Guardian dog neuter

[Seaecho]

Yes, there are two sides to every story! Do women automatically get fat after they've had an ovario-hysterectomy? Not always. They might if they ate too much and stopped exercising.

And why are we comparing humans to dogs here? You lost me there. Dogs don't have human emotions, but they DO have drives. And the sex drive is one of them. A male entire dog will naturally roam, and try desperately to escape if he's intact and he detects a female in heat. And yes, that's stressful on the adrenal system. This, of course, can be hazardous as already stated, if the dog is successful in escaping. But he won't miss breeding if he's been castrated because he'll no longer have the DRIVE. It won't matter to him. And yes, both entire and altered dogs will develop Cushings. People get Cushings too, and most of them aren't altered!

Also brought up earlier, different breeds and temperaments in dogs will cause them to behave differently, but the MAJORITY of dogs make better pets if altered. I've had good ones and bad ones. My German Shepherd was completely reliable, and he was not castrated. My American Bulldog was very aggressive even after castrating. So a lot depends on the individual. I still say spaying and castrating is the better choice of the two.

 

[Kusanar]

For that, you can thank the breed association and/or regional shows, that doesn't allow intact animals in the show ring above a certain age, or at all.
There aren't a lot of them, but the fact that you've heard that tells me you're probably in a QH heavy area.

Actually, no, Saddlebreds.

 

[happyfrenchman]

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sit...spaying-or-neutering.aspx?_escaped_fragment_=

Cushings is undoubtedly related to neutering.... It has been demonstrated in castrated ferrets, and there is absolutely no incentive for the veterinary community to look into it in dogs or horses. It is a major money maker for them. I know my little dog cost me a fortune before he passed. He had been healthy as a horse but after three years from his neutering, his little body had been ravaged. It was effectively a butchering of his previously healthy endocrine balance.

(Quote) Without the gonads (the ovaries and testicles), the adrenal glands are called upon to produce sex hormones because they are the only other source for them in the body. Over time, the adrenal glands begin to over secrete sex hormones to keep up with the body’s demand.
Cushings and neutering...

I just do not understand how can anyone that purports to know anything about animals in general, can blithely declare that you can cause such a grievous insult to a dogs biochemical balance without negative consequences? Horses? I am sure it is the same with them. Of course everyone on here has a spayed or neutered dog of perfectly healthy weight and trim... all these fat sausage dogs I see waddling around are the exception...
My current dog, (intact) and his poor brother (neutered) are all anyone really needs to see to know what I am talking about. But a lot of people refuse to see if they are told otherwise by the conventional wisdom. I can tell in most cases, just by looking at a dog if it is neutered or not. There are telltale signs... the broad back and squat, barrel shaped midsection... not to mention research is now speculating that early neutering is involved in cognitive issues as well. The pro spaying people assure us there is no downside... how can they do this? The assurances of such people are not reassuring. I have heard them before. However, a quick search of the internet, will reveal that the research is stacking up. In Europe they consider it unusual to castrate an animal like a dog.

 

[Folly's place]

A ferret is not a dog, cat, horse, or anyone but a ferret. All Marshall Farms ferrets are sold already neutered in the pet trade, and they tend to die young. They are also closely related to each other, and adrenal or pituitary dysfunction runs in families.
Some breeds of dogs are more likely to develop these issues much more often than others.
It's true that Europeans haven't been neutering dogs as often as we do here; that's not because there dogs are healthier, or that they don't develop issues related to not being neutered.
I'd love to know where you received your degree in endocrinology?!
Fat pets happen because people overfeed and under-exercise them.
Mary

 

[happyfrenchman]

So you concur that ferrets suffer inordinate rates of endocrine imbalances. Why don't you expect the same thing with any other mammal with a similar endocrine system? I do not have a degree in endicrinology or I would be telling you that there is no reason to expect bad things when you hack off a major endocrine gland. I would be assuring everyone how they won't even miss them.

 

[happyfrenchman]

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog...z/5-reasons-why-pet-obesity-a-serious-problem

This is interesting. It is a pet health site that discusses all the terrible effects of obesity... which they are... but never mentions the role of neutering as a possible contributor.

More veterinarians should learn how to do vasectomies. You can also do a less invasive sterilization for female dogs too. It does not have to be the same procedure they use on farm animals that we intend to eat in a year or two.

 

[Seaecho]

The problem with happy's idea is that a vasectomy will not take away a dog's sex drive. And that is a major contributor to aggressiveness and wanting to escape to find a female. It would not be feasible, IMO.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Some of the most aggressive dogs I have known... (Some that I have even shot) have been neutered. It is true it does not remove the dogs sex drive.....that among many things that are retained. That is part of the point. .You still have to responsibly contain your animal and not let him roam. I think the aggression thing is unique to each individual dog. Some dogs are just aggressive and mean. If cutting their nads off would help with that, I would say go for it, I believe most dogs are capable of behaving appropriately without our human "improvement" modifications. There have been some dogs, I wondered if cutting them off didn't just make them meaner.