Dante is a little over 6 months and his much needed entropic surgery is scheduled tomorrow morning.

He's still intact and I do plan on having him neutered at some point in the future. Should I just have it done tomorrow while he's already under?

I'm not sure if there are benefits of letting him stay intact longer.

It appears his personality is shaping up for happy-go-lucky doofus pet only and there's no plans on him being a PPD.

Thanks for any guidance.

6 months?

I wouldn't. Regardless of your plans for him, it's just not in his best interest. I see the logic in "killing two birds with one stone", and not wanting to put him under anesthesia twice if you don't have to, but 6 months is just way too early.

You asked what the benefits of not neutering him were; I would urge you to evaluate what the benefits of neutering are. There really aren't any.
I would urge you to evaluate why you want to neuter him at all, but I recognize that it's a personal choice in the end.

However, if you're going to neuter, wait until he is completely done growing. Those hormones are important for him to reach his full growth potential, and also to mature mentally.

Something to consider, is the fact that despite popular belief, statistics show that neutered males are actually more agressive and likely to bite.

* Loss of testosterone; the male sex and growth hormone
* Narrowing of the chest resulting in respiratory disorders
* Failure to extrude the penis
* Loss of testosterone is directly correlated to: heart disease and myocardial infarction, strokes and cardiovascular disease, senile dementia, osteoporosis and hip fracture
* Increases risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma (by a factor of 1.6)
* Increased risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
* Quadruples risk of prostate cancer(prostatic adenocarcinoma)
some of the things possible when male is castrated

 Quote: anna mcentire

Should I just have it done tomorrow while he's already under? ... I'm not sure if there are benefits of letting him stay intact longer. ...

Early neutering is very different from neutering at full growth, IMO.

I do believe that there are many instances when neutering is a wise choice.
http://leerburg.com/neuter.htm

But if you have no pressing immediate health (or containment) problem with the dog, I agree that waiting for maturity is a very good thing to think about.

General anesthesia has come a long way in just a few years, and where I used to push to include anything pending if one of my dogs had to be "put under," to avoid a second episode of anesthesia, now I feel far calmer about it.

Also, pre-anesthesia bloodwork and making certain that there is an IV catheter and monitoring during the procedure really change the risk level.

Human patients are catheterized for an anesthetic procedure. That's because this gives immediate IV access for an emergency. Also, IV fluids can support the organs (like the kidneys) and hasten post-op recovery.

In the event of an emergency like a drop in BP, this catheter is an obvious lifeline, right there, open, in place, and ready.

These measures are just as available to the vet, and we can and should inform ourselves about what we want included.

And I'm happy for you both that his entropic surgery is happening! Please post back and update us.

Thanks for all the input.

He went in this morning and I made it very clear to take his neutering off the agenda. I had originally requested it but wanted some 11th hour advice last night.

He should still be in surgery right now for his bilateral entropion. I'm on pins and needles.

All fingers crossed!

agreed, i'm sure all will go well, but i'll be thinking of you guys (i'm always a wreck w/surgeries, so i feel for you!)