Male Chocolate Lab

Question
Hi:  I have a beautiful 3 yr old Chocolate lab, male, who is very smart, health and loving.  We have not yet had him fixed and our vet is advising that we should do so because it is 'not fair to him if we are not breeding him' as well as health problems that could arise in the future.  Can you please let me know the pros and cons of having this done.

Thank you.

Answer
While I totally support neutering for pets since the average person seems to be incapable of being responsible in regard to his intact dog(s) and lets them breed willy-nilly (this from all the questions on breeding and pregnancies I get here), only a handful of my dogs here are neutered. The primary purpose for neutering, in my opinion, is to prevent pregnancies, breast cancer, and uterine infections in bitches and to tone down behavior problems (usually, but not always, in the males). Males in particular can get quite obnoxious once they have been used at stud.

If your male is well-behaved, there really is no reason to neuter him as long as you and your significant other are responsible dog owners with no plans to breed him. Yes, neutering will prevent prostate problems and testicular cancer (which I did have in my first male who was then neutered at the age of 13), but I have had many others who have lived to ripe ol' ages without problems.

Owning an intact dog of either sex is a huge reponsibility. There are thousands of unwanted dogs being put down daily due to lack of homes.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf  

Karen