allowed or able to do the one thing your instincts are crying out for you to do, making a male dog live like that when they dont need to is cruel imo

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

My honest opinion is that anyone that does not spay/neuter their pet is irresponsible. Too many "accidents" happen...I see it here all the time. Most people are just not responsible enough to own an intact animal and never have an "accident" arise. I truly believe it is healthier for an animal to be spayed/neutered as well. Unless a dog is a wonderful example of the breed and healthy, it should not be intact.

That's fine. We all have opinions.
I guess that makes me irresponsible then, because Ellie wasn't spayed til she was 6 and if I got a male tomorrow I don't know if I would neuter or not.