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castration questions

Harry & Heidi's mom

Well-known member
Hi,

after having a word with Harry's breeder, she has decided not to use him as a stud dog.

Now, what are the pro's and con's of having him castrated???

Heather
 
How old is he? About a year, right?
i just went through making this decision. For me there were pros and cons and the pros outweighed the cons. for one thing, Zack, age 7 months, was developing new peeing behavior that i hoped neutering would curb (peeing where not supposed to). Also, i'm working on training him and have read that training is easier for the dog to concentrate if neutered. And also most important his ability to impregnate was undesirable. I didn't believe i could prevent him from getting another dog pregnant and i didn't want to take the chance that he would. Also there are supposed to be some health benefits. For one thing, they won't ever get testicular cancer. :?

On the negative side of neutering, for one thing, it just goes against my grain to have my little guy cut on. And i know that when women i've known have had early menopause caused by having their ovaries removed, they have had health problems caused by that, and are at a greater risk of osteoporosis. I felt that whatever risks there are to a male puppy in being neutered are probably not well studied or well known so that i was taking a risk. but millions of dogs get neutered and live to a healthy old age so i ended up deciding to do it. It was quite simple, not hard on him except while he was still under the effects of the pain shot she gave him, he was very out of it and did not seem to feel well at all, not the faintest wag of the tip of the tail, nor a little lick of greeting, he was groaning. But by that night, he seemed happy and i'm so glad it's over.

i learned that there is a really wide price range for neutering and if i could do it over again, i'd ask more questions about the price and choose someone experienced and cheap.
 
well, as i'm a single working mum i can get a voucher for £25 (aprox $47) from the dogs trust, so cost isn't an issue. just want to do whats best for Harry,

and yes, he's just over a year old.
 
We have had Busta and Woody done and will have Ozzy done in the next few weeks, it was just a decision from a health point of view it is cuts down the risk of cancer - I am sure there is a long thread on this somewhere..
 
Kendall, who is a vet student, has written on this manty times but setting aside ALL the bheaviour issues, the potential for roaming, the marking etc -- there are major health reasons for neutering before the dog turns one. For example:

Why neuter your male dog?

Prevention at a younger age is easier than the problems of middle age

Cancers of the prostate gland, the anus and the testicles do not happen in dogs who are castrated before they are one year old. Prostate changes, which start at middle age, can lead to infections or painful prostate gland swelling. This can be treated with antibiotics, hormone injections, and, if that is not successful, major surgery. Dogs who are neutered when they are young are very unlikely to develop these prostate gland diseases.

Controlling behaviour problems

Reducing certain types of aggression towards other dogs or people. Stopping excessive urine marking. Reducing the urge to roam after female dogs in heat

There are very important health benefits that are likely to prolong Harry's life.

Just as a point of info -- 95% of the male cavaliers that come into rescue with me, as either strays or pound surrenders, are not nuetered. The strays are -- as is typical for unneutered males -- roaming, and will never see their families again due to this. The surrenders were ALL surrendered due to problems that a neuter would have solved (and did solve in each dog's case). :(

More info:

Preventing gender-specific cancers in dogs is a very large plus, especially considering that unaltered dogs have a 50% chance of developing these cancers. That's one out of every two dogs that develop cancer.

also:

http://www.horshamvet.com/page21.html
 
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