Neuter Or Not

[joeys mom]

Joey is a little over a year old now and i am still undecided about getting him neutered. He is an indoor dog that we do let run and play for a little bit each evening out in the yard with our other dog (a female bleu healer) who just showed up at our house about a month ago. Becasue she is an outside dog, and we live in the country and dont want her become pregnant, she is scheduled to be spayed next week. i have no intentions on breeding him so this is not why i question should i or shouldnt i. What are the benefits of doing it or not? what have you done and for what reasons?

 

[SweetCody]

I know there are a lot of health issues that are greatly helped by getting them fixed. I am not sure exactly but I know you will get the answers from someone else here, who can give you great detail. Other than breeding, (the right way, and for the right reasons) there is really no reason for them not to be fixed, the benefits far out weigh the risks.

 

[My Boxer]

I totally believe in neutering/spaying. What if he somehow got out, and found a female in heat? I wouldn't want to deal with the unwanted litter of pups. It decreases the chance of his roaming to find that female in heat, and prostate cancer. And probably many more other reasons. But the biggest one for me, is the possible chance of an unwanted litter. There are enough homeless dogs in shelters.

 

[ehayes21]

Neuter, most definitely. It's really easier on him.

 

[MyBoyChamp]

I had a wonderful American Eskimo (RIP Alex) and I thought the exact same thing as you - he was not in contact with female dogs, so why bother getting him neutered (yes, I was naive!).

When he was about 9-10 y/o, he got a hernia near his anus. I don't remember the exact name of the hernia. It was basically a hole in his skin that his insides could possibly come out through, and often you would see a huge "bubble" where some of his innards were out. He had surgery, but it came back and then he got one (not as bad) on the other side. The vet told us that they see the hernia almost exclusively in un-neutered dogs. That is one of the heath reasons to neuter your dog! We had him neutered during the surgery to fix the hernia, but I wish I had been told that he might have health problems due to not being neutered when he was young! The hernia was dangerous because he ran the risk of getting an infection and also, having his innards get so far out, they wouldn't go back in.

Patty

 

[Maxwell's Ma]

There are so many benefits with neutering besides stopping an unwanted pregnancy. It helps with your guy's general all around health. Definitely neuter.

 

[punchinella]

Also other male dogs are more likely to be aggressive towards an intact male.

 

[gmacleod]

Neutering is a health of dog (and health of breed) issue. Therefore, shifting this thread to the health forum where it belongs.

There are many health benefits to your dog in having him neutered (actually, more so even then having bitches spayed). Without doubt, it is not reasonable to keep two intact animals of opposite sexes on the same property, so it's good you're at least spaying the bitch. But there are still very good reasons for neutering the dog. Worth considering is that neutered dogs live longer than un-neutered dogs. A veterinary article on the health & behavioural aspects of neutering here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1625&articleid=911

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Ditto ditto what everyone else has said. My pup was in there at 6 months old getting neutered. He had an undescended testicle so it was even more beneficial to him, but it reduces prostate cancer, testicular cancer (since they don't have them LoL), wanting to roam for bitches in heat, aggression, CAN (not always) help with hyperness, a whole slew of issues. And at over 1 year he is PLENTY old enough.

 

[EAO76]

The desire to roam is reason enough for me. A male dog can smell a bitch in heat from literally miles away. If that male dog is intact they are DRIVEN to get to her. Working in rescue I see all the intact male dogs that get loose and get lost. No matter how secure you think your yard/ house is there is a way for him to get out.