At What Age Should A Yorkie Get Neutered?
Knowing the optimal time to have your male dog neutered should be important to every dog owner. As a veterinarian with over 20 years of experience working with all breeds of dogs, this article will envelop much of what I would discuss with owners of Yorkshire Terriers concerning neutering.
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What Age Should A Yorkie Get Neutered?
I recommend to clients to have their Yorkies neutered before a year of age if they are having no issues. If they are having problems with being intact up to that age, then I recommend neutering earlier than that.
Why Should I Get My Yorkie Neutered?
There are a multitude of issues that can occur with an intact male Yorkie:
- Peeing in the house
- Territorial aggressiveness
- General aggressiveness
- Interdog aggression
- Getting another dog pregnant
- Testicular cancer (pretty rare in Yorkies, but there’s a chance)
Why Are Yorkies Sometimes Aggressive When They Are Intact?
To head off any Yorkie owners that would be upset with me for suggesting that Yorkies are inherently aggressive, let me start by saying that (in my experience) aggression in Yorkies is very, very uncommon.
However, in a Yorkie with some aggressive tendencies as a puppy, keeping testosterone in their body by not neutering them can perpetuate and inflame those tendencies.
Fear aggression is something that some Yorkies experience due to simply being insecure. An insecure dog can hide or shy away from contact with another person or animal, but they can also act more vicious and angry. Again, these issues can be worsened by being intact.
What Kind Of Disadvantages Are There To Neutering Your Yorkie?
Potential disadvantages can include:
- Surgical/anesthetic complications of the procedure itself
- Post-operative complications such as persistent pain, inflammation or swelling around the incision
- Weight gain
- Less active than prior to the surgery
Having a good veterinarian and following their instructions post-operatively will greatly reduce the chances of the first or second complication above.
After about 30 days post-op, testerone is gone in the vast majority of Yorkies following a neuter. Once this powerful hormone is out of the system, your Yorkie may lose some of that drive that they got from having that hormone coursing through their body (think of a teenage boy always on the go or eating everything and never gaining weight).
Because metabolism will almost always slow down following a neuter, it’s very important to understand how much food your Yorkie needs to consume every day to maintain optimal weight. If they slow down in their activity, this needs to be accounted for as well.
Do I Even Need To Neuter My Yorkie?
In most cases, the decision to neuter your Yorkie will be based on whether or not you want to breed your Yorkie. In >99% of these situations, you should not choose to breed your Yorkie unless you are a good breeder or have done tons of research into what it takes to produce healthy, happy Yorkie puppies.
That being said, having an intact Yorkie can cause issues such as the ones mentioned above. Another one that I should mention is that many day play facilities and boarding kennels don’t accept dogs who aren’t neutered/spayed. Having an intact dog in a kennel can cause all sorts of behavioral issues in all the other dogs (who aren’t spayed/neutered).
Dogs that haven’t been neutered simply smell different than neutered dogs. I’ve seen neutered animals attack unneutered dogs at dog parks. It’s like a beacon to all other dogs in the area and any other dog who wants to be at all dominant will come and challenge the unneutered dog. It is just biology.
However, if your situation doesn’t involve putting your Yorkie into daycare/boarding, neutering is a personal choice in my opinion. There are arguments for and against it, and there likely will always be. Choose what works best for your Yorkie and your family.
Are There Alternatives To Neutering My Yorkie?
There are two other options when it comes to “neutering” (rendering a dog unable to cause pregnancy):
- Vasectomy
- Injectable neutering
If you’re laughing at the thought of a Yorkie getting a vasectomy, then you’re likely not going to be interested in this. For those of you who are still with me, a vasectomy in a dog is very similar to what it’s like in a human male.
The main difference is the amount of anesthesia that is used. Dogs will still undergo full anesthesia (injectable along with inhalant anesthetics) due to the need to keep them very still and pain-free.
The male Yorkie is still prepped and laid in the exact same position as it would be for an actual castration procedure. There is one incision that is made a very short distance in front of the scrotum. From there, either testicle can be brought up and out of the body.
There are a few tissues that are connected to the testicle that will need to be identified. There’s a blood vessel, the vas deferens, and a fair bit of connective tissue that sheaths the testicle and its associated structures. Many times in a neuter with a dog as small as a Yorkie, all of these structures are ligated (or tied with suture) twice and then the testicle is removed with a cut between it and the sutures.
With a vasectomy, the only structure you’re going to cut is the vas deferens. This is the tubular (it’s very tiny, think slightly smaller diameter than angelhair pasta in a Yorkie) structure that carries sperm from the testes out to the rest of the body. Typically the vet will want to remove about 1/3″ – 1/2″ of vas deferens (in a Yorkie) and suture each end of it shut with sutures.
The only reason to get your dog a vasectomy would be to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Testosterone will still be in your dog’s body so they will still have a sex drive and potentially all the other issues we discussed above.
What Is The Injectable Neutering Option?
Think of it as more like birth control. There is a product on the market, Suprelorin, made by Virbac, and is currently only available for use as birth control in Europe. It is available in the United States, but labeled to be used only in Ferrets at this time.
Do NOT try this medication on your Yorkie until it is approved or has had proper clinical trials in the United states. Because it is available, some folks might be tempted to figure a way to procure this medicine but it is a very bad idea.
Dogs in Europe and dogs in the United States are different. They have variances in their genetics based on local breeding, they eat different foods and treats, and they are exposed to a totally different environment. Until controlled studies are done proving that it’s safe for dogs in the United States, just don’t use it.
So When Should (If At All) Neuter Your Yorkie?
I recommend doing it at a young age (before turning a year old). I’m far more concerned about behavioral issues than I am about any physical problems that can come from neutering or not neutering your dog.
However, each pet owner can make their own choice. I encourage you to discuss this with your veterinarian if you have any concerns or questions. They are in the best position to help you and your beloved Yorkie.
