Should people neuter/spay their dogs?

[ladyfreckles]

This isn't a question about advice for me, it's just about opinions in general. I searched, but could not find a thread on this already.

I've had intact pets and I've had neutered/spayed pets. I don't really have a preference. However, awhile ago when I was doing research for a report I came across something about neutering and how spaying/neutering your pets can cause more diseases than it supposedly "fixes".

Now, whether or not that is true is up for debate. I've had perfectly healthy neutered pets and I've had neutered animals with neuter-related health problems that cost me thousands of dollars.

I spoke to my vet about this, and the vet said that there's no reason to neuter your animal unless there are health concerns that are related to spaying/neutering. She doesn't condone it at all unless it's absolutely necessary. On the flip side, the people from the shelter I spoke to said that people who don't neuter/spay their animals are "fools" and are just asking for their pets to get cancer, pregnant, and be aggressive.

I spoke to another vet at my facility, and they had a more in-between approach. He said that he did not believe in neutering purebreds unless there was a medical reason, but that rescue animals should be.

Interesting articles on the matter:
http://leerburg.com/pdf/neutering.pdf
Spaying / Neutering
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longt...uterindogs.pdf
AVMA: Mandatory spay/neuter a bad idea
BAD EFFECTS OF SPAY-NEUTER,IGNORED BY AR EXTREMISTS | Pet Defense


What is your opinion on the matter?
Do you spay/neuter your pets? Why or why not?

[KentuckyGSDLover]

I think you have to decide the circumstances and what is best for you and your dog as a unit. There are going to be pros and cons. I've found while searching for a new dog that a lot of people give a lot of absolutes, and some of those "experts" have proved to be wrong. I am getting a papered dog spayed, because I don't want puppies, I don't want to deal with heat and she is a small specimen for her breed anyway. I've had two neutered German Shepherds whose lives exceeded their usual life expectancy. In a world where millions of dogs are euthanized each year because there are too many of them, unless I planned to breed a specific line, I personally would spay or neuter. But that's me.

[CookieTN]

I think the main reason to speuter is population control. (Although it does help some with behaviors like marking if done early enough in my (very limited) experience.) My pets are all spayed/neutered because I don't have any business breeding them and I do not want the chance of them reproducing. (Though I may with future pets, after finding a mentor and all.)
I think it should stay the way it is--people can speuter if they want, or not. I encourage people informing themselves and making their own decisions. Maybe a bit more public education on the matter, though?

I do not think it's a good idea to speuter a puppy younger than six months. (Older for large breeds.) If it's a rescue dog and part of the shelter/rescue's policy, fine. If not, I'd hold off on it.

[AgileGSD]

Originally Posted by ladyfreckles

I spoke to my vet about this, and the vet said that there's no reason to neuter your animal unless there are health concerns that are related to spaying/neutering. She doesn't condone it at all unless it's absolutely necessary. On the flip side, the people from the shelter I spoke to said that people who don't neuter/spay their animals are "fools" and are just asking for their pets to get cancer, pregnant, and be aggressive.

I spoke to another vet at my facility, and they had a more in-between approach. He said that he did not believe in neutering purebreds unless there was a medical reason, but that rescue animals should be.


What is your opinion on the matter?
Do you spay/neuter your pets? Why or why not?

Largely the opinion that all dogs should be S/N comes from years and years of Animal Rights movement propaganda, which has become common knowledge. By common knowledge, I mean most people don't consider where this view came from but most know you should S/N if you want to be good owner. Part of AR's agenda is to have a "No Birth Nation", meaning no further generations of domestic animals. While that sounds far fetched, their use of propaganda over years has drastically altered the public's opinion about animals and breeding. And in that time, we've seen more and more restrictive laws concerning animals: mandatory S/N laws, BSL, limit laws, anti-tethering laws, laws concerning where and how animals can be bought/sold, stricter and stricter laws concerning breeding, etc. And the change in thinking has had a very negative impact on lower number breeds. Since it's also common knowledge that "all good breeder sell pet puppies on S/N contracts and limited registration", the number of litters of low number breeds is on a steady decline. Quality dogs in these breeds are S/N because their owners don't have an interest in showing and no one wants to be the breeder who doesn't sell pet puppies on a S/N contract and limited registration.

So, basically the widespread opinion that most dogs should be S/N is a political one. Yes certain health problems can be prevented by altering but other health problems can be caused by it. There's plenty of S/N aggressive dog. IMO behavior isn't a strong reason to S/N, unless you have intermale aggression involving an intact male (which may be solved by neutering or may not be). Spaying can actually make some forms of same sex aggression worse in females. There are good reasons for some people to alter their animals for sure but there's also good reasons for others not to. I have some altered dogs and some are intact. If they develop a health issue requiring altering I would have it done but I see no compelling reason to neuter male dogs otherwise. My girls will all likely remain intact until they are at least middle aged.

Here's another two-part article for you to read, not directly relating to S/N pros/cons but very much related to the issue:

http://breedingbetterdogs.com/pdfFil...storm_pt_1.pdf

http://breedingbetterdogs.com/pdfFil...storm_pt_2.pdf

[BlackGSD]

I used to spay/neuter my dogs but don't anymore. I just don't feel the need to risk their lives to MAYBE prevent a health issue sometime down the road. (Unless it were medically necessary of course.)

I've had intact dogs of both genders and never had any litters, nor have any of my males ever bred a female that belonged to someone else.

I also live alone and don't have a husband nor children that can accidentally (or intentionally.) leave intact dogs together when a female is in heat.

[doggiedad]

the dogs i bought were never neutered and there was
never a problem. the rescues i've own have been
neutered and spayed. i think you can use the word
neutered when talking about males or females.

[lhczth]

Should people? Only if they feel it is the best idea for themselves and their dogs.

I have 2 spayed older females, 3 intact females and an intact male. I am thinking about spaying Vala since I won't breed her again and pyometritis scares me, but then again I am fighting with myself about whether to do it. Donovan won't be done unless it becomes necessary for medical reasons.

[jocoyn]

You have some time to really think about it. OF those people who do a large proportion of them advocate waiting until the animal has had a chance to complete all skeletal growth. I would probably still spay a female after 2-3 years of age just because I keep intact males but it will be 5-6 years before I get a female so plenty of time to rethink it all. My male puppy will be left intact. I did neuter my current male at 8 due to enlarged prostate --

[JakodaCD OA]

I agree it's a personal choice and what you feel is a good idea for you.

Me personally, I do not want to deal with intact females, I just don't, so all my females have been spayed. My males eventually ended up being neutered but some weren't until they were aound 3-4 years old.

[selzer]

My opinion is to leave them and not interfere with the hormonal systems that nature provided them. Behavioral issues are due to leadership, genetics and training, they can be handled with training, management, and containment. Unwanted pregnancy is a management/containment issue. As for cancer, there seems to be a higher incidents of cancers that often take dogs younger and have a terrible prognosis in animals spayed or neutered young. Mammary cancer in females is a risk, just like pyometra, but so is osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma. By reducing the risk of mammary and testicular, you increase the risk of osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma -- one needs to weigh the risks and make the decision they feel is best.

Other negatives to early spay/neuter is interfering with the growth of the dog, possible complications of surgery such as problems with anesthetic up to and including death, and poor surgical practices causing infections and incontinence.

Positives is the elimination of the heat cycle twice yearly which many people would rather not deal with, training and titling the dog can be affected by untimely heats, boarding facilities sometimes do not want to take an animal in heat. Occasionally other types of dog-related businesses are closed to intact animals.

In the end, it is a personal decision. A person who chooses to keep their animals intact is no more or less responsible than the person who chooses to spay or neuter.