To neuter or not to neuter

[Nikki & Charlie]

I`m on the fence with getting Charlie neutered. After reading up about it I have mixed feelings. He`s 7 months old now and he`s on the Ontario SPCA waiting list which will be 2-3 months before he gets his appointment -- as a side note, for those of you living in Ontario, the ontario SPCA charges between $80-$110 for male dogs depending their weight and this includes the medicine needed. 

Anyways, what I want to know is if your dogs are all neutered? From my understanding the main reason behind doing the procedure is for population control which I completely understand, BUT Charlie will never be in the presence of a female dog long enough for them to mate, our backyard is closed off and no other dogs have access to it, and there are no un-fixed female dogs on our street. So, aside from population control, what are the medical reasons behind getting this procedure done?

He hardly humps anything. His behaviour is fine and I have read that that getting a dog neutered does not really change their behaviour anyways, so what is the reason for doing it? What I have read is that getting it done may prevent testicular cancer and prostate cancer, but doing the procedure could cause many things... here are the links I've read by Dr. Karen Becker

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/17...

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/09/30...

So I would love to hear your thoughts on this. 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Orwell doesn't have a contract. I got him from my old English teacher and we're friends so it's very loose and he trusts me. I could actually stud him out if I wished, but I don't want to.

I started seeing a new doctor in my vet clinic that I like better (she was the only one there that day I had to get his last round of DHPP) so I will talk to her about waiting until he is about 9 months to neuter him. 

[Minga & Malu & Costa]

I think growth plates are finishing up around 9 months. 9-12 months shouldn't make any difference in the health of the dog as far as bones are concerned if you neuter in that age. It's not that precise. It's easier on the dog as far as recovery the younger they are and the surgery is much easier in younger animals to perform. 

Also, I understand what you are saying about not having any female dogs around, but males can smell a female in heat for MILES away and will literally do almost ANYTHING to get to them. This includes digging out of the back yard, or in my mom's case, two labs breaking a hole in her garage door to get to the in heat female inside. It takes a dog a few seconds to tie up with another dog and BOOM - here comes some puppies. Just a thought. 

I worked in vet clinics for 20 years and have never seen anything happen to the dog because the dog was getting neutered. It's a ridiculously easy and common surgery. The likelihood of something going wrong is slim and is exactly the same for any other surgery - same as humans. 

What I did see was many older dogs not neutered come in and get diagnosed with testicular cancer. Same for females un-spayed, mammarian cancer, extremely common in intact females. 

I have spayed and neutered EVERY single dog and cat I have ever owned, and there have been many. They all lived very long (in some cases too long lol) healthy lives and died at old ages. Honestly, I will never own an intact animal, because I have no intentions of breeding any animals. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Great response.  I couldn't have said it any better.

[Nikki & Charlie]

You're absolutely right. It does only take a few seconds and I don't know what circumstances we will run into in the future so it's best to get it done and avoid any mistakes. Thank you for your reply!

[Lynda Kamrath]

I always get male dogs and they are all neutered.  There is some question about the growth plates not being fully developed until a little later, but unless you are competing in something like agility, it should not matter.  Population control is a big issue, of course, but unless you are a breeder and have had all the testing done, you should just not be allowing a pet to breed.  We had a miniature poodle and he was not neutered and one day he dug under a neighbor's fence.  Her female golden retriever was in heat and Barney (our dog) was in her yard with a smile on his face when she came outside.  This was before the day of labradoodles (would have been darling pups) and she was tested, was pregnant, and my husband paid for her abortion.  Is that one other reason for getting your dog neutered?  It makes for better neighborhood relationships.

[Nikki & Charlie]

You're right. Thanks for your reply!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Neutering a family pet is part of responsible pet ownership.  When you feel is the appropriate time to neuter, is based on where you do your research. However deciding to neuter or not shouldn't even be in your thinking.   Perhaps a family moves into your neighborhood with an unspayed female, and they are going to rely on all the males being neutered? How responsible is that?  Sorry for the rant, but I am quite involved in rescue and what I do is pull dogs to be fostered.  I have to go to the shelters and look at all those (usually intact)  dogs with their pleading faces,  knowing full well that many of them will be euthanized before the week is out.  Please neuter your dog.

[Nikki & Charlie]

I definitely understand where you're coming from. Who knows what dogs will be in the neighbourhood in the future or what circumstances I will be in and I would rather be safe than sorry. My main concern for getting it done was it causing issues down the road.. but I think I should be okay since Charlie will be 9 or 10 months, possibly 11. Thanks for the reply!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Didn't mean to be harsh, I just hate going to the shelters but someone has to.  It is important to neuter at the age you feel most comfortable with.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Hi Nikki ~ since you are thinking about using the ASCPA for neutering, I wonder if you have read their website concerning neutering:

" Medical Benefits - There are significant medical benefits to be gained from neutering your dog. Neutering prevents the following medical conditions:

• Testicular cancer. Neutering removes the testes and eliminates the risk of your dog developing testicular cancer, a common and life-threatening cancer in older male dogs.
• Prostate problems. Without neutering, your dog’s prostate will gradually enlarge as he gets older. This can become uncomfortable for him and even make urination difficult. If the prostate becomes infected, it’s difficult to treat without neutering. While neutering doesn’t completely guard against prostate cancer, it does prevent enlargement and possible infection of the prostate.

Behavioral Changes

The only behaviors influenced by neutering are related to male sex hormones. Neutering won’t affect your dog’s working abilities, friendliness, playfulness or personality. However, hormones like testosterone are reduced by neutering, which can reduce behaviors associated with them. You may see a reduction in the following behaviors after neutering your dog:

• Urine marking. Testosterone makes a dog more interested in advertising his presence by urine marking. Neutering your dog will reduce his desire to excessively mark his surroundings with urine. This includes areas outside and around your yard, as well as inside your home.
• Roaming. Unaltered dogs often try to leave home in search of females in heat, which puts them at risk of getting lost and being injured or killed on roadways. Neutered dogs tend to live longer than sexually intact dogs, probably because they’re less likely to engage in risky behaviors like roaming. Neutering will lessen or eliminate your dog’s urge to roam.
• Aggression. Some studies suggest that neutering can decrease aggression toward other male dogs because testosterone might increase the likelihood of aggressive behavior. Other studies have found no significant relationship between aggression and neutering. It’s possible that competition for mates results in aggression between male dogs, so a dog’s urge to fight with other males might go away when his desire for females is eliminated by neutering. However, there are many complex reasons why dogs fight, and you may not see any changes in your dog’s aggressive behavior simply because he’s been neutered.
• Social problems. Other male dogs can easily detect an unneutered dog’s high testosterone level and become aggressive. This can make your intact dog a target of harassment by other male dogs. Neutering can reduce or eliminate this undesirable attention.
• Inappropriate mounting. Your dog might be less likely to mount other dogs, people and inanimate objects after he’s neutered. However, mounting is a complex behavior. It can be a sexual behavior, but it can also be a playful behavior or an attempt to assert social control. Only sexually motivated mounting can be reduced by neutering. And although a dog’s interest in females in heat will diminish after neutering, it might not be completely eliminated. He might still become aroused and try to mate if he encounters a receptive female.

To prevent the development of the behaviors listed above, it’s best to neuter your dog before he reaches sexual maturity at six to nine months of age. That way, he’s unlikely to develop unwanted habits. If your dog has practiced these habits for months or years, they might persist even after neutering. However, if you have an older dog, it’s still a good idea to neuter him"

If you do wait and then decide to neuter him later on in his life, I have heard it can cost upward to $800 to $1,000 to neuter a dog more than 2 years old.  I have also heard that is it easier on them if they are younger. 

IMO - it is the responsible thing to do.  We do not need any more doodle (or other breeds) in the shelters.

[Nikki & Charlie]

Thank you for the reply. You're right! It is responsible. I was only worried about doing it because of problems it can cause in the future but seeing as Charlie will be 9 or 10 months, hopefully it will be fine.

[Marie and Hoka]

All of my pets will be neutered for sure... but timing can be the big question.

My Tinker (late, great doodle boy always missed) was neutered by breeder at about 6 weeks or so.  He had an absolutely awesome temperament. We luckily had no problems with hips or joints.  The breeder was pretty reliable and I do believe was careful in selection of parents.

For Hoka (male doodle pup, almost a year) we had to handle the neuter. We waited until about 6 months. Temperament is our number one on the importance list for us, and I believe the ASPCA statement that poor temperament is the primary reason people put pets into rescue.  We tried to insure the orthopedic health by selecting a good breeder who cleared the parents, etc.  Next we purposely sought out insurance that covers hip dysplasia (after one year) in case our careful selection of puppy was not enough. We have been really careful in food selection and keeping him trim.  Hoka has an AWESOME temperament to date and we are totally in love with him.