# To neuter or not to neuter...



## Rainw (May 23, 2011)

I get lots of great advice and learn lots of things on sm. But this question spins me around the more I hear. Seriously, the more I learn, the the less sure I am of what to do. Everyone keeps saying to neuter, but I keep hearing conflicting info about it in the sidelines.

Yuki is inside only. He's pad trained. If he goes outside, he's in my arms. He gets lots of exercise indoors. To my knowledge, there aren't even any female dogs at the neighbors - because they all want mean and scary guard dogs. He has no destructive tendencies; no trying to get out of the house, no marking, no humping, no lifting his legs, and no aggression at all. He's only six months, though.

Here's my confusion/confliction...
1- I can't even watch him get a shot; full surgery on my baby scares the... out of me.
2- I hear bad things about putting the dog under.
3- I hear neutering will stop marking before it starts.
4- I hear neutering will decrease marking after it starts.
5- I hear neutering will make him start marking immediately???
6- I hear it will not change his personality at all.
7- I hear it will make him less playful.
8- Yuki is still such a little puppy, it feels awkward.
9- He's less than three pounds, and I doubt he'll get much bigger.
10- I hear it should be done at six months... but also at eight months... 
11- I don't like testicular or prostate or any other cancers. (understatement)
12- I hear it makes them healthier and happier, but I also hear that it's due to the female thing, which shouldn't be a problem when there are no females around.
13- After surgery infection...
14- I know people don't know what they're talking about when they say dogs should have sex the "natural way," or that a female should have at least one litter.
15- I have realized breeding him is not a good idea.

I think, because of the inside only factor, my main concerns are...
intact health risks vs surgery risks and 
intact marking/behavior vs after-neutering marking/behavior 

I know every dog is different, but how many Maltese are actually injured or killed when getting fixed? How many die of cancers that would have been prevented by getting fixed? I can't figure out which is a bigger risk.

I'm sorry if this question is very redundant, I'm probably being a big worry-wort, and I have searched for old neuter/spay threads, but if you can shine some light on these conflictions, please and thank you.

PS; He might be in love with my cat... but she's spayed, so nobody needs to worry about unwanted puptens.


----------



## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

I would neuter...no question about that. I used to have a little boy Chi- and I didn't have him neutered- and that was my biggest regret with him. He became very territorial and loved to mark...even other people and their dogs. 

Also, one thing I've found to be extremely annoying now, with my spayed female- is that a lot of people who do not fix their dogs (and there seem to be a lot)- those dogs always are too interested in Bisou...and both of us don't like that. It's just plain annoying to have some intact dog going crazy trying to check out Bisou.

The procedure for males is very easy actually and recovery is quick. I believe it's not even actually a 'surgery' (as it is for females)...that they inject something into that area and it shrinks it up. Clearly I don't know the details but my point is, it's a fairly easy procedure.


----------



## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

While I can't answer all your questions I can tell you why, if I ever had another male dog, I would neuter. 

It's a personal responsibility to my animal. While I can take every precaution to keep him healthy and keep him from coming near an intake female I can't control what happens to me (and therefore what happens to him if I am gone). I also can't control whether or not he will get cancer but I can take every step possible to ensure his neuter and aftercare are the best I can give him. 

Lastly, in the day and age of frequently stolen pets - a neutered or spayed animal is much less desired as it can't be used as an income stream. While this isn't a problem in my area it is in others and therefore I would also take that into consideration.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

1- I can't even watch him get a shot; full surgery on my baby scares the... out of me.

Your vet should discuss the risks and benefits of any anesthetic procedure prior to scheduling it. 

2- I hear bad things about putting the dog under.

With the safe anesthetic protocols we have these days, complications are rather unusual. With pre-op bloodwork and exam and safe drugs, anesthesia is safe in the right hands. There is a tiny degree of risk with any anesthetic procedure and your vet should discuss that with you. 

3- I hear neutering will stop marking before it starts.
4- I hear neutering will decrease marking after it starts.
5- I hear neutering will make him start marking immediately???

Neutering can decrease the urge to mark, but marking is a training issue. 

6- I hear it will not change his personality at all.

It will not. Keep in mind that pups often start to mature and calm down around the same time as spay/neuter, so some people attribute this to the surgery. That is not correct. 

7- I hear it will make him less playful.

Only for a few days while he recovers. 

8- Yuki is still such a little puppy, it feels awkward.
9- He's less than three pounds, and I doubt he'll get much bigger.

With a proper anesthetic protocol, his size is not an issue. Be sure your vet is comfortable with his small size. The vet I work for routinely does surgery on Guinea Pigs smaller than your pup. 

10- I hear it should be done at six months... but also at eight months... 

For boys it doesn't too much matter, as long as they are neutered prior to age 6/7 when the occurence of prostate issues greatly increase. I wouldn't do it prior to 6 months of age. I generally recommend doing it before 18 months of age because the large empty space in the scrotum of mature males can lead to complications with the surgery. 

11- I don't like testicular or prostate or any other cancers. (understatement)
12- I hear it makes them healthier and happier, but I also hear that it's due to the female thing, which shouldn't be a problem when there are no females around.

I think neutered boys are generally better pets than intact males. Many intact males never have negative behaviors associated with seeking out sex, but neutered males never do these things. 

13- After surgery infection...

Unlikely unless you let the dog lick at the incision. Adult "well endowed" males can have issues with their surgery sites. 

14- I know people don't know what they're talking about when they say dogs should have sex the "natural way," or that a female should have at least one litter.
15- I have realized breeding him is not a good idea.

I agree.


----------



## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

No apologies needed! You are obviously only concerned with Yuki's well-being and it is clear that you are have been getting a lot of information so I'm not surprised you are confused about it! Here are my thoughts regarding some of your concerns. 


Take your concerns to your vet (or maybe another vet since you have already been told not to by your current) and get them to explain to you IN DETAIL what the procedure consists of. They might be able to ease your mind a bit about it, and give you some answers to some of the questions you have.
I think that 6 months is a good age to have it done, because then you can also address any retained teeth concerns before it messes up their bite (small breed dogs often retain their canines). If need be, they can extract any retained teeth. Best to do it all at once so as not to put them under if you don't have to.
Rudy was adopted so he was neutered at 12 weeks (VERY early!) and he was just a little over 2 lbs. He came out of the surgery and bounced into my house the next day ready to start his new life with his new loving family. no pains meds needed! He was happy as could be.
I don't have a comparison of the "before Rudy" but I can say that he has definitely NOT lost any playfulness. He is sweet and playful.
As far as marking, that is always hard to predict. Rudy just started to do a little marking but it was fairly easy to train him to "mark" outside.
Most importantly, neutering is the responsible decision because you cannot ensure that Yuki will *never* come in contact with a female in heat.
Please feel free to ask any questions! You are doing the right thing by being so concerned and seeking out answers.


----------



## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

Hunter's Mom said:


> While I can't answer all your questions I can tell you why, if I ever had another male dog, I would neuter.
> 
> It's a personal responsibility to my animal. While I can take every precaution to keep him healthy and keep him from coming near an intake female I can't control what happens to me (and therefore what happens to him if I am gone). I also can't control whether or not he will get cancer but I can take every step possible to ensure his neuter and aftercare are the best I can give him.
> 
> *Lastly, in the day and age of frequently stolen pets - a neutered or spayed animal is much less desired as it can't be used as an income stream. While this isn't a problem in my area it is in others and therefore I would also take that into consideration*.


I had honestly NEVER considered that aspect of it! Good post.


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Yuki can smell a female in heat for a very long distance. He will go crazy with desire and feel miserable. He will use any method he can to escape to find her. If he is neutered he will never know the difference. It is an easy, low risk procedure. Your licensing fees will be substantially lower, because animal shelters and licensing agencies know that non-neutered males contributed to unwanted litters.
You may want to wait until he is a little bit bigger. You may want to find a more reliable vet. But Yuki will certainly be well served if you do have him neutered. My little boy recovered as soon as the anesthetic wore off. He had no personality change. He felt no loss or sadness. He was his same sweet, happy self the same day.
So, you think there will be no females around. How can you possibly know that. "Around" to a dog isn't the same house...or even the same block.


----------



## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

For me there is no question that it is better and kinder to them to neuter male animals. Even if he's inside, he may still be able to smell a female in heat and it will make him miserable. For me the question would be when is the best time to neuter him. It used to be a generalized age of 6 months to spay or neuter. New thinking is that each animal be evaluated individually as to when is the best time for their spay/neuter. More and more evidence suggests it's better to wait longer then the 6 month age. I know Callie's breeder asked that we wait until she was closer to a year old and closer to 4 lbs. Spaying is much more in depth then a simple neuter. But you also need to take into consideration things like retained baby teeth and if behavioral issues are coming into play earlier rather then later when determining the best time/age for Yuki's neuter.

I found this info from Dr. Karen Becker very informative. Hope you do too.

http://http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/17/dangers-of-early-pet-spaying-or-neutering.aspx


----------



## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

I totally agree with the response you received from Jackie (JMM) and will add my own personal experience. I have one intact male and one neutered male. Neither is a leg lifter or a marker. My intact male was 6 years old before he had his first experience of living in the same house with a girl in season. He was not an out of control zombie. But I now have more than one intact female in my house and trying to keep things calm and orderly is NOT easy, especially since when one girl goes into season the other girls start coming into season right behind her. My neutered male was neutered at 5 mos. old. Although he's never been a leg lifter or humper and despite the fact that he was neutered as not much more than a baby, he is also very interested in the girls in season. I would neuter any boy living in my house who was not going to be used for breeding but that's in large part because I have intact girls that I don't want to be impregnated by him. And I'd neuter him at a young age (12-18 mos. old). I personally find that most negative behaviors, whether in boys or girls, are the fault of insufficient or total lack of training more than abundance of hormones.


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Good for you asking these questions!!

I think first order of business is to find a new vet and a good one! That will make things a lot easier for you. 

I've neutered a couple of male puppies before placing them in new homes and I can say one thing - they bounce back quickly!! It's much easier on the boys than the girls.


----------



## Canada (Jun 4, 2009)

Rainw said:


> *To my knowledge, there aren't even any female dogs at the neighbors - because they all want mean and scary guard dogs. *



I think it great that you are researching everything throughl! 
I am a huge believer in spay & neuter for companion animals.
Most of the reasons have been addressed already in this thread.
So I will comment on the above instead. 
You mention that large guard dogs are popular in your neighbourhood.
They can't all be males. There are some females there too. 
What happens if one of your neighbours guard dogs goes into heat? 
And your dog gets loose and tries to approach that dog? 
Maybe tries to get in their yard?

I am prone to always considering the worst possible scenario,
so not wanting to scare you too much, but just had to mention that.




Hunter's Mom said:


> While I can't answer all your questions I can tell you why, if I ever had another male dog, I would neuter.
> 
> It's a personal responsibility to my animal. While I can take every precaution to keep him healthy and keep him from coming near an intake female I can't control what happens to me (and therefore what happens to him if I am gone). I also can't control whether or not he will get cancer but I can take every step possible to ensure his neuter and aftercare are the best I can give him.
> 
> *Lastly, in the day and age of frequently stolen pets - a neutered or spayed animal is much less desired as it can't be used as an income stream.  While this isn't a problem in my area it is in others and therefore I would also take that into consideration.*


Erin, that is very similar to my top reason for spaying & neutering.
I need to know that Paris & Coco will never go back in life.
It is my greatest honour that I could give them something more,
they needed someone to see their real value.
I know changing two dogs destinies isn't as much as others have done,
but to me and to them it means more than I can articulate.
It will prob be the most meaningful thing of my life.
And I don't know why I even deserve the honour.
It would be a cruel twist of irony for them to be stolen and then used.


----------



## MoonDog (Jun 6, 2011)

(((((Rain))))) I don't have any advice that hasn't already been given. I just want to give you a hug for being concerned for your fluff and making sure you're doing the right, best thing for him...


----------



## Rainw (May 23, 2011)

All of these reasons are great. I need to find a good vet first, but unless he says something shocking ("We only have about six die a month..." "Out of how many?" "Seven") or ("What's a Maltese?") then I plan to get him neutered. 

Now the questions is, should I be in a hurry? I don't know how long it will take me to find a good vet, and I'm not even sure how to go about it other than asking my friends who they use and if they like their vet.


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Rainw said:


> All of these reasons are great. I need to find a good vet first, but *unless he says something shocking ("We only have about six die a month..." "Out of how many?" "Seven") or ("What's a Maltese?") *then I plan to get him neutered.
> 
> Now the questions is, should I be in a hurry? I don't know how long it will take me to find a good vet, and I'm not even sure how to go about it other than asking my friends who they use and if they like their vet.


:smrofl::smrofl: You have a great sense of humor!!!


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Rainw said:


> Now the questions is, should I be in a hurry? I don't know how long it will take me to find a good vet, and I'm not even sure how to go about it other than asking my friends who they use and if they like their vet.


You are making a very well-informed decision :aktion033: Just to ease your mind a little...I have been through the process with countless foster dogs, plus my own dogs, and neutering is such an easy procedure. The boys really do bounce back faster than the girls, and I have found the younger they are (maybe anything over 12 weeks?), the quicker the recovery. 

It would be good to get vet recommendations from friends. I have also found Yelp.com to be helpful in finding a vet when I moved (plus dog stores, a dog walker, etc.).


----------

