to castrate or not
 

My yorkie is 5 months old. I`m not sure whether i should have him castrated or not, basically for health reasons. Spoke to my vet & have had mixed reviews about it. Would be grateful for some opinions!

Well funny you should ask, Jersey Boy had it done today so far so good:animal36

I am having my girls fixed but not my boy... He does not mark or anything that requires it BUT my girls do go in heat every 6 months or so which makes my choice easier. I would not fix my boy if I did not have a girl or have issues with marking. Just my personal choice. I know everyone says fix every dog but if there is no way he can reproduce as he is with me inside or in our fenced yard, I don't see the need. Again, my personal choice and you would need to feel comfortable with your own decision.

Wow this must be the question of the day :D Here are 2 threads that were started today and hopefully they will help you with your questions. It is great you are asking and will help you feel better about your decision.:)


http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...questions.html

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...justified.html

I actually feel like it's more important to fix males than females. Males will change if they are not neutered, they will always be you little boy, if they are neutered. Unfortunately, the testicles will gradually produce a great deal of testosterone, and your little boy will change to something like a teenage boy. Lol, who wants that? I think it has to be frustrating for males to have the urge, but never be able to satisfy it. They can smell a female in heat miles a way, and really have an ingrained need to get to her. Unneutered males are much more likely to run away because of this, and the number one cause of death in unneutered males is injures due to care accidents. If you wait too long to make your decision, marking may become a firmly established habit, and difficult to eliminate even after neutering. Yorkies tend to need some of the baby teeth removed anyway, and it just seems like neutering and removing those baby teeth, are two of the best things we can do for their future health.

:goodpost::goodpost::thumbup::thumbup:

My Kissie is 4 years old. She is intact. Even if the vet recommend to fix them, I never did to my dogs. She is in heat every 9 months. It does'nt bother me.
This is my personal opinion but of course everybody is free to do with his dog what he believes the best.

I know that the uterine cancer risk goes down almost 100% if your female is spayed, but the main benefit I'm aware of for males is improved behavior. I have my male dog fixed and my female one is getting spayed in a week and a half. I'm an advocate of it, but that's just my opinion.

Keeping an intact female is more dangerous than a intact male. An unbred, intact female is prone to pyrometria.....the onset is quick and deadly.

My Bailey is getting neutered this Wednesday, he is 25 weeks, he is tiny and I'm nervous, but it is something I think needs to be done.

I did not do it and would never do it to my dog. Don't listen to others, do your own research and read read read!.
Rocky doesn't pee at home, doesn't mark chew or any of those things. He uses his pads and we go outside in good weather. He is very loyal and has his own life going for him as well.
Just do your own research and then ask yourself why you would or would not do it to your dog.

May I ask what you mean by " . . .and has his own life going on as well?"

I had all of my animal's done I think it's healthier for them.

I would love to know what your research discovered to make this post. I also would love to know your answer to Nancy's question. I know the question of neutering an animal is scary but it doesn't help if you throw something out but don't answer why you wouldn't spay/neuter.

What I mean by that is, that he is very well balanced. He is a great dog, but he also has his own days when he wants to either just play, or just sleep, or whatever. In Other words, his own personality.

I asked many people on the street, some relatives and some doctors. Many told me that it is not necessary to do it, and a handful of those said not to do it at all.
Its just for some reason people always listen to doctors or whoever and go do what they are told and never question the authority.

I also think it is not a natural thing to do. If it was, why dont we neuter all sex offenders? Or say abusive husbands, or those who don't want to have kids. You know, for all the good HEALTH reasons? Inhumane you say? Then how is it humane to neuter dogs?
Neutering pets is a profitable, keep that in mind.

So do you own research, ask around. Ask real people on the street who own pets and make your decision upon that.
Maybe its just me, I favor dogs over people and would never want to harm a dog against its will, so neutering a dog and messing with its hormone system is not something I favor.
With that said, I wish all pets and pet owners here and anywhere else, nothing but good health and much happiness one way or another! :aimeeyork

Did a vet tell you it wasn't neccessary? Did you do any research on the internet?

When you said research, I thought you meant you had read articles by experts in the field, I didn't know your meant you just asked various peoples opinions. You took a poll, you did not do research. If you needed medical advice would you get it through man on the street interviews? I'm really shocked by your reply, the average person is not educated in this, that's why Yorkietalk and other forums are so important, as they help educate the average man on the street. While I respect your decision, to do as you wish, I'm a little disappointed you feel the need to suggest that others do this too, and that they should only listen to "real" people, I think others who are for neutering and spaying are "real" people too, and we are "real' upset about the millions of deaths of unwanted dogs. Your point of "neutering pets is profitable", seems to suggest that the reason people are for this is that the vets want to get rich. Nearly every community has low cost and free clinics for neutering, and vets often volunteer their services for free. If vets really wanted to make money, they would encourage people to have more pets.


I really don't know what neutering sex offenders has to do with neutering a dog. Primary, we are trying to stop unwanted pregnancies with dogs, there are millions of healthy dogs being put to sleep yearly, we really need to do something about the population of unwanted dogs. Part of your research should involve contacting your local humane society and see how many dogs they put to sleep, killed is the more accurate word. Also, find out how they do it, do they use the relatively painless injection or do they use gas, which is painful, and terrifying to dogs, but cheaper. By the way, rape and other sex offenses is not about sex, it's about control, and humiliation, surgical castration and chemical castration has no long-term effect on the behaviors.

We don't do a vasectomy on dogs because that would not stop the behavior of running wild when they smell a bitch in heat, and it would not stop the production of testosterone, which is triggers marking and other unwanted behaviors. We should not compare human needs with animal needs. Your dog is not a human, and will never know what has been done or what he has missed. Death from injuries due to an accident involving a car is the NUMBER ONE cause of death for unneutered males, and unneutered males are much more likely to run away.

I would never own a male of any breed unless it was neutered.
That's my own opinion of course. It's cleaner, safer and may
just add a couple more healthy years to his life.

Did research on the internet and asked a vet, who advised against neutering.

I dont belive that Yorkie owners let their dogs roam the neighborhood and those dogs are causing unwanted pregnancies. Those who do have other issues to deal with.

AS far as negative traits due to lack of castration. I agree, if the behavior of a dog is getting to the point of a problem, perhaps neutering might be the right choice.
BUT, not all dogs qualify for neutering and thats all I wanted to point out.
For example, dogs that are calm, or small, or otherwise fine without neutering dont this this procedure done.

I used to be of the opinion that it is unnatural to neuter animals (and still am), but I got snapped into reality one day when Ellie's vet strongly suggested that Ellie be spayed. She was spayed at age six, so the risk of mammary cancer was not reduced, but the risk of pyometra was. If we hadn't done it and pyometra would have showed up one day, Ellie's vet is the one that was going to have to go in there and take her pus-filled uterus out. This is all while a raging infection is going on possibly in a dog's teenage years when surgery may be best avoided because of other health problems. Oh and if the uterus gets spilled on the way out, you can have a REALLY big problem. It's kind of difficult to maneuver in such a small dog's abdomen... So in the end I decided it was best for my girl and will continue to spay.

In the case of males, don't unaltered males have a 50% chance of getting testicular tumors (can't remember exactly)?

In general, I wouldn't go for a surgery or procedure just because some rescue organization who euthanizes daily says I should because they are not vets. I would rather listen to experts in the field about what is best for the health and well being of my dog. And in fact the experts in this field recommend it (but believe it should not be mandatory):
http://www.theriogenology.org/displa...barticlenbr=59

Actually, I do think that child sex offenders, rapists, etc SHOULD get their thing chopped off. Those kind of people will blatantly admit that they can not stop. It's a sickness. Why not just chop it off so they can't do harm to any other human being during their lifetime? And men who don't want to have kids CAN get a vasectomy. Women can get their tubes tied. I don't think it's inhumane at all. NOW, with that said, it doesn't have anything to do with dogs getting neutered, as Nancy said.

An unaltered male dog naturally want to mate twice a year... if they can't, it will make them crazy! I wouldn't want to put my dog through that. And everything Nancy said, I agree. :)

The health benefits FAR outweigh the risks of spaying and neutering. I don't think that anyone is suggesting that we spay or yorkies solely to prevent pregnancy, but that the preventative health measures are immeasurable, and lead many of us to decide to "fix" them. It's everyones own choice to do what is best for their yorkie, but after doing research on the internet, in a few books, and talking to our vet, I feel comfortable in my decision to have them fixed. I think that overall they will be happier and healthier.:animal36

Neutering a dog would not upset his "balance" and overall demeanor. :p As far as the dogs roaming the streets, you would be surprised at how many "accidental" breedings happen in the home. In addition, there are many health benefits to neutering. To compare dogs to humans in this instance is not logical--there is a difference between a human life and that of a dog. (Although I like my dogs better than many people I meet. ;))
This is a very serious issue that involves researching and weighing the benefits...not something you should base on what 'the people on the street' tell you. :rolleyes:

I would suggest that anyone contemplating having this done of their dog take a look at clinical facts and research, not just personal opinions with nothing to back them up.

:lol tears:lol tears:lol tears:lol tears:lol tears

LOL...tell us how you really feel!

LOL!!! Well it's the truth! ha!

I'd wait till he is a bit older, closer to one, then you can have any remaining baby teeth removed at the same time.

A vet can pull remaining baby teeth much earlier as long as enough adult teeth are in, and you do eliminate the possibility that marking will become an established habit.