Nice, they are about in a few different adverts, I spot them every now and again.
And so it begins….the shame.
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Been googling around, and so far there is very little negative sides to neutering, besides the inability to breed and the chance of gaining weight.
The desire to "roam" cuts down, dominance behavior falls dramatically, territorial behavior is close to gone, health benefits (testicular cancer). Cleaner and calmer dog.
I also read: Spaying and neutering before sexual maturity also offers a temperament benefit. Males neutered early in life tend to be less aggressive and less distracted.
Hmm, I really should make up my mind fast.
Of course being a male myself I am VERY reluctant in doing this to my buddy….lol
There are benefits to neutering them when they reach 12 months of age. I'd suggest doing some further reading, you'll be happy you did.
I had mine neutered @ 14 months of age.
There are health negatives to neutering. There's a good PDF floating around somewhere about a study done comparing the two options. Testicular cancer is reduced with neutering, but there's a slightly higher chance of prostate cancer. I think overall though, there are marginal differences when you really look at things. I will say that my B has packed on a couple lbs since being neutered. The good thing is weight can be easily managed if you know what you're doing. Work on the food portions and exercise. Simple enough.
I'm a big fan of waiting until they reach a year old to neuter though. Lots of literature about how they develop a bit more naturally (bone structure and such) if you allow them to remain intact while their growth plates are in action (6mo-12mo of age I believe).
I'm sure someone will jump in with a few more things, but there are a few choices. If you choose to neuter make sure you are certain on the time to do it.
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Humping can be spurred by hormones raging at this time…and it can be a dominance display, and it can be caused by all kinds of other triggers. In this case, I would lean towards hormones, since he is humping grass hillls, etc.
Either way, humping other dogs should not be tolerated in a dog park, because it can turn into a horrendous fight. If this were my dog, I would simply remove him from the park when he started this behavior...no yelling, no correction...just leave.In my experience young males 4-6 months old do hump A LOT, for all kinds of reasons...and it slows down to more appropriate times as they mature. I understand that in Europe neuter is not as commonplace as it is in North America, but it can really improve the behavior and impulse control of most males.
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Hormones do play a role in bone and muscle growth. However, if neutered early, the marking and dominance behavior doesn't set in as much.
Men seem to have a harder time with this decision. They have the same reason you do: I wouldn't want it done to me. However, the dog will not miss them. If it's a matter of cosmetics, and it makes you feel better, there are prosthetic testicles that can replace the originals. Nobody except you, the vet and your dog need to know he's not a breeder.
AJ is about a pound heavy, but that's weight that I put on him after I got him as an adult. He did not gain weight with his previous owner after his neuter. He's a very sweet boy and if there are problems with other dogs, usually it's his problem. He wasn't neutered until after he bred twice and had the dominance behavior ingrained. I haven't noticed other dogs treating him differently because of his neuter.
I have, however, noticed them getting annoyed when he acts like a jerk.
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Well you guys are gonna love this one….
Like I mentioned I have done some reading on neutering, and late last night I had made up my mind to go for it.
But today, when calling my vet I was met with some interesting (and perhaps shocking to some) news.
Norway actually forbids neutering on dogs/animals, without proper cause to do so. So if I wanted to neuter just due to the facts I have read, such as calmer etc, this is not a valid reason. She informed me that here in Norway we usually wait until the animal is 1 year old to get a proper look at his/her behavior.So I guess my decision was already made for me from the very start...how about that?
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It had never occurred to me that any government would want to tell you what health decisions you are allowed to make for your own dog.
That is completely baffling to me.
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AJs Human…European countries don't have the same problem with pet overpopulation that we do here. So spay and neuter isn't something that is really done there, unless there is a medical reason. Whether correct, or not...it is considered an un-necessary surgical procedure. Many European countries also don't allow ear cropping or tail docking for the same reasons.
I wonder if human plastic surgery is allowed?
Of course, in that case, the human itself is making the decision to go under the knife. -
I actually talked to my parents ( in Sweden) last night to discusss this further.
I was told by my dad that we did not neuter our Westie, Bobo, when I was a child, because there was never a need for it. He wasn't behviour wise bad, nor did he mark, he lived to be 16 yrs old and was a very happy, even keel type of dog.
My dad has a female King Cavalier Spaniel that just lately had to undergo a spay, as she came down uterine cancer,she is now fine., at 16 yrs of age.
They have a friend with a King Cavalier Spaniel male, that was "chemically" neutered, meaning, as far as my dad knew, inplanted with something that made his system go into the less hormone mode, yet he still had them there, they do this to see how the dogs behaviour gets, incase he changes too much, then they can remove the implant and he would live normally ( as the pet owner knows him) again, with his testies. I don't know really what this would be called here, or if it even is an option, thought it was interesting though..But yes, Quercus, hit the head on the nail…Europe does not have the overpopulation with dogs, mutts or purebreds, roaming the streets. Shoot, Sweden doesn't even have shelters.
I am part of a swedish Basenji blog as well, and not to long ago, somebody listed their B on a craigslist" type website,. over there...you should've seen the uproar resulting from that posting, unbelievable..you just don't get a dog and not stick with it through thick and thin, moves, job changes, more or less money coming in, new baby or anything..you just don't, you make changes in your life until you part ways naturally..you make it work, their is no plan B in pet ownership.. -
To further what Quercus & Basenjimamma said…I would also say that from what I know, Europe also has less of an issue with BYB and puppymill situations where pets are bred indiscriminately, which here in the US only furthers to our overpopulation.
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?
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To further what Quercus & Basenjimamma said…I would also say that from what I know, Europe also has less of an issue with BYB and puppymill situations where pets are bred indiscriminately, which here in the US only furthers to our overpopulation.
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 agree….I find neutered pets to be far easier to live with. I am of the mind that we keep pets because we enjoy their company...removing their sex drive makes them more enjoyable, IMO. And aside from the occasional medical complication, it does no physical or pyschological harm. I understand and accept that in other parts of the world, this is not the common or respected point of view...and that is okay
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I wasn't criticizing the culture…just the fact the government thought it necessary to make a law taking that kind of decision out of the hands of the pet owner. Where is the line drawn to allow a person latitude do do what he or she deems necessary for their pet's health and well-being?
The things we take for granted in this country...
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When you talked with your vet - didn't s/he say anything about the excessive humping behavior?
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@AJs:
It had never occurred to me that any government would want to tell you what health decisions you are allowed to make for your own dog.
That is completely baffling to me.
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.
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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.