RetrieverTraining.Net - the RTF banner

To Neuter or not??

6K views 28 replies 20 participants last post by  afdahl 
#1 ·
Little background: Have a 2 1/2 YLM that is a inside dog. He is intact with only one testy dropped. I have no plans on breeding him. He is a family dog and duck dog(may title him this summer he has impressed me so far but who knows). He is not a humper by any means and is not and aggressive dog towards other males. He never marks on anything in the house since I have had him but will mark everything outside. That I am ok with because it is not in the house. He is a nervous dog likes to pace around alot when he isnt sleeping and has great drive out in the field. My question is he has semen drops all over the wood floor in my house which is the down side.(Not big areas just small drops that add up throughout the week). Will neutering help this and with neutering will it make him lose any of his drive. He has a great temperment now other than the pacing around from time to time. Had no plans on neutering before but the spots on the floor are driving my wife insane. I dont want to lose what good temperment he has now and what drive he does have. Any help would be greatly appriciated.
 
#4 ·
I have an intact dog that did the same thing, dripping on the wood floor, we just dealt with it. We recently had him neutered
because he developed a tumor near his butt and the vet told us that only intact males have this problem which is caused by male hormones so when the tumor was removed we had him "fixed" at 11 years old.
His behavior/demeanor/drive has not changed one bit but he still drips around the house.
Good Luck.
 
#5 ·
The drips I can deal with. Have a shark mop that we use regularly. I had no plans of neutering him at all for the fact that I didnt want to lose any of his drive. Have read mixed emotions of neutering: some say that will not affect anything and others say that it will. Would love to keep him intact and not have to worry about it but wife is just sick of mopping. Thanks for the replies any other help is greatly appriciated.
 
#6 ·
The retained testicle can become cancerous. I would neuter him.
 
#7 ·
I had a male neutered at 3 years old. He was never bred.
Nothing changed.

He was a very dominate dog and aggressive with other dominate dogs before AND after we had him neutered.

He continued to be very high drive, very stylish.
 
#8 ·
Whether or not you neuter him, you should have the retained testicle removed.
 
#12 ·
Having the non-descended testicle removed is of benefit to the dog.

Breeding the dog should be out of the question as this is almost assuredly a genetic issue and one that responsible breeders would and should consider a showstopper.

Other than that, the benefits of neutering are probably for you not the dog - he won't mark every shrub in sight, and he'll be easier to deal with around other dogs, even if that only means around females in heat.

I had the same situation. I had them take both when they went in to get the non-descended testicle but that was for my own convenience as I have a female in the house. He was 2 at the time.

I will say from my own experience with this one dog, that he doesn't seem quite the same since being neutered.

He gains weight easier and his muscle tone is not as good. He still has excellent drive, but he's just not quite as sharp as we was before on things. If it wasn't for dealing with a female in heat in the same house with an intact male, I'd have left the "good" one. He's always been very laid back in the house and wide open in the field, so I didn't notice any changes around the house, but it would be hard for him to be more laid back at home than he already was.

The main risk to the dog for keeping him intact is testicular cancer, which is normally pretty easy to find early and pretty easy to deal with. You do need to get the non-descended one out though because from what I have learned, that one will be a problem almost for sure if you don't get it out. There's a lot of information available on the pro's and con's of neutering, but from what I found when considering this with my dog, there are as many or more risks to neutering as there are to leaving him intact.
 
#25 ·
The main risk to the dog for keeping him intact is testicular cancer, which is normally pretty easy to find early and pretty easy to deal with. You do need to get the non-descended one out though because from what I have learned, that one will be a problem almost for sure if you don't get it out. There's a lot of information available on the pro's and con's of neutering, but from what I found when considering this with my dog, there are as many or more risks to neutering as there are to leaving him intact.
Jerry's comment reminds me of a conversation we had with our vet's tech. (It doesn't have anything to do with Jerry's comment to the op specifically).

Has anybody else noticed that vets frequently use the above underlined statement as a reason for their promoting neutering of perfectly healthy intact dogs? I find this line of reasoning very frustrating because it's not quite true. Testicles in and of themselves aren't going to just magically combust into some nasty tumor if left alone. Normal, healthy, descended testicles don't cause cancer.

But Vets and techs frequently lead you to believe that if you leave them there, they will. The truth, is that some dogs get cancer, just like some people do. Of the male dogs that get cancerous tumors, 4-7 % of those dogs will have testicular cancer. http://www.vsso.org/Testicular_Tumors.html I wonder what the final percentage of risk actually comes out to be? Maybe less than 1% of all intact dogs across the board? Who knows....
 
#13 ·
Thanks everyone! I think I will remove the non-descended one but leave the other intact. He has never been a humper and is not aggressive towards other males. Have not had him around any in heat females but he does not run loose and should never be in contact with a female that is in heat.
 
#16 ·
Here is a link to a very nice paper on Cryptorchidism, or the condition of non-descended testes, written by a veterinary student from UC Davis.

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/reproduction/local-assets/pdfs/ceCryptorchidism2.pdf

As stated in the paper, undescended testes are way more likely (up to 13 times) to become cancerous. Normally, testes are maintained at a lower temperature than the normal body temperature via changes in the scrotum (a loose bag during hot weather, so to speak). This is really important because sperm production is very sensitive to increases in temperature. Since the undescended testicle can't be kept at a lower temp and is at the mercy of the temperature of the abdomen, sperm production will not ever occur in that testicle.

Also, please understand, as mentioned above, that it will be difficult to find a vet to remove one testicle. This has to do with personal ethics of the veterinarian. That stance is taken for a few reasons; as previously mentioned, Cryptorchidism is an inherited condition, and since the descended testicle maintains some viability or fertilizing capability, it allows the chance of passing along that genetic condition. Another reason would be, just like in people, older, intact male dogs can get prostatic enlargement. Depending on the cause, the treatment can involve castration because it may be hormone related. Another reason is that putting any animal under anesthesia is a risk. Yes, most animals recover from anesthesia just fine. However, if prostatic problems occur down the road, or cancerous changes occur in that testicle that is still left behind, another anesthesia episode will need to be performed in order to remove the said testicle. (I am not by any means referring to cost of multiple procedures; solely the medical risk of anesthesia because the issue of cost is not static between people but the risk of anesthesia is always a concern).

Also as mentioned above, it is not typical that a dogs personality will change, but he may be more prone to weight gain. If that is the case, decrease calories offered each day to meet his needs so this does not happen to him.

I really hope this helps. Sorry for the rant; I initially intended to only post the paper but it looks like I got carried away...
 
#19 · (Edited)
I didn't have any trouble at all. I talked to 2 vets about it personally and they were both happy to handle it either way. If the intent was to leave the testicle in order to breed the dog, the vet should probably communicate the concerns with breeding a Chryptorchid. The OP stated that he has no intention of breeding his dog.

The HSUS and ASPCA have done a good job of brainwashing the population that Spay/Neuter is a the no-brainer way to go.

While it is true that intact dogs have a higher risk of testicular cancer, and that the risk of testicular cancer in Chrryporchid dogs is higher, testicular cancer usually develops later in life, and diagnosis and treatment is relatively simple. Neutered dogs are at an increased risk of other cancers that develop earlier and are more difficult to diagnose or treat.
 
#21 ·
I have a 4 year old male that wasn't neutered until about 3. He came up with minor hip dysplasia. I see no difference in his personality or drive in the field. He is the same dog through and through!

As for the pacing, maybe he needs more stimulation? Does he pace even after a good run or training session? he might just have some pent up energy that needs to be burned. It also could be a bit of an anxiety thing, do you try to snap him out of it when he's pacing? take his mind of it and give him something to do... Try redirecting him when he is showing the behavior, make him heel around the house for a minute, sit, lay down, here, heel... just give him a few quick tasks to think about and it could help! Good luck buddy!
 
#22 ·
Yes Bob I do give him other things to do its just his nervous twitch so to speak. That I am not at all concerned about. My main concern is it going to change his drive or personality with being neutered? Some argue the point that yes it will. Some argue the point that no it hasnt changed anything in their dogs. So I guess I could look at it this way. I have a chance to neuter and change his personality or I can leave him intact and take the chance of testicular cancer.
 
#23 ·
I waited until mine was about 2 before having it done. And I only did it because I had to before I could get a registration for him to run hunt test events.

Didn't seem to affect his drive any. He was prone to break before and he still did it after, and he still runs like his hair is on fire and his rear end is catching. Maybe the breaking has something to do with his idiot trainer/handler?
 
#24 · (Edited)
I'm sure vets will removed just one, but be sure to remind him several times; might write with a marker DON"T REMOVE THIS ONE on the other. Had a couple of friends with a similar condition the vet got in and removed both, after being told just one. Not sure why maybe with so many surgeries they just go into auto pilot. Still I would have the non-descended one removed, too much chance of it causing problems in there.
 
#27 ·
[The HSUS and ASPCA have done a good job of brainwashing the population that Spay/Neuter is a the no-brainer way to go.
[/QUOTE]

For careful folks, like most of those on this board, who are responsible and take care of their dogs, staying intact is usually ok. The number of clients I have met who "accidentally" bred their dogs and how stupid they are (They are brother and sister!! I didn't think they would do it!! (True story)) need MORE brainwashing. Shelters are overflowing with dogs because people are not responsible, and altering is the way to go for the majority of these dogs because their people are not responsible enough to care.

My 2cents,

Lisa
 
#28 ·
I was told by my vet that testicular cancer is really sort of rare in a normal intact male. What they do find is enlarged prostates as the dog gets older. It's usually very treatable....by neutering.

I would not not hesitate however, in having the retained testicle removed.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Shelters are overflowing with dogs because people are not responsible,
SOME shelters in some parts of the country take in more dogs than they can handle, and kill the excess. Many shelters are almost empty, and to get enough "product" for their customers who want shelter dogs, they bring them in from out of state, or import street dogs from Puerto Rico or foreign countries. Caveat emptor.

Amy Dahl
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top