Just had doggie fixed

ostaragirl

Today my wee Chico was at the vet's getting neutered. He is still pretty sleep and I feel very guilty. The reason I feel a bit bad is because although I know in my heart I have done the right thing I have had some very negative comments from the people I have told about it this last few days.
I was beginning to get a bit paranoid and wonder if I was doing something wrong.
Am I right in thinking that there's a perception in society these days that there is no need to do this or something?
Confused.com x

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

There are some rather stupid people who think getting a male dog castrated would suggest to the world that they have a small penis.


When your dog isn't fighting, running off or generally getting into severe trouble legally and physically over any random female dog on heat, when your dog is happy, peaceful and unaffected by the desire to mate, when you can take your dog out without it being a target for thieves or backyard breeders, you'll realise you've done the right thing.

ostaragirl

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

There are some rather stupid people who think getting a male dog castrated would suggest to the world that they have a small penis.


When your dog isn't fighting, running off or generally getting into severe trouble legally and physically over any random female dog on heat, when your dog is happy, peaceful and unaffected by the desire to mate, when you can take your dog out without it being a target for thieves or backyard breeders, you'll realise you've done the right thing.

Thanks for your comments. This is what I want to hear although I have to say my V.E.T. wasn't very good at coming up with the info either. Someone actually said to me that Chico's whole personality would change forever and the fun loving dog he can be would be gone.:mad:

Yorkygirl2712

ostaragirl wrote: »

Someone actually said to me that Chico's whole personality would change forever and the fun loving dog he can be would be gone.:mad:

Absolute tosh!!!!! My border terrier Dougie was neutered and pre-op was very laid back, people loving, chilled out & happy ....post-op if possible he is even more laid back, people loving, chilled out & happy:j
you only have to visit your local dog rescue to know that youve absolutely done the right thing

Katiehound

Some people will just say anything- perhaps to be perverse? Congratulations on being a very responsible owner, he won't miss those bits and you won't be plagued by him chasing girls in season.
Well done you!

Person_one

Is it mostly men being weird about it? They tend to over-empathise a bit, and don't always realise that a dog won't miss its balls the way they would!

lostinrates

Op, you did the right thing.

It seems to me that it is becoming increasingly popular not to nueter...and even to lp'let them have a litter'. I have wondered if the designer crosses encourage it too.....as everyone fancies their pet crossed witha poodle.


Fwiw even having been brought up with show and breeding dogs I prefer to nueter when possible. We had planned to do both our girls this year, then one was busy with her broken leg and the other had a stomach upset on operation day! I prefer to do girls in autumn/ winter but they will both be done I spring now( next suitable time for mine).

With a new you g male in the house and neith girl breeding or showing there are more reaons to neuter than not to.

( my boy will remain entire u til we see whether he will show or not. If its not he will be castrated pronto! )

con1888

I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with it. What age is he ? I do believe it can cause problems in large breeds if done too early.

My dog isn't done but he is only 5 months, I show him so may not be able to get him done. I won't be letting him roam though and I am a very responsible owner.

My cat who is male was neutered at 6 months. My other half hated speaking about it lol but didn't try dissuade me, he seen the positives as cats are free roamers and there are lots of cats in our area, we don't know if they are neutered but wouldn't take the chance.

I would say if you don't have a neutered pet then that too is okay IF and only IF you are responsible. Aside from unwanted litters there are lots of pros of neutering but also cons.

aileth

We were told neutering would calm our pup down as he was a bit of a loose cannon. He hasn't changed a bit, in fact he's probably more energetic!

zaksmum

I haven't had my dog neutered and have no plans to do it in the future.

If he had any problems associated with being entire, I'd reconsider, but he's the calmest dog I know.

Not interested in the lady dogs and doesn't want to move from my side so no wandering either.

He will fight back if attacked but is never aggressive towards other dogs.

So I can see no reason to put him through an op that appears totally unnecessary.

krlyr

There are some negatives to neutering so each case should be assessed individually.
I may consider not neutering a male dog of mine in certain circumstances - for example, I may delay it in a large breed dog until they were fully developed physically (18 months or so) to allow the hormones to play their role in development (such as "instructing" the growth plates when to close). Or in a dog with a behavioural issue such as fear-based aggression or a particularly flighty, scared nature. Removing the testosterone in this kind of dog can sometimes worsen behaviour so I may well weigh up the risks of leaving him entire vs. his behaviour worsening - but I'd consider myself quite a responsbile owner so I would probably limit where he was let off-lead and use a longline to provide freedom yet keep him (and any in-season !!!!!es in the area) safe and free from accidental mating.
Then there's the decreased risk of certain cancers from neutering, but also the risk of increasing the chance of other cancers. We see it in humans when we play with hormones - going on the pill can reduce the risk of breast cancer and increase that of cervical cancer, or the other way around depending on the hormones used/supressed. I believe neutering can make a dog more prone to prostate cancer but obviously with no testicals, no testicular cancer.

Also worth knowing that there are alternatives to neutering such as implants and injections that mimic the effects. Again, pros and cons to those too.

I think it's worth doing your own research, knowing both sides of the coin, and making the best decision you can make with that knowledge for your own dog, and let others worry about having the final say with their own dogs (not saying don't give them advice or information, but respect their decision if it is made for good reason). I find it frustrating to see dogs left entire for silly reasons like "because they wouldn't be macho if they lost their balls!", but equally I hate the blanket discrimination that can be aimed at owners with entire dogs, despite having good reason. I was certainly glad the option was out of my hands as my male dog came to me already neutered from rescue, it's not an easy decision to make in every case. You made the best decision you could with the information you had, your dog will gain several benefits from it, and you can't be faulted for that