Neutering Animals/ No One's Here to Sleep. - Comments

I'm for neutering as well. I agree with what kitsch said below, and I won't repeat those points, but I'll add my two cents
(Just for the record, below when I say 'you', I don't specifically mean you, it's a generalised 'you')

When I went to puppy school with my pup a while ago (he's now 10 months, similar to yours ), they gave us an info booklet about neutering and it just all makes sense as to why you should get it done. I'll summarise the main points for both male and female dogs, in case you're interested:

Female:

• Having a litter has no health or behavioural benefits.
• Prevents unwanted pregnancies (obviously).
• Prevents a womb infection called pyometra (common and life threatening).
• Early neutering gives good protection against certain breast cancers.

Male:

• Prevents:
  • Inappropriate urination
  • Mounting behaviour
  • Straying away from home
  • Aggression towards other dogs
  • Dominant behaviour
• Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer.
• Reduces the likelihood of prostate problems and certain skin cancers later in life.

Both:
Commonly people don't want their pet neutered because they gain weight and become lazy - this is untrue. Neutering simply reduces the dog's daily calorie requirement, and hence you need to watch their weight and adjust their food accordingly.

I got my puppy neutered as soon as he could be, simply because I don't want him to have any puppies (on purpose, or accidentally!), and because of the health benefits. He doesn't hump anything sexually - he definitely doesn't hump furniture or toys or anything like that, and he occasionally humps my leg in a way that I (and others) believe is him trying to show dominance over me (and of course he gets told off). This started when he became a 'teenager', so hopefully it will stop when he transitions into 'adult'. He doesn't pee inside at all, doesn't lift his leg or try to mark his territory anywhere. So far he hasn't been aggressive to other dogs either. My family dog was also neutered, and he never humped anything, never marked his territory, and he was never aggressive.

Of course every dog is different, but having owned neutered male dogs and having had friends with neutered male dogs, I can definitely vouch that the dogs (and no doubt the owners too) benefit from the neutering. Perhaps if they weren't neutered they would have turned out to be more aggressive or constantly marking their territory - who would know. And obviously I can't say what your dog will end up doing either - it will no doubt be a combination of training, his personality, the environment he's in, etc, as well as whether or not he gets neutered (and when).

About your example of why you want him to have a litter first, I think you should perhaps look at it more as though he's an animal, not a human. He's not going to know what sex is, or understand the idea of having offspring in a sense that isn't purely survival and him passing on his genes to the next generation. Neutering him will simply take that aspect out of his life, and he'll never know about it. It would make a human unhappy if your example happened, but a dog can't comprehend it.

As someone who actually works in a lab and diagnoses animal diseases, I can't stress enough how important all the shots are, as well as taking your animal to the vet whenever you think something might be wrong. Personally, I also believe that if you can't afford the shots, a decent food brand, the toys, the neutering, puppy school, etc, then you shouldn't get a new pet. I think a lot of people buy pets on the spur of "oh that's a cute kitten/puppy!" and don't take into account the price (not just of the animal, of the rest of the stuff) and the amount of effort it takes to care for an animal. Whilst I understand that unexpected money struggles can happen and that some vets will overcharge for the shots, it's important for an animal's general well-being to receive them, and to receive them at the correct time in their life too. Having seen animals suffer because the owners can't afford certain things, I really wish that people would think it through a bit more before buying a new animal But that's getting off topic, and this post has turned out way longer than I intended it to be, so I'll stop now

@ kitsch
Don't worry your fine :)

I would comment more but I'm distracted by the show the strain lol I'll be sure to write back a response later to continue the discussion lol :)

I did a project in school and wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a kid so my opinion is purely based on that research and love / appreciation for animals. Anyway, like what OctoberA7X already stated, it does make the animal less aggressive. Worldwide, there are also many cases of stray dogs and as an example of where I live---the stray dog population is large enough that they have a pack mentality going strong and are able to hide in the jungle. There, they breed more and authorities that enlist the services of a "dog catcher" so to speak cannot get to them, because they are also unfixed, wild, and sense the danger / threat posed to them in being put in an animal shelter. . .or put to sleep if they attack / have attacked an individual.

Anyway, I think it's good that people practice the act of breeding the dog then fixing them as soon as they can. I've known people who will breed a litter or two and then get their dog fixed later on in the dog's life. But personally, I prefer the pets I have to be neutered / spayed when they are young. The act of neutering / spaying has been proven by statistics (let me pull some up right now). I found this from the ASPCA

Quote

Facts about Pet Overpopulation in the U.S.:

It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.

The average number of litters a fertile cat produces is one to two a year; the average number of kittens is four to six per litter.

The average number of litters a fertile dog produces is one a year; the average number of puppies is four to six.

Owned cats and dogs generally live longer, healthier lives than strays.

Many strays are lost pets who were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.

Only 10%of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 83% of pet dogs and 91% of pet cats are spayed or neutered.

The cost of spaying or neutering a pet is less than the cost of raising puppies or kittens for a year.

Four to six in a litter doesn't seem a lot until it's taken into account the cycle will continue if people don't spay / neuter their pets.

But yeah, finding a vet that cares about your pet's well-being and takes into account your budget and whatnot is important as well. I once had a cat that needed an operation and found at the first place we took him to was overcharging us so much. He was able to get the operation from another place, which became his primary vet, and although it's not as convenient in terms of the distance, at least he gets proper, professional treatment that is also affordable.

In any case, I really do hope for the best for your dog and I apologize for going on a mini-rant about spaying and neutering. It's really difficult to have a pet pass away and it's better to be safe than high-risk for something preventable. I also apologize if I offended you in any way by my mini-rant, as it was not my intention to do so.

no I get it, I've seen vets whose hearts aren't in it. Though I don't know how they can look at those adorable faces and not want to do everything that they can to keep those faces adorable! My heart is one hundred percent in this because I've dealt with animals and I see what the end result is. But yes, I think you need a new vet because whoever you're dealing with right now doesn't need to judge the situation from which your dog was born! Dogs get sick, no matter how healthy the breed is, sometimes it just happens and you can't stop that! Ugh I'm so pissed now! That disgusts me!

@ OctoberA7X
The other vet I went to gave it as an option. this being a shelter/vet hospital. is very pushy with having people fix their animals. They asked me where I got my dog from, I told them a friend and that he was the runt so in a way it was rescue because he almost drowned in a water bowl and almost died because I guess there was something wrong with him as a baby. So I took him (paid) but I took him. I didn't tell them I paid for him because they woulda judged right away. they are judging my friend because her dog died from parvo and then the father caught it but survived. So they were like oh so shes not caring for her dogs. I was like WHAT? I told them she had money problems so she couldn't get the dogs shots. its not like shots are five bucks you know.

Please, if you become a vet. care about the animals not the money. NOT SAYING you wont care about the animals lol. I just see alot of vets that care moe for the money. its so sad.

Well being a vet student I can say that I'm for neutering but I'm not going to make my clients do it. I will suggest it because it helps keep aggression and humping down. If you want to breed your dog then you don't have to neuter him, you'll just have to train him not to pee all over the place, it's in his nature to pee on stuff to mark his territory and while you can't stop it you can curb it. If your vet is trying to tell you to neuter despite you not wanting to and there's nothing physically wrong with your dog, then you need to find a new vet because any self respecting vet would give you the option. That's just my opinion :-)