do we fix him?

[Dahitman44]

I have the greatest dog in the world. He is a five-year-old yellow lab. He is my second lab and is a great family dog, very smart and funny. He is also the best hunting dog my professional trainer has ever trained.

Ok I am done bragging ...

Now I planned on breeding him but I had him tested for a disease and it came back positive. It is a disease that makes him loose control of his back legs for a wile early in huints. He drinks a lot of water and rests and is fine for the rest of the trip. I ca'nt remember what it is called but my vet sent his blood into the U of M if I remember correctly.

I really wanted hi pup, but I will not pass that on to other dogs.

So ... Do I "fix" him? I have a tough time wanting to do that too. Just wondering how I should weigh my options.

any and all responses are welcomed.

Thanks Hit

[TylerS]

I don't think you need to. Unless you run into an inordinate amount of dogs in heat, what's wrong with keeping him intact? Even if breeding is out of the question, I don't think that's reason enough to get him fixed...

[Powerstroke]

The way I look at it,

1. its a minor surgery,

2. you're preventing the passage of an undesirable disease/condition

Unless you maintain 100% control over your dog, you run the risk of him finding a willing participant. if you're confidant that you can keep him form passing on the disorder than I don't see the need to spend the money. THat being said, it sounds like this is something you wouldn't want passed on and I think its responsible to have him fixed. He's not mine so I can't say, but I chose to have my boy fixed and he was better in no time and removed and worries I had about someone telling me my dog got theirs pregnant.

[Dahitman44]

people have told me it is better for the dog ... less chance of cancer etc.

I don;t know what to think.

[Dahitman44]

will it change how he hunts?

[Cootz]

Me personally I wouldn't own a dog fully intact. NEVER! But I don't want the headaches that come with a dog in whole. Chasing other dogs, humping everything, wandering, puppies planned and unplanned. And I wouldn't have anything but a male either. Every dog I've owned went under the knife and none of them seemed to know the difference mentally or physically. My first dog was an absolutely amazing dog, but isn't everyone's. My last dog I think would have been better had time allowed. They both were great hunters. I wouldn't worry one bit about fixing him. He won't have any negative consequences, but there's a bunch of positive ones that come from it. Good luck in your decision.

[nofishfisherman]

If he's like my vizsla he won't know the difference. There is also almost no down time afterward so it won't interrupt your hunting season. As soon as my dog woke up from having it done he immediately broke out of the kennel at the vet and went looking for treats. The vet found him with his head buried in a bulk bag of treats they give to patients.

For a male dog I don't think there are any benefits from a cancer perspective. I've heard that if a female dog is fixed before 6-8 months old the risk for a certain cancer goes down.

I just think that having it done is the right thing to do. It sure beats the headaches of having an unwanted liter with potential health problems.

[Dahitman44]

I had heard it reduces his chances of prostate and testicular cancer. Heard this from a vet tech friend but she is a fan of fixing dogs ...

[MuleShack]

+1

Get him fixed.

[Todd Caswell]

Quote:

But I don't want the headaches that come with a dog in whole. Chasing other dogs, humping everything, wandering, puppies planned and unplanned.

Iv'e always had intact males and never have had any of those issues, but i never give them the chance to wander and have unplaned puppies, they don't hump ( a couple short to the point lessons fixes that).

To the OP so is your dog is EIC effected, and gone down? Or is he a carrier? Big difference.

The whole cancer thing is really not a proven fact, very few field trial male labs are clipped and there are very few that ever end up with cancers related to being intact.

But in your case, the dog is either a carrier or effected EIC, if you have complete control and never let the dog out of your sight then no problem, keep him intact. If you have a tendency to let him roam then get him clipped..

Who was your pro trainer?

[Ufatz]

Fix the dog. Simple. Dog not down that long. Better for you, dog and the breed. No brainer.

[Farmboy1]

I would have him taken care of. I have heard lesser chance of cancer and all that jazz, but never bought in to it. To have it taken care of is the responsible thing to do.

IMHO, a dog is worth the time you put into it. Great genetics without any effort leads to a poor dog. I understand the emotional attachment and the desire to have an offspring of your dog, but you are better to go back to your breeder and find another dog of the same lineage and hope it does not carry the genetic problems.

I would feel much better knowing that I had nothing to worry about if I was hunting with a friend and their female was going into heat. Just less to worry about.

[Dahitman44]

To the OP so is your dog is EIC effected, and gone down? Or is he a carrier? Big difference.

??

[MuleShack]

EIC Effected means he has the collapsing issue and goes down in the field.

A carrier just means the dog has the gene that causes the disease.

I though you said that your dog actually goes down at the start of the hunts and after water and rest he is ready to go again...so he must be affected.

[Dahitman44]

he does go down.

Man that just STINKS I hate seeing that -- it is really tough. I hate the fact that I can't breed him either.

GRRRR!!!!

[setterguy]

In your specific case with a dog that has tested positive for a disease I would say fix him absolutley.

However, I am in the minority that doesn't always think nuetering is the automaticanwer. Some say they won't know a difference and won't get cancer....well if you took yours off too you wouldn't get cancer, and I'm sure you would know a difference.

Testosterone does many many things for the body, its not all about reproduction. If a specific dog has a problem, sure it can be an answer. I just don't think its always the answer.

[Ufatz]

A final thought. I have always felt that if I am going to own a top-of-the-line dog, from good breeding, I owe it to the breed to protect MY dog and the LINE. I advocate neutering (and especially in the case at hand) because we simply don't NEED any more Labrador puppies listed in Forums, advertised in the newspaper, sold on the radio, offered on internet-there are PLENTY of puppies out there. Let serious breeders take care of the need. Believe me I know it is tempting to breed your Wonder Dog because in your eyes he's the greatest. Manhy times you have a heck of a time getting rid of all the puppies. Even worse are the cases of raw, blatant greed wherein our buddy Gomer sees a chance for some quick money and so without regard for the breed or the suitability of the litter he gets, plunges into the puppy business. Despicable!

We take on responsibilities when we adopt a dog: to the dog, to the breed,, to our neighbors and family and to ourelves.

Love 'em all!!!

[Dahitman44]

Ufatz --

Um I am a very responsible persona and I also believe there are too many puppies out there. I get a lot of compliments about my dog and would have loved to have one of his pups but OBVIOUSLY I am not as I stated above.

The are a lot of losers out there that look for a quick buck and I am not one of them.

Thanks for all of the thoughts on this topic.

Hitman

[Ufatz]

Hitman.....please do no take my comments personally-they were not directed at you. They were my observationsa and opinions-nothing more. Or less.

[Dahitman44]

Thanks to everyone that helped me in this situation. I have decided to fix Copper after the hunting season as per my vet.

thanks again

hit

[sakazulu]

I got a six month old male Lab and wondered about the same thing. I read an interesting article from some British vet that stated male dogs need to remain intact until they mature as the testosterone they produce helps brain devolopment and slows rapid bone growth. It was stated that fixing to soon "stops" their intelect from developing beyond the age they were fixed at. Then the article went further on to say that once a male dog lifts it's leg or reaches one year of age you will suffer no consequences. So I would say you are "golden"! One less thing to worry about. It all sounded pretty logical to me so that's the route we're taking!

[Eric Wettschreck]

as per my vet.

I've owned a lot of dogs in my life, but I can't give any better advice than a vet can. Even a bad vet has forgotten more than I'll ever know. I know it's a hard choice but if you trust your vet........well.........They're doctors.