Why do people act like if you don't get your dog neutered he will drop dead of prostate cancer?
Everyone always says if your dog isn't neutered it will get prostate cancer and die. I see all these show dogs who aren't fixed and they look pretty alive to me? And my vet says that neutering dogs does prevent some prostate issues BUT it increases there risk for prostate cancer.
Dogs - 13 Answers
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1 :
spaying and neutering are personal choices and done for population control. There are cancers that a dog can get if not neutered, and there are cancers he can get if he is..do the research and decide for yourself. Myself..I'm responsible enough to own an intact dog, and won't cave into the brow beating of the spay/neuter nazis
2 :
A lot of people push altering your dogs too much. They make up all sorts of things to make you do it, and often ignore the negative effects of it. That being said, I find it VERY important to fix your pets if you're not a reputable breeder. I will always fix mine and will encourage others to fix theirs.
3 :
http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/dogs/reasons-to-get-your-dog-fixed.aspx this is why u should get it done
4 :
They tell you this because they fail to do RESEARCH and learn that neutering actually INCREASES HEALTH RISKS. Here is some information you can share with those ignorant people who think neutering is beneficial to a dog- information with medical research not talking points --------- The physical information that is often quoted, such as the likelihood of cancer and tumors, or no physical risks at all, are simply not true for the majority of animals who are spayed or neutered after they reach maturity. Personally, I believe it is irresponsible to only focus on the aspect of animal care that is perpetuated by irresponsible pet owners, rather than looking at the whole animal that we ARE responsible for keeping alive and well. We cannot base animal health care on the lowest common denominators. I believe that is why it is in such a poor state today. Organizations and individuals who support early juvenile spay and neuter are not quoting the percentages of say- testicular cancer in un-neutered dogs. They don’t tell you that the rate is only about 7%, and that’s in dogs that are never neutered. They also don’t tell you that it is easy to manage and/or prevent after maturity. They don’t tell you that the risk of prostate cancer is quadrupled (that’s 4x’s greater) in a neutered male dog, than an un-neutered one. That sounds bad doesn’t it? Well, what I can tell you is that “studies have shown†that the risk of prostate cancer in intact male dogs is < 1%. That doesn’t sound so bad now, right? So if we quadruple that it’s only < 4%. Sounds pretty passable, eh? It’s less than the 7% risk of testicular cancer. But that’s only a small portion of the picture! Why don’t they tell you about the increase in bone cancer, heart tumors, hypothyroidism, urinary tract cancers, orthopedic disorders and adverse vaccine reactions in male dogs that are neutered prior to maturity? What about the bone cancer, spleen tumors, heart tumors, hypothyroidism, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, vaginal dermatitis, orthopedic disorders and adverse vaccine reactions in females spayed prior to maturity? Why not let you know the whole picture? Because they think you won’t ever spay or neuter your dog or cat. Think about it. If you knew that you could even POSSIBLY avoid bone or heart cancer, cruciate ligament surgery, hip dysplasia, constant urinary tract infections, immune system (allergy) reactions, incontinence, and geriatric problems in your dog’s lifetime, wouldn’t you be willing to manage your dog, for the year or two (depending on its breed) until it was mature enough to safely neuter or spay? Wouldn’t you also be ready to go ahead and spay or neuter after that year or two of maintenance? What is the cost of spay and neuter? A good one maybe $300- $400? Maybe less for males. What is the cost of treating the above illnesses? $10,000? $20,000? $30,000? Hmmmmm? Wait a year or two, deal with maintaining training and good manners, maybe two heat cycles from a female, and save about $29,700? Sounds like a good deal to me. I know I tend to be one to get on my soapbox a bit, but I believe that juvenile spay and neuter is a high ranking factor in the exploding incidences of lingering illnesses, frequent injuries, and early deaths in our dogs and cats. We need to be responsible, and encourage others to do the same. Spay and Neuter your dogs and cats! Just give them a chance to mature and stabilize their bodies first. That’s all. If you’d like to read a few good articles on collected information regarding early spay and neuter findings, take a look at these for a start. http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
5 :
It only increases risks-- SOMETIMES & HARDLY; when the dog getting neutered is generally 8-10+ years old, or when done too young in a larger breed. I honestly get my pets neutered cause I'm responsible, there shouldn't be any other reason otherwise unless your dogs are 1oo% Health Tested/Cleared/Passed for Genetic Issues as well. OFA, CERF, BAER, Optigen, PennHip with fantastic scores. Earn their CH Title, CH Sired/Damed and pedigree CH. Years of research and is a responsible breeder, if not, there is NO reason why you shouldn't get your dog neutered/spayed, unless you are responsible enough to keep them away from intact males/females, which 98% people aren't.
6 :
I honestly have no idea. I don't care if you keep your dog in-tact if you can prevent him from fathering any unnecessary litters. There are pros and cons to spay and neuter. I AM of the opinion that the benefits outweigh the negatives simply for population control purposes alone, but if you don't want to neuter, you are most assuredly not giving your dog a death sentence.
7 :
Neutering prevents testicle cancer, not prostate cancer. Both are fairly rare in dogs. Of course, preventing illness has never been a leading reason for me to neuter my pets! I prefer male dogs, and always neuter my pets for behavior reasons. I own 3 male dogs at present, and I prefer the calmer temperament. I also like that fact that a neutered pet gets 'special' treatment if the local Animal Control happens to pick them up, accidents happen! I have NEVER understood why people will stretch the truth and blatantly lie about altering pets. There are plenty of good sound reasons to have it done, but a few reasons to shy away from it, too. I recommend people research the topic. In most cases it is the best choice.
8 :
Ya know... there's a heck of a lot of MEN who have vasectomies knowing there is a slight risk of increased prostate cancer once that's done, but men are still having vasectomies. I agree with Skipper... 98% of the people who decided to leave their male dogs intact aren't doing it for the right reasons. It's more like anthropomorphism intermingled with machismo thoughts. A neutered male dog is not walking around wondering "where his twins went". What he is - once neutered - is no long hardwired to go running after every bi♀ch he smells in heat for 2-3 miles away. A neutered male dog is more settled into his role as a companion dog rather then lusting after the "love scent on the wind". A neutered male is no longer able to add to the pet population explosion because their ability to reproduce is no longer an option. Legit - Here's what can happen to a dog that's not neutered that slips out by accident and catches up with a female in heat. My dad raised German Shorthairs starting back in the 50's. He was a very responsible breeder by the standards of that day. He had good chain link kennels, gave his dogs premium health care and did not over breed. When I was around 9 yrs old I heard this loud commotion out in our yard early one morning. It was my dad.. insane with anger because he had just discovered that a mutt had scaled his chain link kennel and was tied with his best bi♀ch (in her kennel!). My mom went out to intervene but my dad was nuts with anger. To this day.. I can clearly see my father grabbing the poor mutt by the scruff...and draggin' him out of the kennel. The dog was crouched and cowering, and wagging his tail (no aggression signs at all). He was displaying the most submissive behavior. I was so focused on the dog that I didn't even notice what my father had in his other hand. He went behind our big garage and immediately shot the dog (then disposed of it). When the bi♀ch whelped her puppies were also swiftly disposed of except for one. He allowed her one puppy to nurse her down for awhile...and then one day I came home from school and that puppy was gone. I didn't ever have the heart to ask where it went. That was about 50 years ago and to this day the scene rolls through my head like a bad movie. After that my dad put tops on his kennels. So... if you are 100% sure your un-neutered male dog will never slip out on you...well then I guess you will be fine. But .. .if your un-neutered male goes "girlfriend hunting"... and never returns .. that's on you I guess. Heart wrenching...and TRUE ADDED: Scottie - if there is solid statistical evidence of the maturing benefits prior to spaying/neuter vs health drawbacks of juvenile spaying/neutering then I'd get behind that for sure! I think the "spay/neuter 'em at 3-5 mo. old got started as a means to desperately get them taken care of before they end up out in the general population making more puppies and kittens. No one wants to see pets sicker due to their spay/neuter, but since I do rescue.. I understand the mad scramble to spay/neuter asap on very young animals in an attempt to STOP the pet explosion. It does sound like there may be mounding evidence that might get people to consider delaying the process until pets mature a little..but that is such a d-o-u-b-l-e edged sword. How many truly responsible pet owners are there these days that could be 100% trusted to keep their pets SECURELY contained (no breeding whatsoever) before they were altered at 12-18 months? THAT is the fly in the ointment. . .
9 :
YouHave2Be has a great answer. I am pro-spay and neuter, but I feel that many of these very young juvenile spay/neuters are causing some significant health issues, just as the other person stated. I had a male dog that lived to 14 1/2 (upper end of his breed) and we did not neuter him. He never sired a litter, I had him under control. No prostate or testicular problems during his life. I hope to get a male pup in the future. He will be neutered, but not at or pre- six months of age. I will probably do this at 12-18 months. If the dog has an undescended testicle, the neuter is very important. My female was spayed at age 2 1/2 (her age when I got her). She is young so I can't speak to health issues. My rescue dog was spayed prior to 6 months. We saw the spleen tumors (non-cancerous, but life-threatening), cardiac issues, constant urinary tract infections, bladder polyp/bladder cancer. These are many of the issues that UHave2B mentioned. And I can vouch for the treatment costs he/she mentioned. Spay and neuter offers many benefits for the dog, but wait until the dog is developed and mature.
10 :
Aside from the positive effects of spay/neuter, the naked truth to the matter is: In the USA alone, there are approx. 50 DOGS per every HUMAN! We KILL Millions upon Millions of healthy, young gorgeous animals because the owners left the dogs intact. Oops litters occur. Dogs run away; found intact and the breeding cycle continues by an ignorant owner. MY PLATFORM: NO BREEDING until the SHELTERS are Empty. ONLY breed to better the lines, and if homes are secured. Simple.
11 :
Neutering dogs decreases the risk of testicular cancer (because the testes are removed) but VASTLY increases the risk of prostate cancer. The problem is people...some people are too lazy/don't trust themselves to contain their intact pets. I contain my animals, my animals don't contain me. -edit- Angel by the time the shelters are empty (which will be never btw) all the purebred dogs not being bred will be extinct. Don't blame breeders for a problem common folks with pets and mongrels caused! If it were like 60 years ago when people bought dogs because they NEEDED a dog to do a job this wouldn't be an issue. The problem is Joe Blow wanting a pet. If you NEED a working dog, buy one from a good breeder, if you want a pet get a hamster or adopt.
12 :
Because they aussume everyone is an irresponsible dim-wit who can't handle an intact dog. The last dog I had was intact and lived a long, happy 13 years without ever fathering puppies or dropping dead of prostate cancer.
13 :
It's the same thing as the assumption that spaying/neutering suddenly cures out of control behavior. Because people bandwagon. They parrot what they hear. Yes, there are a educated people who do their own research on the topic but a majority of pet owners don't. They go with the flow. I strongly believe *both* sides of anything should be weighed before making a decision. I acknowledge & agree that there is an issue with intact animals being allowed to indiscriminately breed. Again, it's an issue of research. People who allow that to happen have not been doing so, if they did they would understand why allowing such things to go on in a problem. Should a person do their research, feel they can be responsible of an intact dog, who is anyone else to tell them otherwise? I have *never* been one to push spay/neuter. No one should ever feel forced into getting their dog any kind of operation. Period. If my family had done their research with my childhood dog & spaying, she wouldn't have ended up with some of the issues she did. I wish I had been smart enough, or had known someone who could offer me insight onto the negative at the time. Then at the very least I would not have been so caught off guard. Add: Bring the TD. I could care less. I have personally owned a dog who suffered negatively from spaying. People who pretend the possibility doesn't exist are being stubborn, blind & foolish.
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