Neutering a male dog?

Graceland · 12-01-2009 8:32pm #1

I'll be getting a dog soon from the local pound but I don't know if he has been neutered already. I was going to get him neutered but I came across a website on the advantages/disavantages of this. This is more to do with health problems that may arise if he is neutered.
Here is a link to the site
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf

I was looking moreso at page 2 where they list the advantages/disadvantages, and to be honest, now I don't know what to do.
I'm afraid if I get him neutered, that I could cause him to have more problems.
Should I just leave him as he is. He won't be mixing with other dogs. If I take him for a walk, he will be on a lead at all times.
I just don't know what to do for the best and I would appreciate any advice.

Sigma Force · 12-01-2009 9:05pm

Neuter him.

Some pounds give out neutering vouchers and ask you to have the dog neutered. It's important you neuter him, you don't know in the next 5 to 10 years if he may escape at some point and end up mating with a pooch down the road. Or he could get a whiff of a female in heat and escape..some will do anything to get at a female. Dog down the road was never neutered and managed to get into our garden then leap over a 5 foot fence to get at a neighbours pooch who they never wanted to breed from (she can't be spayed for health reasons aparently..).

Unneutered dogs have been the bane of my life since I moved here (my 2 are spayed).

So deffo. get him neutered it's the responsible thing to do.
At the end of the day you are rescueing this dog from the pound, the reason the many dogs and puppies are in the pound in the first place is because someone didn't neuter their dog and it resulted in unwanted litters.

DancingDaisy · 12-01-2009 9:17pm

I can't seem to access the link, but I will say that along with the fact that neutering would probably be the most responsible decision, it can also help stop the dog scenting everywhere.

My mum has a cav who she wants to breed from, so she hasn't neutered him, and he has a terrible habit of spraying when he gets a new scent in the house. At one stage he almost peed on a plumber we has in. The vet has said that neutering him would cut out this territorial behaviour.

Just something to maybe think about.

Honey-ec · 12-01-2009 9:26pm

Ok, firstly, I don't know of any rescue that doesn't spay/neuter before rehoming.

Secondly, that article was written in 1894...

golden · 12-01-2009 9:36pm

If I am not mistaken pounds are different to rescue/shelters centres so therefore different criteria. Pounds PTS animals 5 days unless surrendered then its at the discretion of the pound.

Graceland · 12-01-2009 10:53pm

I don't know why the link doesn't work, but I've attached an image of the part I was mostly talking about. I hope this shows up alright.

The point I was trying to make was about health issues for the dog after neutering. Reading things in the attached link did worry me because they have made it sound like the dog is more at risk of health issues after neutering.

Ruby Soho · 12-01-2009 11:15pm

Heya OP, firstly congratulations on your decision to get a dog.
I'm a veterinary nurse working in a busy small animal clinic, we deal with hundreds of dogs per week, and have regularly seen the diseases / illnesses that the article described. I have never, however made any correlation between their occurence and the neuter status of male (or indeed female) dogs.
I have seen dogs with dogs with horrendous testicular tumours, requiring the dog to then undergo the surgery / anaesthetic to be castrated when he already has cancer (therefore higher risk surgery), or be put to sleep, not ideal, I'm sure you will agree.
In relation to female dogs, I see cases of pyometra on an almost weekly basis, its is that common, and completely preventable by neutering. This is life-threatening too.
We always have cases in where either myself or one of the vets will shake our heads and sigh, 'if only they had him neutered, he would never have to go through this', but i've yet to see a vet blame neutering on the development of an illness, see what I mean?
Both of my dogs were neutered (one male and one female), which I hardly would have done if I believed in all the scare-mongering articles out there. It is completely your choice though, but I would recommend that if you want a more balanced, less frustrated pet, just have him neutered! Feel free to pm me with any questions.

Graceland · 12-01-2009 11:56pm

Ruby Soho wrote: »

Heya OP, firstly congratulations on your decision to get a dog.
I'm a veterinary nurse working in a busy small animal clinic, we deal with hundreds of dogs per week, and have regularly seen the diseases / illnesses that the article described. I have never, however made any correlation between their occurence and the neuter status of male (or indeed female) dogs.
I have seen dogs with dogs with horrendous testicular tumours, requiring the dog to then undergo the surgery / anaesthetic to be castrated when he already has cancer (therefore higher risk surgery), or be put to sleep, not ideal, I'm sure you will agree.
In relation to female dogs, I see cases of pyometra on an almost weekly basis, its is that common, and completely preventable by neutering. This is life-threatening too.
We always have cases in where either myself or one of the vets will shake our heads and sigh, 'if only they had him neutered, he would never have to go through this', but i've yet to see a vet blame neutering on the development of an illness, see what I mean?
Both of my dogs were neutered (one male and one female), which I hardly would have done if I believed in all the scare-mongering articles out there. It is completely your choice though, but I would recommend that if you want a more balanced, less frustrated pet, just have him neutered! Feel free to pm me with any questions.

Thank you for this reply. It has put my mind at rest and I now think that it is best to get the dog neutered. This was the first decision I was going to make anyway but that article did put me off and I just wanted to be sure that I was doing right by my dog.
You've answered exactly what I asked and I appreciate your help. I feel better now especially as you are a veterinary nurse and know what you are talking about.

Arcadian · 13-01-2009 12:34am

DancingDaisy wrote: »

My mum has a cav who she wants to breed from, so she hasn't neutered him,

I trust your mum is very well read on MVD and Syringomyelia at the very least?

Neutering a male dog?

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