To Neuter..Or Not? Too Late?

[CLOUDsMommy]

I've had Cloud since he was 3 months old and my BF and I researched as much as we could about what breed of dog we wanted, what to expect, etc...But we both were always iffy about neutering or spaying depending upon if we got a boy or a girl. Well Cloud is a boy, of course, and he is now 2 years old. I was looking around on SM and came across a post about neutering and the mention of ages of when to neuter. Does this mean since he is already 2 years old, I've missed that timeframe where I should have neutered him? Or a dog can be neutered at ANY age?

Also, my BF is somewhat against Cloud getting neutered (I guess because its a 'male' thing and he says he doesn't want him to lose his 'manhood'...) But then I've also read that if you get your pet neutered/spayed they'd live longer lives? I also brought that up with my BF too, but he just finds that to be a bunch of BS, saying that it's probably what they tell people so that it would maybe help with the over population of animals, and how places get over populated with them they have to put them down ...[Since I had lived in California I know that a dog license cost about $100 per dog, and now that I've been living in NYC I only have to pay about $11 for an un-neutered dog.]

Thanks in advance for having the time to read my post and your insight

[Hunter's Mom]

Hunter was neutered at the age of 6 and he is fine - and trust me, he's still a boy dog!

Dogs needs to be spayed/neutered if they are not going to be used for breeding to ensure that accidental litters are not created or that if your dog gets into the wrong hands a litter is not created by someone looking to make a quick dollar.

[Tina]

It isn't too late to neuter. Some people are doing vasectomies. Shocked me the first time I groomed a dog that had been. The owner was a medical person and felt that was best for his dog.

[jmm]

Actually the benefit for male dogs is more so as they reach middle age and can develop prostate problems. So for intact males not used for breeding, it is typically recommended to neuter before about age 6 when the incidence of prostate problems increases. There isn't much true benefit to neutering a male as a pup. Some people claim marking/male behaviors won't happen, but I find that to be more a behavioral issue than anything else. Neutering can help reduce aggression in some cases.
Now this really isn't such a big consideration for our house dogs, but intact males left to roam in certain areas of the country can be at risk for the sexually transmitted disease Brucellosis.

[k/c mom]

Whose dog is he? If yours, then don't worry about the silly reasons your BF has for not wanting to.

[CLOUDsMommy]

Thanks for all your responses!!

...I just wanted to know about neutering since I feel that if we ever get a female Maltese, I'd want Cloud and her to have ONE litter - to keep, not sell, but depending on how many they can have I'd only give them/sell them to family or close friends (want to try and keep Cloud's 'family' together) - and then neuter him and spay the female. Hopefully if we decide to get another Malt it'll be before Cloud is 6 years old...I just hope he'll live a loooooong time..He's my 'baby'..before the actually kids (f.y.i - not married nor pregnant yet)...I love him so much that I keep telling my BF that I want to pass on his genes before getting him neutered. LOL

[Hunter's Mom]

Originally Posted by CLOUDsMommy

Thanks for all your responses!!

...I just wanted to know about neutering since I feel that if we ever get a female Maltese, I'd want Cloud and her to have ONE litter - to keep, not sell, but depending on how many they can have I'd only give them/sell them to family or close friends (want to try and keep Cloud's 'family' together) - and then neuter him and spay the female. Hopefully if we decide to get another Malt it'll be before Cloud is 6 years old...I just hope he'll live a loooooong time..He's my 'baby'..before the actually kids (f.y.i - not married nor pregnant yet)...I love him so much that I keep telling my BF that I want to pass on his genes before getting him neutered. LOL

Please do not take this the wrong way but this is a completely inappropriate reason to not neuter your dog. Only those dogs that are judged to be great representations of the Maltese breed should ever be kept unaltered and used for breeding purposes. If you breed Cloud you would be taking on the unglorious title of a "Back Yard Breeder" and these individuals are not well thought of on this forum or in the general public.

Please take Cloud to be altered immediatly and erase any ideas from your head about breeding him to any future female maltese you might own or any other maltese for that matter. You would be doing such a disservice to Cloud to keep him unaltered for such a selfish purpose. Trust me - he doesn't care about passing on his 'genes' and neither should you. You should simply enjoy his companionship.

[k/c mom]

Originally Posted by Hunter's Mom

Please do not take this the wrong way but this is a completely inappropriate reason to not neuter your dog. Only those dogs that are judged to be great representations of the Maltese breed should ever be kept unaltered and used for breeding purposes. If you breed Cloud you would be taking on the unglorious title of a "Back Yard Breeder" and these individuals are not well thought of on this forum or in the general public.

Please take Cloud to be altered immediatly and erase any ideas from your head about breeding him to any future female maltese you might own or any other maltese for that matter. You would be doing such a disservice to Cloud to keep him unaltered for such a selfish purpose. Trust me - he doesn't care about passing on his 'genes' and neither should you. You should simply enjoy his companionship.

Erin, that was beautifully said. I don't think I could be so diplomatic so I am going to try to keep quiet!

[jmm]

If you want to breed your male, you will need to ensure he first has the following things:
His AKC Championship (or applicable title depending on your country of residence)
OFA Patella Clearance
Bile acid assay
CERF/ACVO normal eye exam
OFA heart clearance is always a good idea
OFA Thyroid clearance

If you were to purchase a female, she would need the same items and be 2 years of age. If you are not an experience breeder and fancier, it would be very wise to get a good mentor. You can't just put any 2 dogs together and produce a happy, healthy pup within the standard.

[lilygirl]

Originally Posted by jmm

If you want to breed your male, you will need to ensure he first has the following things:
His AKC Championship (or applicable title depending on your country of residence)
OFA Patella Clearance
Bile acid assay
CERF/ACVO normal eye exam
OFA heart clearance is always a good idea
OFA Thyroid clearance

When should these test be done on a fluff? I know the bile acid is 6 months. I am not planning to breed my baby but would like to have all the testing done anyway.