Please help me decide whether to neuter

[drabinowitz43]

I have a tiny 3 lb. male who is almost 8 months old. I've been afraid to have him neutered because I worry about giving him anesthesia even though the vet says it's okay. He doesn't lift his leg, just squats to pee. He potties outside about 90% of the time and uses pads and sometimes the carpet the rest of the time. He does not climb onto my female Yorkie (she is spayed). But he has peed on my bed twice and I don't know whether this is considered "marking." Can a tiny boy who doesn't lift his leg mark? Please help me decide what's best to do here. I do not plan to make him a daddy.

[RONLYNN]

Originally Posted by drabinowitz43

I have a tiny 3 lb. male who is almost 8 months old. I've been afraid to have him neutered because I worry about giving him anesthesia even though the vet says it's okay. He doesn't lift his leg, just squats to pee. He potties outside about 90% of the time and uses pads and sometimes the carpet the rest of the time. He does not climb onto my female Yorkie (she is spayed). But he has peed on my bed twice and I don't know whether this is considered "marking." Can a tiny boy who doesn't lift his leg mark? Please help me decide what's best to do here. I do not plan to make him a daddy.

Well I've heard if you don't want him to ever lift his leg you should neuter nim. I would not be worried about his size as long as you trust your vet. My Teddi is 3 lbs and she had had 3 surgerys and come through them just fine. She got spayed, had teeth pulled and had liver shunt surgery. I think there are also more health benefits to getting him fixed.

[drabinowitz43]

Thank you, I am leaning in that direction.

[Lynn WDW]

Baxter was 5 months and weighed about 4 lbs. when he was neutered. I don't think neutering will completely prevent leg-lifting. He lifts his slightly now. He's now over a year old. I'm glad we did it to prevent marking. That he does not do.

[amandawash]

Ryder was 14 months and 2.7lbs when he was neutered. He did fantastic, but of course I had all the necessary blood work done. I would never have an unneutered male dog as I HATE marking and he was starting to lift his leg. I also think the health risks associated with an intact dog are more concerning than the risk of surgery, considering that everything is normal and the vet uses proper anesthesia.

[Yorkiekids]

If you really trust your vet I'd definetly get it done. I'm sure he'll be ok, and we'll all be praying for him.

[Dara311]

Originally Posted by drabinowitz43

I have a tiny 3 lb. male who is almost 8 months old. I've been afraid to have him neutered because I worry about giving him anesthesia even though the vet says it's okay. He doesn't lift his leg, just squats to pee. He potties outside about 90% of the time and uses pads and sometimes the carpet the rest of the time. He does not climb onto my female Yorkie (she is spayed). But he has peed on my bed twice and I don't know whether this is considered "marking." Can a tiny boy who doesn't lift his leg mark? Please help me decide what's best to do here. I do not plan to make him a daddy.

I would honestly tell you to maybe see if he will gain some weight, and then have it done. I am a firm believer in spaying and neutering your animals if you dont plan on breeding them. My little mini dachshund was neutered at 10 months old, and he weighted at that time about 6 lbs and he did great. You might want to ask about getting bloodwork done pre surgery, to make sure his levels are where they need to be. Mostly neutering is a simple quick process, that i would tell ya he'd do great!

[tumismom]

I had tumi spayed when she was 3lb and tsubi spayed at 2.5lb. I got all the pre blood work done and asked for extra iv also. They did great and back to their naughty selves the next day.

[drabinowitz43]

Thank you everyone for all your help!! I am going to call the vet tomorrow, and make sure all the proper bloodwork is done ahead of time. I definitely do not want marking. I just didn't know if a dog that doesn't lift his leg by 8 months could still learn to do that.

[Pettysmith]

Originally Posted by amandawash

Ryder was 14 months and 2.7lbs when he was neutered. He did fantastic, but of course I had all the necessary blood work done. I would never have an unneutered male dog as I HATE marking and he was starting to lift his leg. I also think the health risks associated with an intact dog are more concerning than the risk of surgery, considering that everything is normal and the vet uses proper anesthesia.

Good post. Neutering smaller dogs is more risky but if you trust your veterinarian there should be no problems. Just be sure a full blood panel is done before the surgery and an IV catheter is placed. My Barkley was barely 3 lbs when he was neutered and he did just fine. But, we took all the pre-op precautions first.

Originally Posted by drabinowitz43

Thank you everyone for all your help!! I am going to call the vet tomorrow, and make sure all the proper bloodwork is done ahead of time. I definitely do not want marking. I just didn't know if a dog that doesn't lift his leg by 8 months could still learn to do that.

Lifting their leg and marking can be two different things. A male dog lifting his leg to urinate is usually a learned behavior and does not necessarily mean he is marking something. Barkley was marking things and he was squatting to pee. My vet wanted to wait until he was 3 lbs before neutering but at 8 months he was starting to mark, the bed, the pillows, the edge of his bed, anything he could squat to pee on. He used the potty outside fine except for that. We neutered him, it stopped. He has not had an accident since. And yes, they can pick up lifting their leg when they are 2 or 3 years old.