Having my dog neutered

[sallyeking]

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I have a 3 year old male Maltese shih tzu. Perfect health and no behaviour problems. I have been deliberating for some time to get him neutered which would be purely for health reasons in the future. I am so unsure and need advice!

 

[eingana]

Hi Sally, and welcome to DogForum

Speaking personally, if there were no behavioural problems and he's not humping cushions and people's legs then I'm not sure I'd entertain having him put through a general anaesthetic and an operation, however small that operation may be.

It's easier to draw a very direct line with bitches between being entire and high risks of future health problems- pyometra, mammary tumours etc- but with dogs the risks are nothing like as large or as easy to pin down. Yes, having no testes will mean no testicular cancer, but given that the rate of testicular cancer is so much smaller than the risk of pyometra (which is quoted at 25% of entire bitches in some studies) you then have to get down to the pros and cons of neutering versus the pros and cons of having a general anaesthetic.

The normal treatment for testicular cancer in dogs is castration, and given that very few of the testicular tumours in dogs metastasize to the rest of the body, castration is normally the only treatment given. This means that (given that there are no behavioural issues, dominance etc) you're deciding whether to castrate now by choice or wait until it may be necessary in future, is that right?

In your position I probably wouldn't neuter if he's a happy and well adjusted little dog. I hope you come to an agreement with yourself about the right decision to take for your dog