10 year old pug and neutering?

Hello Everyone, I'm new here!

I just recently got Duncan a 10 year old pug. He came from a women giving him away because her allergies just could not handle him anymore. She never got him neutered because she said that the vet said his nose was "too short" to be put under.

Anyways, he is now 10 and I am worried about putting him under that old. I know that pugs have a little bit of a high risk than other dogs going under as it is (at least that is what the vet told me when we had our other pug neutered at 4 months) and that along with his age scares me.

My husband feels like we should let him be, he will be inside from now on (He lived outside at his other house) and he does not mark in the house and he does not want to risk anything happening to him. I feel like he should still be neutered, but see his point as well.

Any ideas or thoughts?

Something to discuss with your vet who can check the dog over but if it was my dog I'd not do it. No real reason if he's got no problems.

Hello Shana why do you wish to neuter your dog?

I would not neuter a dog unless it was on the recommendation of a vet for some specific health problem.

He's 10. He's got no problems in respect of 'asserting his manhood' so I'm with your hubby - leave him be

If there is no good reason to neuter him, such as mounting everything, intact bitches near him, lumps or other growths in that area, or horrid aggression... why neuter him? Routine? I'd not do it.

The reason I want to do it I guess is because everyone always says you should have your dogs spayed/neutered. That it cuts down on cancers and such. My vet was pretty pushy about getting it done and I think that made me feel like he should. I'm not a 100% on the idea, that is why I came here, I wanted to see what other people thought

Thanks for the feedback.

PS: And the vet did not say there was any health problems, just that it is what is best for all dogs.

Hi Shana the subject of neutering dogs and spaying bitches are two different things. I would spay a bitch because I have lost too many with pyometra but I would not neuter a healthy dog.

I think this way of thinking is more common in the US, than it is here, like you said your other was done at 4mths far far to young ..but if you are hearing this from vets all the time then you are influenced into believing it.

Why not do some independent research into neutering (there's loads out there) and you can then make an informed decision for yourself.


Regarding this dog, i would leave it be, try to get away from that mindset that ALL dogs should have their bits chopped off as early as possible,


Hes 10 , hes coped being entire for all his life , its not causing him any problems, and as you say, putting him through an anesthetic at his age (and breed) is not a good idea unless he really needs one.

Also the " cancers and such" there is only one cancer a neutered dog will be free from and that`s testicular cancer (for obvious reasons) he is as susceptible to all other cancers as any other dog.......... that included prostate cancer, a neutered dog can get prostate cancer, or cancer anywhere else in his body...

He is 10 yrs old, hes had a healthy long life so far , i am not sure of the longevity of this breed, but hes done well so far .

Im with your hubby on this, leave him be, there is a saying if it ain`t broke don't fix it....

As I said do some research for yourself, and them you can make your own decision..

it seems to be thought by some that an entire male is going to be sex mad and want to find females all the time, that they will be aggressive towards other dogs and get lets of cancers because they have their bits.......... none of that is true (for the most part) its a case of individual dogs , some may benefit form castration but most don`t...

Castrating to young can be far more harmful than not.

The reason vets put this out is because of the amount of unwanted dogs and irresponsible owners.. sadly due to this they use a "one stop fits all" mentality... plus income of cause, lets face it spaying and neutering generates a lot of income,

I vet is not going to tell you the negative side of neutering /spaying it would bankrupt them if they did,


There are thousands of responsible owners of intact dogs that don`t have any problems owning entire males, and as you don't seem to have any issues with your boy , your one of them, so don't be persuaded to do something that is not necessary .

Most dogs impounded after an attack are entire dogs... extremely rarely are they altered dogs. Two studies I saw show that in the US an average of 92% of fatal attacks were by un-neutered male dogs and in the UK about an average of 85% of dog attacks were by unaltered dogs.

Un-altered dogs are far more likely to attack or show aggression or unpredictable behavior. Neutering too early is a big no-no... but I think for most owners, doing it at the proper age is better than not.

Never do I advise normal dog owners (as opposed to people who show dogs, or breed them... and arguably they should, as well) that neutering is a bad thing to do, even though I don't prefer it myself.

My last un-neutered male attracted other males aggressive approaches which turned into fights. He was not an aggressive dog, but when other un-neutered males entered his space with aggression, it got ugly. Neutered males are often not considered a threat by other males and are left alone.

I'd not advise neutering a Pug of this age at all... but of course it's a consideration with any other dogs you might get. The health benefits and disadvantages kinda weight themselves depending on what breed you have etc.

Here is what I believe to be a solid article about the basics of altering... it's not overly scientific and give people a good glance at what may be right for them.

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/hea...-male-dog.html