To neuter or not to neuter?

[steve04]

7month old Gsp/weim. What is the pros and cons for neutering or not neutering a hunting dog?

[Stilly bay]

I let them keep their chestnuts for a few years. IMO neutering before complete maturity and development CAN lead to anxiety issues among other things.

I have four males living together. Two were altered at age three-ish, the two youngest are still packing (for now) so far I have had zero problems with everyone getting along.

[T-Bone]

I always get my dogs neutered. You will note no real change in the dog's personality or hunting urge.

I always find the real "scare" is with the dog's owner who seems to act like his own cajones are in danger of removal.

Tom

[Sagehawker]

I have always been advised to wait until after one year for proper development to have occurred.  That was both my vizsla and gsp.  And that was 15 years ago.  Currently I have an altered male who came that way and a female Britt.  I don't know if that is the current thinking on altering males.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[WRL]

Here is a link to a study concerning neutering and early neutering.

Personally, if you are just neutering for the sake of neutering, I would not neuter until about 8 or 9 years old.

If you need to neuter (have intact bitches in the house) and its a hassle to manage them, then I would wait until about 15 months of age. It DOES affect skeletal growth so you will at least want to wait for the growth plates to close ( 12-15 months of age).

The study looks at the effect (or lack of) hormones on cancer risks and CCL tears among other things.

http://workingretriever.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=health&action=display&thread=67

WRL

[AspenBud]

Don't have it done at any younger than six months.

Intact males will do just about anything to get at a bitch in heat and they can literally smell them from miles away.

Unless you are a breeder or are competing with your dog there really isn't any reason not to have it done. Your dog will still hunt and you'll have fewer behavioral issues if it's a house dog.

Ask ten vets what they think and I think you'll find little deviation in their answers.

[L-ofalab]

Don't have it done at any younger than six months.

Intact males will do just about anything to get at a bitch in heat and they can literally smell them from miles away.

Unless you are a breeder or are competing with your dog there really isn't any reason not to have it done. Your dog will still hunt and you'll have fewer behavioral issues if it's a house dog.

Ask ten vets what they think and I think you'll find little deviation in their answers.

Your vet will tell you to spay/neuter so they can make money! Read the website from CA state college and you will wait. The only dog I have neutered blew his cruciate ligament and he was neutered at the damned vets advise at 6 months. Never again. There was a study agreeing with this one, I think it was a Minnesota college that did that one

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498

[Jonathan_S]

Don't have it done at any younger than six months.

Intact males will do just about anything to get at a bitch in heat and they can literally smell them from miles away.

Unless you are a breeder or are competing with your dog there really isn't any reason not to have it done. Your dog will still hunt and you'll have fewer behavioral issues if it's a house dog.

Ask ten vets what they think and I think you'll find little deviation in their answers.

Your vet will tell you to spay/neuter so they can make money! Read the website from CA state college and you will wait. The only dog I have neutered blew his cruciate ligament and he was neutered at the damned vets advise at 6 months. Never again. There was a study agreeing with this one, I think it was a Minnesota college that did that one

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498

I've heard from a retired vet that unless absolutely necessary to not neuter until the dog is older than 18 months.

[Happy Gilmore]

Full bone and muscle development won't occur before 16-24 months. Hormones affect the growth of both.


Nutts will not determine a dogs behavioral attributes but, they can affect it.

[BLUEBULLS]

neutering reduces the risk of quite a few health problems at an older age.

[Happy Gilmore]

neutering reduces the risk of quite a few health problems at an older age.

Depends on if you're reading PETA's supported studies or not. There are just as many studies that counter that opinion.

[Curly]

This may be a dumb question but..................  How come veterinarians don't give male dogs vasectomies or bitches get tubes tied?  If the reason for castration or spaying is for birth control, then is removal of ovaries and testes just a cheaper way to go or what? 

[BLUEBULLS]

neutering reduces the risk of quite a few health problems at an older age.

Depends on if you're reading PETA's supported studies or not. There are just as many studies that counter that opinion.

I just listen to my wife, the Vet Tech. I've learned not to second guess her. I'm always wrong.

[Stilly bay]

This may be a dumb question but..................  How come veterinarians don't give male dogs vasectomies or bitches get tubes tied?  If the reason for castration or spaying is for birth control, then is removal of ovaries and testes just a cheaper way to go or what? 

its quicker, easier, and inexpensive not to mention relatively complication free and 100% effective.

[AspenBud]

Don't have it done at any younger than six months.

Intact males will do just about anything to get at a bitch in heat and they can literally smell them from miles away.

Unless you are a breeder or are competing with your dog there really isn't any reason not to have it done. Your dog will still hunt and you'll have fewer behavioral issues if it's a house dog.

Ask ten vets what they think and I think you'll find little deviation in their answers.

Your vet will tell you to spay/neuter so they can make money! Read the website from CA state college and you will wait. The only dog I have neutered blew his cruciate ligament and he was neutered at the damned vets advise at 6 months. Never again. There was a study agreeing with this one, I think it was a Minnesota college that did that one

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498

Your vet will tell you to spay or neuter because they spent $100,000-$250,000 to get through the hell that is veterinary school and they are essentially taught that in most cases this is what you do. They don't just see cherry picked studies found online in vet school.

Sure, they make money off it. But I'll guarantee you that they'll make far more money off a dog that comes down with mammary cancer because it wasn't spayed, assuming the owner wants to try to save the dog, which most do.

The above said, if you press most vets I think many will agree a lot of it has to do with population control and your fellow man's tendency to be an irresponsible dog owner. In Europe you see very few spayed or neutered dogs, but far fewer in shelters. They aren't all winding up in the bottom of ponds out there, the culture surrounding dogs is just different.

The only dog I have neutered blew his cruciate ligament and he was neutered at the damned vets advise at 6 months. Never again.

I've seen plenty of guys who have intact dogs say theirs did the same thing. Lots of factors can contribute to that. Weight, dog out of shape, breed, breeding, and so on.

Ole Roy, the 90 lbs lab who spent the winter sitting on the couch is at a much higher risk for that type of injury than a 50 lbs dart that spent the winter next to the quad and in the field.

neutering reduces the risk of quite a few health problems at an older age.

Depends on if you're reading PETA's supported studies or not. There are just as many studies that counter that opinion.

I just listen to my wife, the Vet Tech. I've learned not to second guess her. I'm always wrong.

Yeah, I always like the "excuse me, who went to school to learn about this stuff and who has a decade of experience doing it?" conversation.   

This may be a dumb question but..................  How come veterinarians don't give male dogs vasectomies or bitches get tubes tied?  If the reason for castration or spaying is for birth control, then is removal of ovaries and testes just a cheaper way to go or what? 

its quicker, easier, and inexpensive not to mention relatively complication free and 100% effective.

In the case of neutering I think it also has to do with behavioral issues. No nads = fewer "trouble causing" hormones.