Both my kids are spayed/neutered for good reasons. Neither one of my dogs is "perfect" and neither one is a good breeding prospect. Both carry genetic defects that if bred even accidentally could be detrimental to the puppies. Farley has mild Spina Bifida and Ida has bad knees and huge flaws for a Boxer.

IMO, neutering or spaying is a decision that the owner should make. If you want to do it good for you, if you don't good for you. It's your call.

I am not a breeder, never intend to be a breeder, don't show and look for "pet" quality puppies. Both my dogs came from reputable breeders, both are AKC registered and both have champion lines. Both came with the agreement that we would spay/neuter but still, in the end, for me spaying and neutering was just something I would have done anyhow.

and while we need to arm ourselves with information to make these informed decisions, this forum can be very helpful when we share info like concerns & expectations, costs, recuperative care and of course, prevention techniques. Knowing that each animal is different and that their genetics play an important role, we can still choose different paths to good health and be successful.

Ah, if only life would be simple choices of 'yes' or 'no'...there's those sticky 'maybes' in our path!

I was always told that neutering helps prevent testicular cancer and that there wasn't any reason to not neuter unless breeding. You learn something new everyday! I will always have my male dogs neutered though, just my personal preference.

you said that very well....people have to think for themselves...but more important they have to do research....even as people we need to look into our own medical problems and find the right medical care for ourselves....we now have to do it for our pets....
i had a older client in her 70s her dog scrtched its eye the vet told her 2,000 or more she was heart broken it was her only companion...the vet used the the term ecomony euth meaning people did not have the money...she called me i took her to my holistic vet were treating the dog for not nearly half the money....yes are fingers are crossed...but even if she had to have the eye removed it would not cost that much.....
i guess it comes to the point we need to know as much as we can before making that decision.....or any decision...

I didn't want the pyro and mammary tumor risk. We never had any intentions of breeding her so we let her have one heat cycle then we spayed her right at her first birthday. I don't have males, but I do want to get one and I am already worrying about the neuter decision!

Cathy
when she first came home

spay them asap.....they have a open system and this is why they get more uti than males. ...once my girls were done normally at the age of five they were spayed.....
i wish thou their was a hormone replacement like for women i think it would make for a more healthy bitch.....
but your right i almost lost one from a pyo horrible we just make it to surgery before it let go i didnt know becasue it was a closed pyo ...horrible stuff.. bitches seem to get mammary tumors an awful lot also....

Males neutered is personal preference...and how well the intact male behaves. Probably more bulldogs die from the surgery than from testicular cancer.

But girls are another story. After having gone thru 2 pyos recently with a 9 yr old and a 5 yr old I will never have another intact girl past her breeding age. Pyo can be deadly...especially the closed kind.

there was little to no actual, factual evidence that proved neutering made them live longer, in fact most of the evidence said it caused more health problems for males. Females are a different story, but there really was NOT any good health benefit to neutering a male dog, which is contrary to what is generally told to pet owners. So many people say to neuter because it will make them healthier, but they can't tell you HOW it will make them healthier. My vet said the biggest benefit he could give me for neutering a male dog was that he wouldn't be likely to run away after a female in heat and get hit by a car. I, too have an issue with it being assumed that I am incapable of keeping my animals from re-producing unless drastic surgery is done to alter them, and I don't agree with surgery on my dog unless it will TRULY improve his health and overall longevity.

Cathy
when she first came home

to neuter or not to neuter? its like is kibble or raw better? vaccinations or no....
i only do puupy vaccines and then titer after.....and believe me i know vaccines,,,,,i was raising rottweilers in the 70s when pravo came thru.....in 5 years i lost at least 50 puppies to it..... the vets did not know which way to go.....and fort dodge a big vac mafacture it was found they were lying about their vaccines for pravo....
so when you read you need to look at the source....you need to look at the refrence of the statement.....
i raised and trained police k9 they were not neutered....they worked together.....
their is a video on the general forum summer dogs.....take a good look at those dogs their not neutered>>>.

It is your responsibility, as dog owner, to train your dog and this includes behavior around other dogs (especially males) and "marking territory". I've owned unaltered males several times in the past and they stop to mark literally every vertical surface outside when we go to a park or playground, but they learn early as pups that they don't pee indoors...ever! If you have unaltered females around your house, it will take special diligence to keep the female secure when she is in heat, and you should think hard about this and what you might choose to do with this situation. I agree that health issues are infrequent but the cost of licensing an unaltered dog, in my community, is about three-times that of an altered dog (and you get the 1st year "free" when you do alter).

The matter of the dog attaining a 'grander physical appearance' when unaltered is mostly myth...the dog will develop according to his/her gene pool.

but would you be right? And specifically, better in what way? What evidence/proof do you have to back up that statement, because when I looked into it I found out just the opposite.

Cathy
when she first came home

it's better for the health of the dog and leave it at that.

i would and have not neutered unless it is for a medical reason......when you neuter you are taking away the natural immunity fighting ability of your dog..... yes those are hormones and your dog needs them....
most will say neuter becasue their are to many animals making you feel as your to dumb to regulate your dog and not have him running the streets....
prostate cancer is the slowest cancer their is...your dog has more of a chance of dieing of old age first,,,,
just becasue he is a male does not mean he will mark everything...train your dog not to mark on everthing.....
socialize your dog....just becasue he has his balls does not make him agressive towards others.... i have been bitten by neutered dogs my intack males have been attacked by neutered males....
i think you have to decide for your self do some reading.....i feel it is unhealthy to neuter....and if some one says in the wild they have sex.....not so not every male wolf has sex....and their healthy.....
this is just me.....

charlie and wilson not neutered

bob (rottweiler) 13 yo and not neutered with wilson 4 months old