What age to neuter?

[WIKD]

My Samson is 4 years old and it is only recently I have been thinking of having him neutered. It's not that I was planning on ever breeding just could never bring myself to having it done but have read where it avoids some of the cancers risk. I was wondering at this age is there any risks involved and what type of mood / personality changes go along with it. I have heard about weight gains and less active from other people but no one with a boxer. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[dhare09]

Definitely More Lbs.

Expect your dog to bulk up a bit....or more than a bit. My very active boxer put on alot of weight after I had him fixed. He doesn't eat anymore than before but I also changed his food to the lowest possible fat content which you should also consider (Nutra/Lite for Adult dogs). It's in a light tan bag and is not the most expensive food out there. You will also notice that he will be a bit less active but not by much. My dog still remains almost as active as he was when he was a puppy and he is now 8 yrs. old. I had hom fixed at age 4, after I bred him. He is perfectly healthy and happy, especially now with his new female boxer companion!

 

[Jan]

As long as your dog is healthy, there should not be any risk in getting him neutered. Your dog will only get fat if you feed him too much. I really don't think that there is much change in their activity level after a neutered. I don't think that Markus changed any.

Good Luck!

 

[courtney323]

I agree with Jan. Some people assume that dogs must be gaining weight because they are altered. When in fact, we all tend to gain weight as we age -- if we do not keep our activity levels up and if we over eat. It's the same for animals.

My 4.5 yr old female is still very lean, and was spayed at 5 months.

Good luck!

 

[adeinert]

Expect your dog to bulk up a bit....or more than a bit. My very active boxer put on alot of weight after I had him fixed. QUOTE]

Wow, in my three adopted males and the males I have fostered, of course all were neutered coming into rescue, I've never had an overweight male. I feed my fosters the highest protein kibbles I can buy and my boxers eat raw which consists mostly of raw meaty bones, organ meat, and a tad of veggies. They are from 3.3-6.5 years old and still eat the proportion that dogs ages 1-3 should eat. I think a healthy dog will do just fine. Your boxer is at the age that you could help him avoid cancers common in adult intact males. In rescue, we neuter all dogs that come in and routinely neuter dogs much older with wonderfully quick recovery time. Good for you for doing your research and healing wishes to Samson!