Ah yeah though the site that I saw clearly had a picture of a Basenji representing the breed! Your link, they look nothing like Bs
And so it begins….the shame.
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And yet here in the states we are facing exactly the opposite, state and local governments telling us at what age we must spay/neuter our animals.
Good point, Lisa. Lots of states are passing laws mandating pets must be spayed and neutered…so really....same problem, opposite side...
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Right on Lisa…Hadn't thought of that, but you are exactly right - same issue, opposite problem.
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Puppymills are pretty much nonexistent here in Norway. You can't even buy a cat or dog in a pet store, only breeders (or someone you know). They only sell fish, insects, and small birds, other than that they sell dog/cat care products.
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Personally, here in the US, I don't know why people that are not showing or responsible breeders (fully health test, have spay/neuter contracts, sell on limited registration) would keep intact pets. Can you be 100% sure that your pet won't get free at some point during its lifetime?
I still think it's a personal choice. It was a tough decision for me as Kananga had absolutely no bad behaviors (humping, marking, etc) and was very healthy. He's actually very well behaved around other dogs and people.
He's also always on a leash with me wherever we go besides indoors. It would be very difficult for him to be out in the open unsupervised unless he escaped, which he displays no motivation to do so.
I only ended up deciding to neuter him for the benefits of possibly less anxiety during times of the year where he may normally be affected. Other than that, I saw no real benefit to having him neutered. I will say that right after the surgery he came down with a UTI. I'm not sure if it was from the stress of being prepped for surgery or if there was a procedure not followed correctly with the vet. I don't have much proof, but I will say it is a rather strange coincidence that the UTI made an appearance just a few days after surgery. My point being, putting pets under unnecessary surgery brings a lot of risk for little benefit. Of course some may view the neutering as a huge benefit and a necessary surgery, but for Kananga's situation I did not see a huge benefit in the matter. That's why it was a difficult decision.
Again, I think it's a personal choice (and I'm glad at least our state allows us to choose). I know there are plenty of dogs out there that greatly benefit from being neutered. I just believe it's not a 100% necessary decision for all dogs.
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I do think it is a personal decision, either way.
There are good reasons to alter before an issue arises. Pyometra in bitches is a serious problem and waiting until they get it before spaying puts the bitch at very high risk since at that time the uterus is filled with pus and bacteria from the infection and prone to rupture which can lead to serious complications and death. For some males the long term toll that rut takes on them is a serious concern. When you are feeding 2-3 cups a day and you dog is skin and bones and an anxious mess you know that is effecting his entire body.
There are also reasons to keep dogs intact, like waiting for the growth plates to close or other health conditions that make anesthesia more risky. In the end, it should be the owner's decision because they are the one that knows their dog best.
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I do think it is a personal decision, either way.
There are good reasons to alter before an issue arises. Pyometra in bitches is a serious problem and waiting until they get it before spaying puts the bitch at very high risk since at that time the uterus is filled with pus and bacteria from the infection and prone to rupture which can lead to serious complications and death. For some males the long term toll that rut takes on them is a serious concern. When you are feeding 2-3 cups a day and you dog is skin and bones and an anxious mess you know that is effecting his entire body.
There are also reasons to keep dogs intact, like waiting for the growth plates to close or other health conditions that make anesthesia more risky. In the end, it should be the owner's decision because they are the one that knows their dog best.
+1. I agree with everything said here.
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Me too. Agree with lvoss and renaultf1. +100!
Nobody knows your pet like you do and therefore nobody can make those decisions better.
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I do think it is a personal decision, either way.
There are good reasons to alter before an issue arises. Pyometra in bitches is a serious problem and waiting until they get it before spaying puts the bitch at very high risk since at that time the uterus is filled with pus and bacteria from the infection and prone to rupture which can lead to serious complications and death. For some males the long term toll that rut takes on them is a serious concern. When you are feeding 2-3 cups a day and you dog is skin and bones and an anxious mess you know that is effecting his entire body.
There are also reasons to keep dogs intact, like waiting for the growth plates to close or other health conditions that make anesthesia more risky. In the end, it should be the owner's decision because they are the one that knows their dog best.
Well said.
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I agree as well..
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There are some articles on Dolittler about vasectomy as an option for people who want the population control, but do not want to loose the testosterone drive, or worry about growth plates, etc.
While there are advantages to removing the sex hormones, there are also disadvantages. It makes me wonder why Dolittler is the only place I have ever seen discussing population control options that do not remove the testes.
-Nicole
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@AJs:
Me too. Agree with lvoss and renaultf1. +100!
Nobody knows your pet like you do and therefore nobody can make those decisions better.
Then how can you justify people that neuter their dogs before they get them? Or have them neutered at just a few months old? You hardly "know" your dog at that stage, it's still in the puppy stages. Feels like the Minority Report, we judge before they act.
The more I think about it the more I see the logic in waiting until the dog is at least 1 year old so you can observe just how he/she acts in different situations, especially mating season. Actually waiting 2 years would be better.
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The more I think about it the more I see the logic in waiting until the dog is at least 1 year old so you can observe just how he/she acts in different situations, especially mating season. Actually waiting 2 years would be better.
Definitely agree here. When I was talking to our breeder about wanting to get on the waiting list for the puppy, I mentioned that if he wasn't a pup with show potential, I still didn't want to neuter him until he was mature, because I want to complete in sports with him. I said that it seemed to me that Basenjis mature slow, so I wanted to wait until he was at least 2, and if he was maturing more slowly, maybe even longer.
She agreed that could be something she could work with, which made me very happy.-Nicole
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Again, as I said earlier, it is a matter of choice. From the education I am getting here, Europe does not have the human irresponsibility problem we have in the States. There are more wide open spaces here and more people are inclined to allow their pets to roam.
I am an advocate for neuter because it does make for an easier pet, many studies have shown neuter and spayed animals are less stressed and (here, anyway) there is an overpopulation problem. One glaring example of this is the important notice posted by BRAT just yesterday. I suggested neuter to you because you are describing problems with Giz that are very often corrected by neutering.
However, he is your dog. If and when you do this is your decision. Early neutering almost completely eliminates the sex drive issues you are currently dealing with. Rescue groups and shelters insist on spay and neuter because they don't want to rescue more dogs down the line.
I was just surprised that your government has laws about how you care for your pet in this regard…that is, not allowing it. It's the first time I've heard of a government getting involved in it on the do not neuter side of the fence.
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Providing links seems to be my MO, so I am going to give 3 here regarding benefits and risks of spay/neuter. They are long, and technical and very, very worth reading.
My favorite is the Sanborne article, which is what I used as a major deciding factor in my decision to wait until maturity to neuter any male I own in the future.
The Kustritz article is my second favorite, especially because she clearly makes the point that shelter dogs should be treated as a population, and in the US should always be neutered before being placed. I wholeheartedly agree with that.
The last makes good points, but only shows the negatives associated with spay neuter, and, IMO crosses the line into propaganda a little bit.
Often in the US, people are not told the disadvantages to spay/neuter, because overpopulation kills so many cats and dogs.
The first 2 are pdf.http://www.cdoca.org/test/share/files/Sanborne.pdf
http://www.cdoca.org/test/share/files/Optimum%20Age%20For%20SpayNeuter.pdf
http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html
-Nicole
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Very good articles Nicole.
I really like the first one, I think I have read that one before, but it deserves a read again.Otis is not neutered yet, but will once we feel his time is here, he is only 10 old, so I am not ready to do that yet. He has not shown any signs of behaviour problems, like marking or agression, nor does he seem stressed from still having his package.
When speaking to the female vet in our office, she said as long as you are a responsible pet owner and actually taking care of your dog not getting out to roam and as long as he isn't causing problems like marking or increased agression and stress, there really is not need to hurry up and have it done.
The other vet in the office, he would've wanted it done when I first got him at 4 months..he is very by the book, and this is what is supposed to happen type of vet ( he is the vet that thinks Science Diet is the best food on the market, no questions asked…)..good vet persay, but leaves me feeling like something is missing...so we visit the vet on fridays and one saturday a month, when Mrs Cardena is at the office..
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I have to say I have always… ALWAYS neutered and spayed my dogs and have NEVER seen this to be true. NEVER.
In fact, In my experience, the neutered dogs get along much better.
I totally agree with this. At most of the dog parks we attend, it is usually the intact dogs that are causing the trouble.
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Then how can you justify people that neuter their dogs before they get them? Or have them neutered at just a few months old? You hardly "know" your dog at that stage, it's still in the puppy stages. Feels like the Minority Report, we judge before they act.
The more I think about it the more I see the logic in waiting until the dog is at least 1 year old so you can observe just how he/she acts in different situations, especially mating season. Actually waiting 2 years would be better.
That may work for those in Europe, but not in the US… as a responsible breeder, I will not selling pup without a spay/neuter contract and until I have proof of the spay/neuter, I am on the papers as a co-owner (same as I would be if the dog/bitch was sold as a possible show prospect). And I would prefer the spay/neuter to be done sooner rather then later (by 1yr for males, before 1st season for bitches) Too many BYB's in the US that are not held to any standards, good breeding practices, or health testing. Too many people that can be "lured" in thinking it is easy money to breed and sell puppies.
However, that said, I do not believe it is the right of a city, state to mandate spay/neuter which is a big problem here in the US brought on by PETA and HSUS.
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These articles make a valid argument more for waiting until after puberty to spay/neuter rather than not at all. I waited until my cat was past her first heat before spay. AJ was neutered as an adult by his previous owner because he got caught, shall we say, with his hand in the cookie jar one time too many.
I can see the benefit to waiting until they are finished growing. As said earlier, sex hormones have a lot to do with bone and muscle growth. I believe (with no scientific evidence to back me up, merely my own observation) that altering the animal at too early an age causes obesity more than waiting until puberty has passed. Neither of my pets is overweight.
But I am still a proponent of spay/neuter if the animal will not be used for breeding or showing purposes. A neutered animal can work as hard and run as fast as any other animal. Will I force my view via laws? Heck, no…it's not my place to tell someone else what to do by force of law. Will I debate and try to sway someone? Sure...that's what we do in the US. And at the end of the day, I will still respect you regardless of your final position on the issue.
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Very interesting discussion - I learned a lot I didn't know.
I must admit the first post about Gizmo had me laughing so hard. -
Ok, I've posted this before, but here is another side effect of not neutering-no matter the age. I had a mini Schnauzer that I wanted to breed, before the age of two, he had no less that three bouts of prostititus costing me upwards of $1000 each time- now that was over 20 years ago, so you can imagine the cost now. I did end up neutering him anyway because after almost dying three times, it wasn't worth the effort anymore. And yes, he still ended up fat, so the arguement against neutering before or after one is really non existent. Your dog can still get fat if neutered after age 1 or before age one. It all depends on how much food is going in vs coming out. This is just MO.
