Neutering a chihuahua (mutt?) at 2yo?

[orangeseer]

I’ve been trying to read up on this and it seems like the general agreement is that you’d rather have your male dogs neutered than not regardless of size. My uncle (who we got Coco from) said it’s “better not to neuter small dogs because according to our vet it can cause possible heart problems in this breed due to weight gain.” I am not sure although this would seem to make some sense.

I’ve tried to get other opinions but it’s hard to get a straight answer since I live in a sort-of 3rd world country and I’m not sure which vet is right. My current vet said there’s some low risk but it’s ultimately up to us the owners and that generally there are very few complications.

Coco is now close to 2 years old and I’m wondering if it’s OK to neuter him at this stage. We want to because he marks a LOT of territory indoors (gotten better over the months) and also he got an older dog pregnant who then had to be put down and we want to ensure this can’t happen again. Am I doing the right thing by getting him neutered? Below is he:

https://imgur.com/a/AD3E4Qn

Any advice is greatly welcome and appreciated!

 

[christopherb]

@orangeseer

My uncle (who we got Coco from) said it’s “better not to neuter small dogs because according to our vet it can cause possible heart problems in this breed due to weight gain.”

Weight gain is strictly a matter of calories in/calories out, in dogs and in humans. It's true that neutered dogs need fewer calories, but that means you just feed them less than when they were unneutered. Neutering is never the reason a dog gets fat enough to get heart disease...a human overfeeding them is.

You should neuter your dog. You've already had one pregnancy that someone got a dog put down. You need to sterilize your dog so this doesn't happen again. The risks are low, especially in a fully grown dog.

 

[orangeseer]

@christopherb Very sensible! Thanks for the reassurance. And yes, absolutely. Not that it matters but this happened while I was away and I left the dog under a family member’s care (whom I thought would be wiser).

 

[ldp735]

@orangeseer Obesity and heart disease are not results of neutering. Feed a healthy diet in proper proportions, limit treats, and give them exercise. Just like any living thing.

A health concern with intact male dogs is prostate issues/cancer. With female dogs the concerns are mammary tumors or uterine infection.

2 years old is definitely not too late to neuter!

 

[orangeseer]

@ldp735 Thank you! This makes me feel more confident. Appreciate the insight since I’m not too seasoned in dog rearing!

 

[tombaux]

@orangeseer This chart can help you keep the dog's weight in check

 

[stephendisraeli]

@orangeseer Vet tech here! Neuter your dog. There is no link between neutering and heart disease. Yes, neutered dogs often require less calories. That just means you may need to feed less afterwards. The best way to prevent obesity and it's related diseases is to monitor your dogs weight and adjust their diet accordingly. Feed consistent measured amounts daily and limit table food and treats.

 

[orangeseer]

@stephendisraeli Thank you! We’re at the clinic now. Everything is looking good so far!

 

[nikpraw]

@orangeseer Definitely neuter your dog.

 

[legend28]

@orangeseer You know what causes weight gain? Too much food. It's true that you might need to cut food back after neutering, but neutering itself doesn't cause weight gain. Get him neutered. I'm an advocate for letting dogs reach physical maturity before altering, which Coco has surely reached as a 2 year old toy breed.

 

[israelp]

@orangeseer I have larger dogs and generally for larger dogs you should wait to Neuter/spay until at least a year, year and half, so that they finish growing. Small dogs though, can and should be neutered probably around 1 years old, but there are often no issues waiting til they are older either, a lot of show dogs get spayed/neutered after they are retired from the ring with often little to no complications.

TLDR: get your dog neutered, just feed your dog a little less when he gets neutered and don’t over feed with treats

 

[cdg41592]

@orangeseer I have researched this for my dogs. Your boy is well old enough to avoid health issues like joint problems. I say it would be wise to neuter.

As for obesity, it really is a matter of watching what they eat and exercise.

Neutering is pretty much as risk free of a surgery as it can get.

 

[orangeseer]

@cdg41592 Thanks for the reassurance! We’re getting it done today and all the comments here have eased my concerns about it a lot. I think we’ll be fine

 

[cdg41592]

@orangeseer How’s he doing? Pretty sore I bet!

 

[orangeseer]

@cdg41592 He’s pretty sore! He’s also really bummed cus he’s gotta be wearing his dog cone all the time right now.

Cleaning the area has been tough because the spray can for the neosporin-type thing they gave us spray really hard and it scares him and stings a lot i think. But he’s been really good about taking the meds (except the antibiotic… he doesn’t like the taste at ALL)!

 

[declansdad]

@orangeseer I had a 5.5 lb chihuahua that I chose not to neuter due to his size. I was warned that not neutering him put him at a higher risk of testicular cancer, but I felt the risk in neutering was too high. He ended up being diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was 9 years old and we then had him neutered. Luckily, we caught it in time and he had no issues with recovery. Knowing what I know now, I would have chosen to neuter him when he was younger to avoid his cancer.

 

[johnm8269]

@orangeseer You need another vet. And not too late at 2 years of age for a dog to be fixed. Go get another vet pronto and get it done.

 

[endijs007]

@johnm8269 The vet sounds fine. There is a low chance of complications and the owners should be warned so that they can make a decision with every bit of information (and be prepared in the off chance that something happens). Honestly, it sounds like someone was being defensive about depriving their dog of its manhood and the doc was trying to navigate that tactfully.

 

[johnm8269]

@endijs007 N. if you had read the OP comments, the OP wanted to Spay and the Vet was not in agreement. It was the vet who was scared of the dog losing it balls, not manhood.

 

[endijs007]

@johnm8269 Ok, fair enough. I didn't go through all the comments. I just read the OP.