at what age should i (or should have) neutered my dog.
he is now 2 years old..is it too late?

he is a chihuahua mix.

I read an article saying that dogs should be spayed and neutered while they are still young. If I remember it right, dogs should be neutered around 6months old. I'm not sure if 2 years old is too old. My dog is also turning 2 years old. I am also considering on having him neutered because it will prolong his life.

really? it prolongs their life to have them neutered? i never heard of this!

I didn't think it really mattered when you have your dogs neutered. I know they recommend neutering any dogs you don't intend to use for breeding purposes when they are young to prevent any accidental pregnancies.

Dogs can be fixed up till about 8 years old I believe if in a healthy condition.
They can be fixed after 6 years old. They hit sexual maturity at around 2 years old, but you can still get them fixed then.
Supposedly fixes behavioral problems, house spraying or marking, makes them live longer, but i believe that is because it takes away the chances of any type of testicular cancer.

My dog was neutered at around six months.

It's true that they can live longer, because of the instance of testicular cancer (in males) and ovarian/uterine problem (in females)

In our town, they won't let you adopt a pet until it's been spayed/neutered.

here (montreal) at the spca (animal shelter) they wont let you adopt a dog without having it fixed and vaccinated.

buying pets at pet stores is a different story. they are usually vaccinated..but they are too young to be neutered yet.

Originally Posted by rox

really? it prolongs their life to have them neutered? i never heard of this!

My Springer that died this spring had tumors in his anus and testicles. Like humans, dogs get cancer like that too.