Why NOT neuter?

Are there really any reasonable arguments not to neuter? Neuter is cheaper, faster and safer than a spay. Anesthesia is incredibly safe nowadays. Testicular cancer is common, and lack of hormones prevents roaming and other behaviors that distract from being a family pet.

Why does a dog need his testicles??? Good question, I can't think of a reason to keep them except that some guys seem to take pride in their dogs family jewels, or if someone wants to breed...

My daughter is a vet tech and encourages everyone to do it.  It prevents testicular cancer as mentioned above, harmones are less likely to play a part in behavior, spraying is limited if not non-existent.  Most vets encourage it.  Pet careworkers encourage it.  It is better for the dog all around except for the breeders.  It prevents unwanted litters.  Why not? 

Someone on another forum I'm on brought these pages up during  a spay/neuter discussion, they might be of interest to you-
[linkhttp://www.doggedblog.com/doggedblog/2006/05/its_just_that_t.html]http://www.doggedblog.com/doggedblog/2006/05/its_just_that_t.html[/link]
 
 
[linkhttp://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/neutr.html]http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/neutr.html[/link]

Those are certainly interesting articles... but the prostate cancer arguments fail to take into account the MUCH more common, and just as dangerous prostatic hyperplasia seen in intact males.

In general, I still think that neutering benefits still outweigh the risks, but neutering does not need to be done prior to puberty in order to provide those benefits. I would like to see if the dogs neutered post-puberty still had the same predelections that dogs neutered prior to puberty.

the most weird reason  for not neutering I ever heard was that  one pet owner felt her dog was the reincarnation of her son who was killed during th war..she was emphatic about this and we (both being veterans) acceded to her wishes because you can;t , nor would want to, try to change her mind with a reason like that

If you do not neuter, you are more likely to have a dog that will roam in search of a mate.  If you've ever seen a dog in the throes of a bitch in heat, you'll understand what I mean.  I have and it's NOT PRETTY, in fact it's one of the ugliest things I've ever seen.

Neutering will revent unwanted puppies.  It will prevent hormone related bhvr problems.  As far as either of these things go, it won't do anything that the right training and good husbandry won't do just as well.

Neutering won't solve an existing problem - it may help to make re-training easier.  It can backfire and exacerbate some problems (particularly fear-based ones) and it can cause a whole range of problems of its own (eg. various cancers are more likely, as it says in the article, and the op also affects bone growth is also affected which is a major factor in large breeds who are often prone to bone/joint related problems in any case.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't neuter our pets.  I'm saying that I think neutering as a matter of course is not always necessary or helpful.

For example, several threads on this forum have brought up how full shelters are, all over.  Yet pretty much every vet is telling people to get their animals neutered - and the shelters are STILL full.  Unfortunately its because generally, well meaning, caring and responsible people listen to their vets.  It's the clueless, ignorant people who ought to be getting their pet neutered (or preferably, not having one at all) that are the problem.
 
ETA - and the puppy mills and bybs of course.... but they're not exactly going to spend money on neutering bitches not used for breeding are they?  In short, 1. I think other measures are necessary to control the over population problem other than just trying to get everyone to neuter.  2. Health problems are caused as well as prevented by the op.  3. Behavioural problems should be prevented or cured by training and not using the op as a shortcut.  Oh and 4. metabolism and coat texture are also frequently affected in neutered animals, although these are relatively minor issues. 

Ben's not neutered - yet.  That's not to say that I don't believe in it - I do and he will be neutered soon.  However, I don't ALWAYS believe that EARLY neutering is the answer.  I have a large breed dog - as mentioned above, early neutering can sometimes cause bone/joint issues.  I prefer to have Ben's joints grow and set a little more before I neuter him - but I am absolutely aware of the responsibilities that having an intact, pubescent male carries.  I can live with that for a few more months, but I do understand people who can't and who neuter early. 

I do not understand having a permanently (as in, never neutered) intact dog who is not intended for breeding or showing.  I can think of NO reason why any male who is not to be bred or shown should still be intact after 15 - 16 months. 
 
Kate

Or you could look at it this way:  I can think of no reason why a perfectly healthy, well balanced, well behaved dog who has responsible owners with good husbandry practices would need to be neutered (unless possibly he was living with an entire bitch). 

Or you could look at it this way:  I can think of no reason why a perfectly healthy, well balanced, well behaved dog who has responsible owners with good husbandry practices would need to be neutered (unless possibly he was living with an entire bitch).

Because it lessens the chances of roaming, impregnating other dogs, prostatic hypertrophy, and prevents testicular cancer.

IMHO, responsible pet owners who are not breeders should neuter/spay their pets.

True, you could.  But it's not for me.  As it happens, I was walking Ben today and we walked past a bitch on heat - why she wasn't on HER lead I don't know, but Ben was on his.  Although he's obedient, has a great recall and heels well, I have a bruise an inch wide across the back of my hand from holding Ben off her.  The leash cut into me and I spent 25 minutes when we got home with my hand under a bag of ice.  If he'd been OFF his lead, I would have been prying Ben off a cute little brindle AmStaff and it wouldn't have been pretty.

Even the most obedient dog, when determined, will get to a bitch when he wants to. 

Kate

My Drizzle is 8 years old, considered old for her breed, and she is not spayed.  When I got Drizzle and Blizzard the breeder was reluctant to give up Drizzle because of her markings.  I gave my word to the breeder that when Drizzle went through 2 cycles she can breed her and take the pups, save one.  When the time came, I contacted the breeder but got no response.  Except for the blood stains, there has not been any problems, even with the number of male fosters coming into my home while Drizzle was in season.  Drizzle knows exactly how to handle the male advances without any help from me.
 
What is interesting is how Blizzard and Drizzle are different.  Blizzard is much bigger by 50lbs and very gentle.  Drizzle is quite muscled, active, and a bit of a nipper.

I expect I'm an irresponsible owner then....
 
As for lessening the chance of roaming and impregnating other animals - well roper husbandry and management does this too.  Whereas if you don't have good husbandry, any dog can still get out roam, not because of his sex drive but purely because he enjoys it!  You can take away his sex drive, but not his drive to forgae and scavenge - and while there won't always be a bitch out there to entice him out of your yard, you can bet your granny there will be plenty of foraging opportunities.  And he can still get in a fight, be involved in an RTA or cause a nuisance to neighbours etc. marbles or no.  I don't know about the laws where other people are, but here it is illegal for any dog to be "at large in a public place", regardless of type, gender or whether they are intact or not. 

If you've got a hole in your fence, fix the fence, not the dog! 
 - Fixing the dog won't stop him from getting out of the fence.  It won't stop him getting cancer (ok so he won't get testicular cancer, but thats not the only sort there is). 
 - Fixing the fence won't give the fence (or the dog) any kind of cancer or health problem, won't make it (or him) more prone to obesity (a huuuuuuuge problem these days) and won't cause or exacerbate fear related bhvr problems.

I don't personally hold with neutering as a prophylactic against any kind of cancer or health problem.  It seems to cause as many as it prevents.

I said it once and I'll say it again - some people should (and do) neuter.  But I don't believe it's right for every animal, every owner or every situation and I don't think it should be done lightly or as a matter of course.  For one thing, it's not reversible.  I really do not see the harm or irresponsibility in approaching each individual case with an open mind - how will the op affect this dog?  does he have confidence/anxiety issues?  does he have weight issues?  etc etc. One thing people do sometimes do over here is have the dog have the injection which mimicks the effects of neutering to see what effect it is likely to have.  Now THAT is a smart approach in my book.

Even the most obedient dog, when determined, will get to a bitch when he wants to. 

that statement prety well covers it all...Never underestimate the power of a female dog in heat or a male dog within a quarter of a mile of a female in heat...course I guess you could say the same thing for humans...