As a US veterinarian, I hold a nuanced view of spay/neuter. Nevertheless, I generally recommend it as default for most pet owners, as it goes along with their expectations of what their pet's life will be like. People who elected to leave their dogs intact are often shocked by something down the line. 1. Pyometra. Dogs do not have menopause, but they may stop cycling. When they do they can develop a uterine infection…
My father-in-law had an intact Labrador Retriever show dog who escaped over a high fence and swam across a large river in order to visit a bitch in heat. They found him days later, filthy and with some minor injuries. The instinct to reproduce will drive dogs to do crazy things.
How neutering dogs became the norm
191–200 of 233 posts
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm an adult male and if it weren't for the corporate soul sucking 9-5 job eating away most of my time and energy I'd still engage in stupid shit just for mating. I think males are biologically programed to stay in heat way longer than females, at least until the first baby is born, just that modern society has figured how to tame us by placing us in a financial rat race where it all about chasing material things, ho…
Imagine a society where 99% of work is done by robots/AI...
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#193Earlier quoted context omitted.
I took my three-year old, intact bearded collie for a walk where we met a couple with a spaniel bitch. They carried on walking, and about 10 minutes later (when they were a good distance away) we let ours off the lead. He raced off towards them at high speed, which is not unknown for him but largely under control these days. We eventually got him back and (almost as an aside) the owner of the other said "ours is in h…
You are taking your dog for a walk off leash and feel that others who are walking their dogs ought to do something to ensure you dog does not run off? Otherwise they don't understand the issue? I assumed "off leash" because if he can run off even when on a leash, then it's worse than I imagined.
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#194Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#195I'm faced with this decision now, and am leaning towards not neutering my pup. At the very least, I'll be waiting until he's one year old, when most of his sexual development has wound down. The vets I've been to have both encouraged I do it, at 6 months and at 9 months. And they have the financial incentive to do so. The whole practice feels archaic and somewhat cruel. I understand why people do it, but I wonder how…
I think it's like declawing cats or (human) circumcision. It is just something Americans do and consider normal, while the rest of the Western world considers it pointlessly cruel nonsense.
Beyond that, declawing can cause unwanted behavioral issues in cats (unlike de-sexing when behavioral changes are positive/wanted)
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#196Earlier quoted context omitted.
My father-in-law had an intact Labrador Retriever show dog who escaped over a high fence and swam across a large river in order to visit a bitch in heat. They found him days later, filthy and with some minor injuries. The instinct to reproduce will drive dogs to do crazy things.
I took my three-year old, intact bearded collie for a walk where we met a couple with a spaniel bitch. They carried on walking, and about 10 minutes later (when they were a good distance away) we let ours off the lead. He raced off towards them at high speed, which is not unknown for him but largely under control these days. We eventually got him back and (almost as an aside) the owner of the other said "ours is in h…
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#197I'm surprised there's no mention of Bob Barker. In 1970, less than 10 percent of licensed dogs were spay or neutered. Today, about 80 percent are. From 1979, everyday, Bob would end his show with this message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTpolOR0kQo It's where I learned about the issue...
Kind of crazy to think that a game show host may have caused hundreds of millions of canine gonads being removed. What an odd legacy to have.
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
The correlation is that for some reason trashy people prefer pit bulls, they don’t train their dogs, and then the breed gets a bad reputation. They have immensely powerful jaws, but are no more likely to use them than any other breed. There is an unfortunate increase in damage per instance but this again is no fault of the breed.
Anyone dealing with dogs knows the pit bulls are FAR more dangerous than other breeds. Their physical strength and jaw strength in particular make them potentially deadly. Can a poodle kill you? In some edge cases maybe. Can a pit bull do it? For sure. This is correlated with lower rates of spay / neuter as well. So you have an animal that is naturally MUCH more dangerous, and then you have that correlated with folks…
Dude! Sign me up! Where is this amazing place doling them out? And yes, I’ll jump through those hoops.
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#199Earlier quoted context omitted.
A friend in military told us that as part of their training they are given injections to curb sexual desire. They can't even masturbate. Its given regularly every month or so until their training is complete.
That's an urban legend. Some variations also say the drug is in the food.
Re: How neutering dogs became the norm
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
My father-in-law had an intact Labrador Retriever show dog who escaped over a high fence and swam across a large river in order to visit a bitch in heat. They found him days later, filthy and with some minor injuries. The instinct to reproduce will drive dogs to do crazy things.
I took my three-year old, intact bearded collie for a walk where we met a couple with a spaniel bitch. They carried on walking, and about 10 minutes later (when they were a good distance away) we let ours off the lead. He raced off towards them at high speed, which is not unknown for him but largely under control these days. We eventually got him back and (almost as an aside) the owner of the other said "ours is in h…