I have not neutered my male because we currently work in Schutzhund and he has presented me with no other reason to do the surgery. The majority of my close friends and fellow Schutzhund club members all have intact female dogs, so Aiden must just be used to it buy now because honestly he couldn't care less about a female in heat, or ay females in general. He actually ran his first real Schutzhund trial as a "dummy dog" with a female in heat going for her BH at the same time. His behavior is just as any neutered male dogs that I know. I have had ongoing complications due to my female's spay, so this has also held me off on neutering Aiden for now.

That said, at the first sign of any behavioral or physical health problems, I would have the surgery done if it would possibly help correct the problems.

 

Neuter can also prevent some health issues from occurring, Emoore, the older the dog gets. If it was my dog I'd do both together.

Just...because it's gotten so confusing (heh) I think it's people's right to keep their dogs intact. But they must know their situation. Biological drives to procreate are probably the strongest drive in a dog (even overriding training, etc.).

That's why, when I see people, newbies, come on this message board, asking when to s/n because "their vet said it's good/okay to do at 5-6mos", I shudder when some of the anti-s/n folks get all up in arms and state it's best to wait until age 2. Sure, it might be, in some cases, but these newbies to the forum, you don't even know if they have a fenced yard! You don't know if they're responsible enough to wait until age 2 or beyond to s/n. At the very least, you ought to learn more about them and their situation, and actually, if their vet recommended it, maybe the vet knows something you don't about the dog and it's living situation.

 

I have always S/N my pets as soon as I could but tried not spaying Sasha. I was put off by the mess and couldn't handle it. Also my Great Dane is on the small side and I can't help but think it had to do with the early snip.

One day I plan on getting another male and I might try holding off on neutering him until he is a few years old. I will worry about the roaming issue.

I am in no way interested in adding to the puppy crisis though.

 

Actually the Dane would be taller, not smaller, due to early neuter.

 

you think so? I have been told I runted him by the early neuter.
of course he is large to most people but his dad was 3 inches taller and 50 lbs heavier.

Max weighs only 129lbs and 33 in at the shoulder.

 

Yes, neutering before puberty can delay closure of the long-bones. Size has a lot to do with hereditary and he would have gotten half his genetic makeup from mama
I don't know what's average for a Dane, but that sounds pretty large to me!

 

He is on the small side, but his breeder had huge danes. Females can get as tall as 33 in and males 36 in. But I figure that is why he is living so long and well. lol

hmmm now I have to research this further...thanks

 

...it seems counterproductive to rail against s/n. If you don't want to spay/neuter your own dogs, that's fine, but to tell the general public they shouldn't either? It's going to compound the problem, IMO.

Exactly.

 

I know in Germany, pet breeding is heavily regulated. We have a gorgeous Red double dapple Dachshund girl and I brought her to one of our vets we use that is from Germany. He said "She's a nice pet, but in Germany they'd have killed her".

 

To clarify for anyone else reading-- it's self-regulated by the breeders and breed clubs. It's not like the Gestapo comes in with guns drawn and kills out of standard puppies. (The mental picture I got when reading the quoted post.) It's just a different mindset in the breeders and breed clubs.

 

To a lot of people on the forum their dogs are their lives and they are willing to put in many hours of training time. They will do what is required to keep intact animals from breeding. No cost is too much to care for their dogs.
I don't see anything wrong with that if that is what an individual has chosen.

My perspective is different sometimes because I spent most of my adult life raising kids. With kids come less time for dogs. I still loved my dogs and took care of them. I didn't however have time to worry about intact animals. Kids and their friends coming and going, doors and gates being left open.

That is why all my dogs were s/n. That was my decision and I didn't make it because I was irresponsible or lazy. I was busy.

A lot of people seem to have more time available to do things that families do not.
Dogs were part of the family not the family.

 

Exactly this, too, and I might point out that in another thread, a female's upcoming heat is causing issues with an upcoming trip as well (Sorry, Kzoppa!). We're not lazy. I just really don't want huge issues with incoming fosters in heat or intact, should we have the opposite intact animal here already in our own pack. It's not fun having a Dachshund in heat and having a (now-neutered) 90lb. male who was previously used for breeding. I can think of better things to do with my time, thank you! And yes, the neutered boys can still "perform".

In fact we have 2 female Chi foster dogs that are in heat right now (LOVELY!!!! ) and must be spayed ASAP to attend an upcoming adoption event. Needless to say, they're getting a lot less time out and about in the general play area

Finally, I've made concessions with my own *ahem* monthly issues in my life without having to worry about our pets' reproductive issues for what's left of it!

 

Alright already. Can we get back to dogs.

 

Alright already. Can we get back to dogs.

Well, my question was whether female dogs can get uterine tumors (fibroids) like human females do? While not usually cancerous, fibroids can cause pain, cramping, swelling, and a host of other problems for women and they are quite common. If dogs can suffer from the same kind of thing, it's another good argument for spay.

 

Sorry!

 

I believe the choice to "alter" one's pet is the sole decision of the pet owner ...period.
If an owner decides that it is in the best interest (for all those involved/owner & pet) to alter (for whatever personal reasons)...then they should.

Personally.....I do not alter any of my dogs unless there is a medical reason to do so.....but that is my choice.
*This is one of the responsibilities of animal ownership....either make absolute sure that unwanted breedings do not occur....or take the necessary precautions (alter) to prevent any and all possibilities.*

Accidents do happen, even for the most responsible owners......but there is still no "right or wrong" answer.....

 

I do not get the "spay/neuter your dog because of generalized pet overpopulation" argument. Most of the stray/at large dogs I've picked up and ones we worked with in the shelter were already spayed and neutered. They were at large because owners were not diligent in training them or containing them, or dumped at the shelter because the owner was not willing to deal with a training or behavioral issue (regardless of intact/altered) or because the owner genuinely could no longer properly care for the animal. I do not think the altered status of the animals is why we have so many unwanted animals, I think that is a problem with people and their attitudes towards pets being disposable or giving up on them way too easily. The dog owners I know that make an informed decision TO spay/neuter their pets are not the people I would predict having oops litters and then dumping them on the side of the road even if they chose NOT to spay/neuter.

 

I do not think the altered status of the animals is why we have so many unwanted animals, I think that is a problem with people and their attitudes towards pets being disposable or giving up on them way too easily.

That is definitely true. If all pet owners made a commitment to their animals, dumping wouldn't happen, and far fewer dogs would end up in shelters.

The dog owners I know that make an informed decision TO spay/neuter their pets are not the people I would predict having oops litters and then dumping them on the side of the road even if they chose NOT to spay/neuter.

True again. But even good people have oops litters. Your responsible person will certainly not dump oops puppies by the side of the road, but neither do they have the resources to care for 8-10 pups for the rest of their natural lives, so they have to go somewhere. Even if a good home is found for every last pup, that still displaces 8-10 other pups that are also looking for homes.

Say Joe Schmoe is looking for a puppy. He's about to go through rescue and adopt a GSD mix puppy, but he runs into a nearby breeder that has had an "oops" litter and is selling the puppies cheap. Joe decides to buy one of the oops puppies, which is fine, but what of the pup in rescue? Will someone else come along and adopt it, or will they all do the same thing as joe schmoe?

That's just one scenario. I know there are also many people who only buy pups through breeders and do not, would not consider one from rescue in the first place. That is fine, too. But if our average pet dogs were spayed/neutered, there wouldn't be an opportunity for "oops" litters, and there would be more homes to go around. So I think the reproductive status of pet dogs definitely makes a difference to the number of unwanted animals.

 

I think for the general public, yes. I can imagine how much worse overpopulation would be if more of the mediocre pet owners out there had intact dogs, if dogs in shelters came intact, if all those strays were not spayed/neutered and were instead breeding...

For educated, responsible dog owners who are able to control their dogs properly, IMO it's up to the individual. There are risks and benefits on both sides.

 

I think part of the problem is that we are constantly overgeneralizing, even using phrases like "speuter" (which I use on occasion). To me intact males vs intact females are very very different. I see owning intact males as just second nature, part of owning a male (as long as he does not have some rare medical condition or monorchid/cryptorchid), but at least as far as I believe keeping a female intact comes with greater medical risk to the dog. I can't say I am for or against "speuter" because I am against neutering males for no reason but also against keeping females intact who are not to be bred so my absolute 100% solution for not producing oops litters is to not own female dogs. As far as I am concerned that's about an absolute guarantee as it gets unless two males can start reproducing.

People need to be educated and make informed decisions when it comes to their pets and not just be told to do one thing because it's a sure-fire guarantee. How does that educate anyone or actually help solve this problem? To me it is like people who have their dogs' teeth filed to prevent fight injuries. These are just band-aids that only apply to that one dog and that one person at that one time and don't address the root problem.

 

I have not spayed my female. She is rounding off her first heat now. I don't plan on spaying her in the near future and I don't plan on breeding her.

She is in the house under supervision at all times or on a leash outside with us. There is no way we will have an oops litter. Folks around here don't leave their dogs off leashes.

The only way she would have an ooops litter is if I disobeyed club rules at the Shutzhund field and one of the numerous intact GSD male dogs jumped the fence as it borders the field and is quite low. They are beautiful imported dogs for sure, but I am not looking to breed. Another member bred with a dog there and her female is a SCh3 as is the Sire and they still have 3 pups left even though they are not overly expensive and quite nice looking.

 

^ Same here. And yet buying from a reputable breeder is "encouraging puppy mills and the deaths of innocent pound dogs". Why do people not realize that buying puppies this way is one of the worst things they can do, especially if they're so concerned with pound/shelter/rescues.

 

I was with my friend and we were walking into the mall and there were 2 girls selling 2 Maltese puppies for $200. Its not like they needed the money. Sure the puppies were cute, but no sorry, I prefer to spend my money where its going to good use not someone's pocket. Its sad though, it was really cold too. =(

 

I think I have been misunderstood. I think it should be a choice and no one is better or worse than the next for whichever they choose, to spay/neuter, to not spay/neuter.

I will not encourage anyone, not even people who are average dog-owners, to do so because of my personal beliefs about it. That does not mean I am militant in trying to stop people from doing it. That is their choice.

Most of my puppy buyers spay or neuter. In the documentation that goes with the dog, I give the pros and cons and leave it up to the buyers. Most of them call me and tell me when they do it. I never discourage them from doing it. I may have encouraged waiting with some people, but that is even rare.

I get upset when people marry the terms "responsible dog owner" to spay/neuter. I do not feel that people are more or less responsible for choosing to spay or neuter or choosing not to spay or neuter.

I do not like when people suggest spay/neuter to prevent roaming.

As for surgery to prevent bloating in a dog with a close relative that bloated, I don't know. I have never dealt with bloat yet. I get colonoscopies because my mother had colo-rectal cancer. I might not have done so at this point, if I had not had any symptoms, and did not have a close relative that had the problem. I think that is a bit different than spaying to prevent a problem that is not necessarily genetic, just a possible female issue.

So if Jenna nearly died of pyometra, would I spay her offspring to prevent pyometra? Probably not. As far as I know there is not a genetic component that makes some females more likely to have the condition than another. Whereas, bloat may have a genetic component, or just the progeny have the same shape form that might contribute to bloat, may make it much more likely for them to have the condition.

So I am not sure, but I think I would be more likely to do a surgery to try to prevent bloating if a close relative bloated, than to spay or neuter because there is a higher rate of mammary tumors, testicular cancer, and pyometra in intact animals.

 

So if Jenna nearly died of pyometra, would I spay her offspring to prevent pyometra? Probably not. As far as I know there is not a genetic component that makes some females more likely to have the condition than another. Whereas, bloat may have a genetic component, or just the progeny have the same shape form that might contribute to bloat, may make it much more likely for them to have the condition.

I dont think there is. Like I said before, in thirty years we've had two females with Pyometra.

 

Bringing this thread back to bump it for new people.

It's been on my mind since my friends asked if Viking was neutered yet.

"No."
"What? Why not?!"
"He's nine weeks! I don't see any reason to do so before he has reached full maturity."
"Well as long as you neuter eventually."
"To be honest, I probably won't neuter him. He's never going to be in a situation where I would allow that to happen."


They eventually backed off, but I felt like they were glaring daggers into my head. Because I hadn't had surgery performed on a nine week old puppy. Now for me, I never intend to take him to a dog park, or out in public without a leash. I don't have a yard to let him loose in that he can get out of, and I hope that by the time I have a yard he'll be well trained and him running away constantly won't be an issue.

The standard around here is to speuter 10 week old kittens before sending them out for adoption. The friend who asked why I hadn't neutered Viking yet grew up around here where that is the standard and probably doesn't know any better. It's "common knowledge". It's something you just do around here. Which is unfortunate, because speuter debate aside, there is no good reason to go and take a baby to get de-sexed.

 

I decided to take the middle ground with Ilda.

She's almost two years old and I'll be taking her in next Monday for a laparoscopic spay.

Still got the lecture from the vet about how she has a much more of a chance of getting mammery cancer.....but after doing research there's a lot of health issues brought on by S/N too young as well. We'll wait until our Aussie girl is around 14 months before spaying her.

This is a good article written by a vet on this topic:

Canine Sports Productions: Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete

Bringing this thread back to bump it for new people.

It's been on my mind since my friends asked if Viking was neutered yet.

"No."
"What? Why not?!"
"He's nine weeks! I don't see any reason to do so before he has reached full maturity."
"Well as long as you neuter eventually."
"To be honest, I probably won't neuter him. He's never going to be in a situation where I would allow that to happen."


They eventually backed off, but I felt like they were glaring daggers into my head. Because I hadn't had surgery performed on a nine week old puppy. Now for me, I never intend to take him to a dog park, or out in public without a leash. I don't have a yard to let him loose in that he can get out of, and I hope that by the time I have a yard he'll be well trained and him running away constantly won't be an issue.

The standard around here is to speuter 10 week old kittens before sending them out for adoption. The friend who asked why I hadn't neutered Viking yet grew up around here where that is the standard and probably doesn't know any better. It's "common knowledge". It's something you just do around here. Which is unfortunate, because speuter debate aside, there is no good reason to go and take a baby to get de-sexed.

 

After reading, reading, and reading. I decided to wait until my female reaches maturity to spay her. All the reading I did I came to the conclusion that it is personal preference. Six of one or half dozen of another type of situation.

 

I have gone BACK and FORTH on this one! Agonizing thing, actually. Almost as bad as choosing food!

I came on this forum intent to neuter at 16 weeks. Got much feedback, decided not to.

Fast forward to eight months old... sexual maturity setting in.. Bailey began earnestly sniffing girls and sniffing where they peed at the dog park. I stepped up shutting that down. He will still try, but now he knows it is going to get Mama grumpy with him, so it is better. (It's actually funny; he'll go for the sniff, I'm right there, he looks up, I don't really have to even say anything because he knows, gives me the "guilty" eye, turns around and that's that.) Then he had his very first attempted hump. I think three attempted hump incidents now, and all shut down PRONTO. I must say, as these things surfaced, neutering certainly was dancing on my mind. He marks all over at the dog park - I can't get a grip on that one yet because he's too dang quick. ANYWAY, now that I've found these issues really are quite manageable with supervision and control of the situation, I'm relaxed and more prepared to make it to at least a year, preferable 18 months to 2 years. We'll see.

 

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/longtermhealtheffectsofspayneuterindogs.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?

No, unless there is a problem with there reproductive parts they will remain intact.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I think that a mammal's body is a intricate number of systems that work in tandem and work together and work separately to perform all the many functions that make up the life of the critter. If you look at a thyroid gland, and all of what it actually affects, it just makes sens to me that the hormones in the reproductive organs may do more than generate eggs and sperm.

For me, it is no problem to keep intact animals. If someone feels they should spay because they do not want to deal with heat cycles, I have no problem with that. If someone is afraid they will not be able to keep their dog and bitch apart, then they should spay or neuter one of them. It is one of those things that people should not feel better than others because they do or they don't. Spaying or neutering does not make you a rocket scientist, nor does not spaying or neutering make you low crawling thing.

Vet's and humane organizations have an agenda. That agenda is not always the health and well being of an individual dog.

 

I never planned to breed Josh, no one would have him anyway, he was cryptorchid.

We ended up giving in and having him neutered at 7 mo, might have waited a little longer, our vet said the younger dogs get over surgery easier than older ones so we went ahead and did it earlier than planned.

 

I have both my male and female fixed, I don't want puppies and it's easier to deal without the extra hormones going through them, Sadie I had done at 7 months and zero I had done at 14 months, I hated going to the dog park and dogs trying to mount Sadie of others trying to fight zero ( even though he's the nicest and least territorial male) other dogs could just smell that he was intact and it was to much for me to handle. And he's not a good specimen for his breed. Beautiful yes! But he has to much anxiety