Neutering Your Male Dog
92Male Dogs
Throughout my pet parent years, I have had more male dogs than I have had females, and personally, I just like male dogs better. It's got nothing to do with males dogs being more this or that than female dogs, because you can find females that are just as territorial as males can get. Just like people, you've got different personalities for different dogs, and you just can't say that all male dogs are this and all female dogs are that.
But, as for why I like males dogs better, I just do. Plain and simple, but when it comes to male dogs the one thing that I make sure of is that they get neutered. It's a necessary procedure in my opinion.
The one thing that I find funny is men and male dogs. For some reason men just don't want their male companion neutered. It apparently takes away their manhood... *Shakes head and rolls eyes*
Personally, they look so much more attractive without the balls dangling as they walk, but there are many logical reasons to have your male dog neutered. Below, you'll find information about when, why, and how.
When to Neuter a Male Dog
Male dogs can be safely neutered as early as 8 weeks, although it is safer to wait until the puppy is at least 6 months old. Unlike the more involved process of spaying a female dog, neutering a male dog is less involved becuase the parts involved in the procedure are right below the skin rather than inside the abdomen.
If you have your male dog neutered before he is 6 months old, you can prevent an unwanted pregnancy, roaming, and hormone related aggression between other dogs. By neutering your dog, you will reduce testosterone related aggression and concerns, in general. You will also be reducing the risk of an enlarged prostate later in life.
Just remember that neutering your dog will not necessarily 100% take away your dog's want to roam, or have trisks with other dogs. It will just reduce the likelihood. Also, remember that the longer you wait to neuter your dog, the less likely that it will truly affect his behavior, but in more cases neutering an adult dog will truly affect a problem dog for the better.
There is no guarantee that neutering the dog will reduce aggression, the want to roam, or any other behavioral problems you may be experiencing with your dog. There is a good possibility that it will help the problems, but there's no guarantee. Just remember if you're having behavioral problems with your dog, have him neutered in conjunction with behavioral training and obedience in order for optimum results.
Neutered French Bulldog
What's the Process of Neutering a Dog
There are two different methods of neutering a male dog- 1) surgical and 2) injections of Neutersol.
Surgical method of neutering a male dog:
The male puppy, or dog, will be put under general anesthesia, and his heartbeat, breathing, and sometimes blood pressure will be monitored by machines.
After the dog is fully anesthetized, he will be placed on his back on a heated surgical table. The hair in front of the small area where the scrotum meets the sheath of the penis is shaved, and the skin is cleaned with a surgical scrub.
The vet will make an incision that's about .5 to 1.5 inches long, depending on the size of the testicles. He will pull each testicle through the incision, clamp and tie off the attached vessel, cut the vessel, and remove the testicle.
The skin of the incision will be closed with either sutures or surgical glue.
The anesthesia will be turned off, and the male dog will be watched until he is fully awake. He will then be moved to a recovery cage.
Dog neutering via injections:
If your male puppy is between the ages of 3 and 10 months old, you can have him neutered using injections of the sterilizing solution, Neutersol.
The Neutersol is injected directly into the testicle while the puppy is awake. The manufacturer of Neutersol claims that "most" puppies don't find the injections painful, but that they may experience vomiting and diarrhea.
The biggest drawback to Neutersol is that the dog can still product some testosterone- up to 50% of normal levels- which means that the dog may still be inclined to roam in search for females and get into fights with other males.
Also, with the residual testosterone level, it puts your dog at higher risk of developing enlarged prostate later in life than he had been surgically neutered.
Can I have my dog neutered and him keep his testicles?
Although, vets can perform a vasectomy without removing the testicles, most of them aren't skilled enough to do so. Plus, if you have the vasectomy and leave the testicles, you aren't eliminating testosterone production, which means that your dog may still roam, fight, and develop an enlarged prostate when older.
What Happens After the Procedure
Because neutering a male dog is not as involved as spaying a female dog, your dog will probably get to go home the same day of the procedure. And, more than likely, he'll probably act the same and completely normal the day after the surgery.
But, you still want to try to keep the dog calm until his sutures or the glue is settled, which means walks on leashes and no roughhousing with other dogs or people. You want to try to keep your dog calm for 7 to 14 days.
Most dogs will leave the incision alone after the surgery, but if he licks excessively at the area, you'll want to put an Elizabethan collar on him until he loses interest in the incision or until it has healed.
* Note- A recently neutered male can still inpregnant a female dog for up to 2-3 weeks after the procedure.
What are the risks of neutering your dog?
Because vets typically perform a pre-surgical exam on the dog, usually you will find that there are very few complications or risks for neutering your dog because if your vet does not think that your dog is healthy enough for the procedure, he will not perform the procedure.
Anytime a dog is anesthetized, there is risk that he could have a serious and unpredictable anesthetic reaction, but these complciations are very rare in young, healthy dogs.
In healthy dogs, the main complication that you may encounter would be a skin irritation at the incision site.
But, for the most part, the chances are that your puppy will bounce back from his surgery as if nothing had happened.
Fake Dog Testicles
Because so many men do not want to have their male dogs neutered, there are options. Or if you just really like the look of male dogs with "balls," so to speak, you have options. But, in terms of the dog, he'll still be a male dog with out without the testicles, and he won't care either way if he has them dragging behind him or not.
You option is purchasing Neuticles, which are artificial testicles. Typically, the fake testicles are implanted while the vet is surgically neutering the dog. You will usually have options as to the size and the texture of the Neuticals so that you can get them as realistic as you want.
Just remember that there is really no reason other than for aesthetics to have Neuticals implanted in your dog's scrotal sac.
Male Dog Neutering Myths
Ok, here's a quick list of common myths about neutering your dog, and the basic gist as to why they're just not true.
- The dog will be mad at you because he won't have a sexual encounter with female dog. Your dog won't care either way, and he surely won't be mad at you. Reproduction is nothing more than animal instinct, and sexual behavior is stimulated by pure hormone. Plus, it's not like your dog is fantasizing about it.
- The dog will be sad. Neutering your dog will not affect his temperament in terms of happy or sad. Neutering him will not upset the dog becuase he no longer has a heavy scrotal sac dragging behind him. Most dogs don't even notice the change even right after surgery.
- He won't be a good watchdog anymore. Although you are eliminating the testosterone running through his body, having him neutered will not affect the dogs stamina, strength, or determination. Having your dog neutered is never going to affect your dog's natural instinct to protect his family and home. Your dog's want to protect will be affected by environment, training, and genetics, versus hormones.
- The dog will get fat and lazy. This is so true of any dog neutered or not... Although, sometimes neutered males can be more susceptible, but you should make sure to keep up walking and exercising him. If you stop exercising and start feeding him more, then he'll definitely become overweight. He may not want to roam as much after the surgery, but that doesn't mean that you should ever stop exercising the dog regularly.
- It's plain unnatural. If you think about it, the environment that you have your dog in is unnatural. I mean they lay on couches, watch squirrels on tv, and eat dry food out of a bowl.
- He'll feel less like a man. Remember your dog is still an animal, and animals have absolutely no concept of sexuality or ego. It's all instinct to them, and he won't suffer an emotional reaction or identity crisis afterwards.
- My dog's purebred, so he doesn't need to be neutered. Unless you plan on breeding the dog, you should have hime neutered. The fact that he's purebred versus a mix doesn't change the fact that there are already millions of dogs in shelters and hundreds of thousands euthanized annually.
- It's too expensive. It's all going to depend on the size and age of the dog, but neutering a male dog is generally less expensive than you think. If you aren't ready for all the bills that accompany responsible pet ownership, consider a fish. Plus think about it, the price of preventing an unwanted litter is near priceless because at that point you or someone else has to pay for the pregnant female, dog/puppy food, more toys and chews, and find homes for the pups, versus a simple neuter.
- But won't he be a puppy forever? Or Won't my older dog revert to puppyhood? Nope. This is probably my most favorite myth. I've seen so many older dogs not affected by the neutering. Remember you're only eliminating the testosterone, you're not taking years off the dog's life or stunting him in place. For the most pat, your puppy will age mentally the same being neutered and not being neutered.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed veterinarian. If you have any concerns or questions, you should consult a veterinarian.
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Comments
Nope. That's a big myth that I've heard before. An example being my Yokie was neutered at 3, and if anything it calmed him down and made him less aggressive. I've also seen many dogs come through rescues that get neutered later in life, and I've not seen a one of them revert to puppihood. I want to say I talked about this in another hub where a hubber claimed that by spaying and neutering your dog you keep it in puppy stage for its entire life, and this is just not true.
I'll try to get a few myths up about neutering if I can find more than one or two.
Wow, great Hub...painful, but great. I feel for these poor puppies.
Good point about getting animals fixed because I totally agree with that. My dad was always so opposed to getting our dogs fixed right away, but mom just went ahead and did it as she was the one that would have to take care and find homes for the litters.
This is a good hub, I do agree with spaying and neutering pets, but not right away. With female dogs it's actually better to let them experience their first heat before getting them spayed. I recently bought a purebred lab pup, which I'm not going to have neutered because I want to breed him in the future. I'm not a breeder, but my pup comes from a long line of show dogs and I think it wouldn't be fair to waste such good doggy genes! :) Even if he just gets to father one litter it will be worth it. I think all animals deserve to experience parenthood, after all that's their natural instinct. But now a days the demand for purebred dogs and cats(mostly dogs) is really high, and the mixed breeds are becoming more and more unwanted.
Actually, it's better to spay females BEFORE their first heat, spaying after the first heat still leaves an 8% risk of breast tumors.
http://hubpages.com/_dogs/hub/Spaying-Your-Female-
You have just mentioned the biggest nono of all dog owning times "all animals deserve to experience parenthood" WOW seriously? Remember that parenthood to an animal is nothing like parenthood to a human, it is pure instinct and instint alone. Your male dog isn't going to truly experience anything except the mating process and the irritation of puppies if you use your own female. This is a very selfish and idiotic reason to breed your dog. (And in no way am I calling you an idiot, but your idea is just idiotic)
You are also very incorrect with your statement about mixed breeds becoming more and more unwanted. If you actually go to the shelter, more mix breeds are being adopted leaving the pure bred dogs to sit there. You will find more people prefer mixes than purebred dogs, and you will find that you wanting to breed your dog because of your assumption of you having a purebred lab means that more people prefer purebred. This is a complete false statement, if you ask me. Provide me with stats and I'll change my mind, but I've seen and heard otherwise to prove you wrong.
Also, so what your dog has show quality bloodlines, what will you do with the puppies. You already admitted you're not a breeder, so what's the point in breeding your dog? Money? Experience? All selfish reasons. What will change? More dogs out there to populate the already overpopulation of dogs. Why not contribute and neuter your dog before you have a littler of puppies, because again YOU said you're not a breeder and only breeders should breed because they know what they're doing. You're just doing it for selfish reasons and to help increase the already pet overpopulation problem, by releasing a full litter which has the potential for up to 12 more litters and then 144 more litters, and so one, and more than likely most of those litters will be unwanted and will end up euthanized at a shelter.
I hate to be so rude about it, but you said you're not a breeder, so there's no point in you breeding besides pure selfish reasons.
I have two questions. I have never had a dog in my care, however I love them. I'm taking care of my uncle's dog and he has not yet been neutered. He is five or six years old. Do you think it's safe to neuter him? Also how do you care for them after they have been neutered?
He can still be neutered without problems unless the dog has some medical problem, that may cause complication during the procedure. You care for them like any other dog that is not altered. Unless you mean directly afterwards; if that's what you mean, then just keep the dog from licking the area and that's all you really need to do.
I have 3 dachsunds two of them are brothers at age 3 and one is 1 1/2 yrs old. they just recently starting to spray "everywhere". i will be neutering them next week. will the spraying stop? and i am concerned about their backs and them gaining weight, they are "very hyper" dogs they jump and jump and run, do you think gaining weight will be an issue once i get them nuetered?
The spraying may not necessarily stop, but it should decrease. Are they spraying in the house? That could be a house training concern. I will say that after I neutered my yorkie at 3 years old, he now lifts his leg or squats depending on his mood. Even neutering early, doesn't necessarily cut out all forms of lifting the leg to urinate.
Weight gain is not a concern as long as you keep up regular exercise.
We just neutered our 9 month old purebred male Chihuahua. We are not breeders and have been approached several times by people with female Chi's to use our baby as a stud. Not interested. If you truly want a PET not a SHOW DOG then neutering is the only way to go. It is SELFISH to use a pet for breeding purposes or more likely for "the money". We always let our Chi "hump" a stuffed animal (it WORKS, he stayed off our legs) but somehow thinking we stole his manhood or should have had him "get a little" first is a ridiculous statement we've heard from people. Dogs do not care about creating life outside their own, anyone who thinks that is delusional. Although our Chi is having some "licking issues" at his incision site, he's doing fine and our vet assured us he doesn't need the Elizabethan collar. (Dogs lick their wounds in the wild, THAT is nature). Our Chi is litter box trained just like a cat and began lifting his leg and hitting the wall next to his box. Although neutering will not control that completely it DOES help because we had our beloved Golden Retriever (R.I.P) neutered and the leg lifting subsided unless he was in a public park where other dogs have been. Point is this, don't listen to friends and family who "hear things" from other dog owners that is just MYTH. Trust yourself, your instinct, your VET and most importantly your love for your pet. NEUTERING is the best way to go if you don't want to add to the unwanted pet population.
Hi, I love your topic! I've just adopted a 3 year old male yorkie who was previously a stud. He was given up by his breeder/owner because he didn't like the new baby in the house. The rescuer had him neutered and his aggression diminished almost immediately. My question is pee related! Understanding that he's in a new house, is it a sign of a health problem that he'll stand and pee on the tile without even sniffing first? No warning signs! He's also sniffed and peed in the grass, and pooped outside also. The rescuer had 14 dogs and pads, so the dogs went inside and outside. My guy has peed on the pad inside 1x and peed a few times outside and then done the odd standing and peeing without warning...any possibility it's due to the neutering? i lost my 11 y/o to bladder cancer, so I'm probably anxious over nothing...but your in put would be so welcome!
The neutering isnt' going to cause the dog to potty inside the house. He's just getting used to the new surroundings. It may take a minute, but he'll need to be reinforced with housetraining.
HI
I have a 11 month old rhodesian Ridgback who I am about to get neutered. Do you how it effects their muscle tone, definition and general development (bones, head etc). The reason I ask is that, he looks absolutely incredible at the moment, as a Ridgback should, great muscluraity, lean body, strong head. How will neutering him effect his develpoment and musculariy in general?
As long and you keep your regular excercise routines, the dog should keep his physical form. It will not affect the bone structure (IE his head). Neutering may cause minimal laziness, but if you keep with an exercising routine, you shouldn't have any problems keeping the dog fit and in great physical form.
I had my 7 month old shih tzu neutered 3 days ago. This morning he peed in the house twice and it was mixed with blood. I took him to the vet and they said it was a possible UTI and gave me antibiotics. I'm still concerned because, after searching the internet today, I've read that neutering sometimes causes dogs to start peeing in the house. Any comments?
If you keep up your house training methods, you shouldn't have any problems. I've had and known many a male neutered dog, and none were affected so that they potty in the house from then on.
I have two labs a yellow an a black my yellow one just loves everything an everybody my black one loves everything but other dogs. Neither of them are neutered. If I neuter them will my black one loose the aggresstion towards other dogs? Or does neutering not help in that way? He's a great dog but this is really putting a damper on everything we try to do because we want to take him everywhere but we cant in fear of hurting someones dog.
There is always the possibility to reduce aggression when neutering as you are reducing the testosterone in the dog, but it will NEVER be an easy fix. You should strongly consider implementing a different training method.
I have a 10 month old lab mix who was just neutered 2 days ago. The first night home he was pretty groggy from the pain meds and slept all night. BUT, since then he has been VERY hyper and needy. Of course he's a puppy, and is normally a little on the needy/hyper side, but this is just a lot more than usual! Is this normal? He is on Rimadyl because the vet wanted him to stay as calm as possible for 5-7 days with no jumping around. So much for that!!
The reaction after the surgery will vary per dog. Usually they are calm afterwards, but I don't think that this is uncommon. I have heard of a number of dogs have behavioral changes after neutering, but over time he should relax near back to normal.
I have a 6 month old male chihauhau and my my daughter has a 9 mo old in heat. We live together. My boy is going in for surgury in 2 days. We have them in separate houses because my guy is completely out of his mind right now. After the surgury will he be okay around her and will the spraying stop as it's just begun since her heat cycle? i want my puppy back :)
You'll probably need to keep him separated for a little while until he heals, but it shouldn't be a problem. Definitely ask your vet to verify.
i have two dogs and they love to play together
but in the article above it says a dog needs about a week to recover and for the cut to heal my two dogs are ruff and love to play very hard with eachother will my male dog who is being neutered tomorrow need to be separated from the other? or will he be fine ?
You will need to make sure that there is no strenuous play that can rupture the incision.
My 2.5 yr old dog was neutered 2 weeks ago today. For the last two days, he's been having peeing accidents inside the house, something he NEVER did before he was neutered. Yesterday he peed twice within one hour of going outside, about 30 minutes apart. Once was hiking his leg, the other was squatting. I took him to the vet today and the urinalysis came back negative. They said to watch him but that it's prob. behavioral. Is it common for dogs to have accidents in the house after being neutered? What should I do? What is causing this??
Typically, neutering isn't going to affect the dog's house training. All you can do is reinforce house training.
my husband and i are in the process of getting our dog neutered. he's 6 yrs old. my question is, since he's not exactly a spring chicken anymore, will he have hanging skin for the rest of his life where his 'balls' used to be?
The skin should still shrink back. It just may take a little longer than a younger dog.
My male and female German Shepherd had puppies in October. She had 5, and I kept one. He was the male and obviously the head of his pack. Now at a little youger than six month's he acts pretty agressive to his "Mom and Dad" The father retaliates but's not that aggresive. I just got the female fixed, so should I get the other two?
Why wouldn't you? It is a good idea to go ahead and get it done.
It's not a sound procedure to neuter a dog before 6 months. The only reson they neuter now a t such a young age is to prevent future population growths because irresponsible owners do not take the initiative to spay or neuter once the dog is comfortably at home. Back in the day when you adopted a pet from the animal shelter, you would receive a coupon if the dog was under 6 months to return at a later date to have the procedure done, but alot of new pet owners did not follow through so they started doing it before the pet was adopted out. i can't tell you how many young pets we see that become sickly and even die from neutering or spaying at too young an age.
I need some help, urgently!!!
I already have an appointment to have my male 20 month old purebred pedigreed chocolate labrador neutered. It is going to take place on april 21st.
My husband went crazy about it, in spite of never wanting a dog in the first place, now he loves it. He doesn't walk him or feed him or anything, but he likes him very much.
He is telling me I am selfish for not letting this poor guy fulfill his ultimate goal: puppies. It's not about the sex he says, it's about the instinct of any animal to breed (as if the dog will know he has children all over the neibourhood and will be responsible for them)lol.
This dog is mine, I may have bought it with OUR money but I take care of him everyday: 2 daily walks and playing fetch in the garden, constant attention and visits to the vet. It is me who has to control him when we are on walks and he sees other dogs, he is not agressive at all, but he goes crazy because he wants to play with every dog, and in the country I am living now (Netherlands) where dogs are better behaved than children, dog owners often see this controling situation as if he was a dangerous dog, so they pick up their dogs and leave the scene immediately, it is frustrating because is an endless circle.
How can I convince him(husband)? Or you think that I should just go ahead without listening to him?
TIA
You are doing the RIGHT thing by having him neutered. As I mentioned in the article, dogs, especially male dogs, could care less about reproducing. He's not going to miss anything and he's not going to be mad at you for doing it. I think because you are the main caretaker of the dog, you should just do it. Just because the dog has papers, it doesn't mean that it needst to be bred anyway. It is healthier for him to be neutered. More power to you; do what is right for the dog. No dog is going to be upset the it doesn't have puppies. Male dogs don't even really participate in the caring and rearing of the pups, so they don't even care. It's just instinct.
Let me ask you...would you consider castraiting your newborn if you had one? If not, why not? The same benefits could be possible. IE: No cancer, no prostate problems, no desire to roam when he becomes an adult male. A dog should NOT be neutered until he reaches at least 18mos. of age. Calcium that is held in the bones has been as much as 70% lower in male dogs that were neutered when young. Cardiovascular systems are also dependent upon healthy testosterone levels. Don't buy into the BS we have been told all these years. The problems most people mention are people problems not animal problems in the first place.
You are correct in that waiting a little later will help with hormones and growth. But I merely mentioned that it is possible to neuter as early as 8 weeks. I also said that it is safer to wait until at least 6 months. I personally waited when spaying and neutering my dogs, but it is everyone's choice.
Please do not be rude. I will delete any comments that contain the same rudeness as the above one. Please leave civil comments.
i have a 8 month old cocker spaniel and my mum is getting him neutered but i dont want him to get lazy and boring will neutering make him lazy and boring
We just had our 9 month old golden retriever neutred. He was sleepy when we brought him home but did pretty well. The next day, yesterday, his scrotum was swollen and discolored. The vet said it happens but is rare but it will eventually go down. I was just wondering if we should be concerned about this or is she correct?
kara, spaniels are hyper and playful by nature. If you read the myths about neutering, you'll find that lazy is one of them. neuter the dog
amy, your vet is right. if you're highly concerned, have another vet give you a second opinion.
I have a one year old Brittany. He was neutered about three months ago. He is doing great. However, I noticed that his penis is hard all the time. Is this normal?
I'm not sure exactly what you mean. It should be the same before as after. There shouldn't be any changes to his actual penis.
I'm not sure how it was before. And I had an older neutered male who has sense passed. Also I have read some info on neutered dogs still getting erections. That is not my concern. The concern I have is that it is hard up inside 24/7, sleeping or awake. It never really comes out like an erection. it's just hard all the time. I never payed much attention to it prior to being neutered. I just did not know if this is normal! Thank you for your time!
This is a great article that demystifies dog neutering and totally debunks the myths about neutered dogs. Like you, I totally support this harmless medical procedure. The dogs that we rehome are routinely neutered and spayed - as are those that we keep to look after ourselves. (usually dogs that have been psychologically damaged by previous bad owners)
Doug, I would just ask your vet. It sounds odd to me. I have never seen a neutered dog experience this, but you never know.
Dilys, I believe that most dogs should be spayed/neutered. I think that more people would do it, if they knew what all it involved and was/wasn't true about the procedures
I have a 3 year old Golden Retriever, he just got neutered a week ago. When i went to pick him up he had quite a bit of swelling and bruising so they kept him over night. I recieved a call the next morning that he would be ready to come home later that day...about 1.5 hours later they called back and said it was getting worse and wanted to keep him for the weekend. i was very upset and the only explaination they could give me was that he was an older dog. at this point i hadn't seen him for 4 days, he was on meds incase of infection, meds for inflamation and being treated with ice packs for the swelling. He has been wearing the buster collar since the operation so i know the complications haven't been caused from him licking.after 5 days at the vet FREE of charge i got to pick him up. and my gosh his scrotum and belly looked terrible. His scrotum was the size of a baseball and his lower belly was extremely red (almost purple in colour) and swollen up past his penis. it has now been a week and the reddness has gotten better but his scrotum is still quite large. I have done a lot of research about neutering and i can't find an explanation for this..Can you help me???
A week and a half ago my dog, a 5 year old english bulldog, started squirting lots of blood from his penis only when he is excited or has a full or partial penis... the blood squirts as though he was ejaculating... one vet said it was prostate problem another now says since there was no blood in the urine test and since the blood is very red fresh blood, it is coming from a wound and possibly from the tip of the penis if the urethra is slightly prolapsed. We have tried to keep him calm, he is now on blood pressure reducing meds and antiinflamatories to try to prevent the bleeding.. but he gets excited whenever someone comes home or even just with the thought of going for a walk. I worry he is loosing too much blood and his gums are getting paler. This cannot continue. The only test done was a urinalysis. The vet feels like the wound or prolapse needs to heel on its own and that lowering the blood pressure may help with this. He is also on antibiotics to prevent infection or treat any infection if there is one in the prostate. The vet now suggests we have him neutered immediately to help stop the bleeding. Will this work? I hear that neutered dogs still get erections even if maybe he won't want to hump on his own anymore. If he still gets erections, how will neutering stop all the intense bleeding every time his penis gets even a little engorged or his reproductive muscles contract? Is this true or will neutering stop erections?
Selina, I have not heard of this. Typically, neutering has minimal complications. I have seen dogs older than 3 get neutered and not see the complications that your pup had to experience. I'm sorry about that, but that is not common for neutering, so please do not be leery of neutering in the future.
Very Worried, I would think that by neutering the dog, it would help. Typically, they do not have the same erection as an un-neutered dog and not nearly as often. I would make the decision sooner than later, as it doesn't sound like a pleasant thing that your dog is going through. You may want to get a second opinion, if you are adamantly against neutering. It's not going to hurt him by any means to get neutered. I wouldn't suggest breeding the dog, if that's why you don't want him neutered; he's already having complications when he is erect, and you could potentially pass this problem down to puppies.
Thank you for your advice. I am not against neutering if it will help my dog.. anything to keep him as healthy as possible for as long as possible. I did come across some research and articles that showed that certain malignant prostate cancer is more common in neutered dogs than in intact dogs. Have you heard of anything like this? In Norway apparently its illegal to neuter your dog i read unless there is medical condition that necessitates the procedure...
I have never heard of that. Everything that I have ever read said that the risks are minimized greatly by neutering.
Personally, I think it's stupid to make spaying and neutering illegal. There are more health benefits by the procedures than not.
I heard about bone cancer rather than prostate cancer. I have two rotties and my vet wanted them spayed and neutered as early as possible, only to find out later that there are plenty of studies suggesting that when they are neutered/spayed before reaching at least one year old they are more likely to develop osteosarcoma. Looks like there is a link between the growing plates and hormonal changes. Wish I knew that before :(
Yes, it is actually best to wqait until at least one year old before spaying/neutering a dog. It allows time for the dog to develope skeletally, so to speak. The risks of bone cancer being caused by early spay/neuter is slim, though.
My dog Charlie is about 16 months old. I live in a rural area and we generally let our dogs run outside as they destroyed the fence we built for them once the snow was high enough for them to jump up on it, and they typically never roam around for more than an hour or so. In the past couple days, our boy Charlie has been taking off for 20 hours at a time (he's off and running now and I haven't seen him since last night : ( when we let him out to go to the bathroom-we didn't think he'd dissappear like that again because when he returned home last night he was so tired and hungry he wasn't even himself.) I definitely want to get him nuetered (our female is spayed) but in the meantime I'm wondering if it is typical for an un-fixed dog to dissappear for such long periods of time. I'm sorry if I sound stupid and I understand the importance of getting him fixed. I hate worrying about him all day.
Some un-netuered dogs will roam, as mentioned here. Sometimes it depends on the breed, as some breeds are prone to wandering, as well. If you're worried about him, why not fence in an area to let him play and potty in? Neutering him may help the roaming concern, but I would still recommend a fenced off area. I had a friend who lived in a very rural area, and her dogs got out one time. They found 1, 1 came back home, and the other was picked up by someone and given to someone else. After several weeks, they finally got her back.
hi. i just picked up a cairn terrier mix from a local shelter. He's 3 years old and weighs about 15 lbs. He was recently neutered at the shelter before i picked him up. First night he came to my house, i spotted him licking/biting his own penis. It went on for a few minutes and i kept stopping him. This morning, i saw him biting softly his ERECTED penis. is this normal?
I definitely will fence off an area with some stronger, taller materials than the wire fence we have (and they destroyed.) In the meantime, Charlie's still off roaming- we went looking for him last night- and saw him at one point running with a pack of neighbor dogs, and he was excited to see us, took a few steps towards us and then he was off with the others again. Sigh. Thanks.
jaewchoi, yes, that's normal. Make sure he doesn't irritate the stitches though. They can still have the "lipstick," even after being neutered.
Fiona, You want to be very careful with him just running off. I'd definintely build that area this weekend.
First of all I would like to say thank you for the info. So far it has been very helpful.
I have a german/australian shepard, Gemini, he just turned 2 last November. I have not neutered him yet. Right after he turned 1 he started showing signs of aggression. I was walking him and a little girl with her mom asked if she could pet him. I told her yes and that he had never shown any signs of aggression. As the little girl was petting him the mom leaned over to pet him as well and as soon as she leaned he jumped up and snapped at her face. The woman backed away just in time. I appologized profusly and thankfuly she was understanding. I took him to the vet a week later to get updated shots and asked the vet about this and he said that neutering him would helo with this and even though they were booked we had the secretary squeeze me in right away because of his aggression. Unfortunately I had lost my job and could no longer afford to do this. However that was the only thing even remotely aggressive that he did until later.
I ended up moving in with my parents and they had two other dogs, a female lab around the same age as Gemini and a male black lab/wolf mix who was 17 and never neutered. When we first moved in they got along great (before moving in I took Gemini over there all the time to play and they got along). After a little while the male started messing with Gemini. For a while he just ignored it, but then they started fighting. It just kept getting worse. The male was finally put to sleep because he got very ill. I thought Gemini would go back to being the way he was. I was so wrong. He is very aggressive towards animals now. He always barks at people walking by in an agressive way and I am afraid he is gonna jump the fence and hurt someone. At one point he did jump the fence at someone walking there dog, but he just stood there and growled (thankfuly) and didnt hurt anyone. He does not listen when he is outside but is great while inside. And now just recently he started acting aggressive towards the female, when they always played great together before. My parents want me to get rid of him, but I am so attached. I told them I am not going to take the chance of my dog getting put down because I messed up.
I called the vet the other day and scheduled him for neutering. Should I have any hope that this will help his behavior? If not, what should I do? I really do not want to get rid of him if I can avoid it.
Thank you and sorry for the long post. I just thought some background info would help you answer the question better. Thanks again.
Neutering should help a little, but it's no guarantee since he's 2. It's not going to hurt the behavior by any means. You want to make sure that you start working on bacis training and socialization, and stick with it. Start with few to no distractions, and slowly start adding them one by one. I'd work on obedience first so that he knows to obey you.
I have a 5 month old GSP who I am planning to get neutered tomorrow. I'm having second thoughts; I'm scared it is too early. Is it?
He has been slower to grow than I thought. Will the surgery slow his growth more or will it help him grow?
Please help, I don't want to do the wrong thing for my puppy.
Generally neutering should be done after 6 months old, but 5 months shouldn't cause any problems. The surgery won't alter growth a substantial amount, but there are studies that show slight changes since hormones and such are removed from the body. This isn't going to hurt him by any means. You are actually helping him.
Glad for your post. Neutering is really such a non-issue that i think it should be done with any pets that aren't going to be bred from or shown. I haven't noticed it affecting my pets adversely. If anything, it calms them.
My dog is almost two years old and I'm about to have him neutered I'm really nervous about how he'll recover since he isn't a puppy anymore. Whats you advice?
Just let him relax and stay away from rough housing and strenuous play and exercise after the procedure. He should do fine.
I have a 5 year old Shih Tzu who happens to be handicapped because of a herniated disc in his back. Ever since he was a puppy, I had wanted him to be neutered just like his brother who was neutered [but unfortunately was lost whether he ran away or was stole :(], but we never did it. He became handicapped at around 3 years of age because of the herniated disc, became paralyzed, and so he had surgery and therapy, but is still handicapped and we're hoping that once we move and put him into hydrotherapy, that it will work because he is not paralyzed in his back legs after the surgery and feels everything, just doesn't have strength to get up.
Well, he has wheels and has had them for about 2 years now I believe, but for quite a while now his scrotum seems to be getting cut and sometimes bleeding, whether it's from him dragging himself around when he's not on his wheels, or for any other reason that we may not know about. We have him scheduled to finally be neutered this Friday and I'm nervous because I don't want him to be affected health wise from any raised risk of anything, even though I know there are many benefits, especially that it will stop him from possibly getting infections or cuts there.
He is so healthy other than his handicap ever since we switched his dry food to a better one and also give him a home cooked recipe that has helped with his sensitive stomach so well that he doesn't have problems anymore. So I'll do pretty much anything for his health to be improved, as I did with changing his food. I really DO NOT enjoy seeing his scrotum bleed at times when he gets a cut, and he tends to get stinky as early as 2 days after his bath from licking it a lot [usually more than 2 days if his hair is shorter]..So I just want to get an opinion on if I'm doing the right thing in getting him neutered for this reason, and if it really will help prevent any infections or cuts or anything from him getting cuts at times?
I just want my dog to continue to have a fun, healthy, long and active life. Right now, he only gets one 15 minute walk a day, but once we move [pretty soon], he will be getting much more exercise since there are trails and hilly roads/sidewalks, etc, so I want to make sure that by neutering him, he will still be just as excited to go outside as he is now. Really, as soon as he hears his collar jingling in my hand he gets so excited he starts running around and he greets everyone with a big smile on his face. I just don't want him to calm down by being neutering, but at the same time, I don't want his scrotum to be getting cut up anymore because I know it causes him much discomfort.
Neutering will not cause a drastic change in the dog since he is older; although some dogs will have behavioral changes due to less testosterone, the degree of difference will vary.
He'll still be excited for walks.
Neutering does not prevent infections but it potentially decreases risk of cancer and other disorders. Your vet could assist you with the infection concern.
Unless you're speaking of infection in that area; that I'm not sure.
Oh I mean on the scrotum itself. He doesn't have problems around it. Luckily he hasn't had any infections or anything, but he has gotten cuts from dragging himself when he's not on his wheels. Although after he gets neutered, we will be asking our vet for assistance on that because he will be on his wheels and don't want any friction to affect the area right after the surgery. I know he'll be on a collar even for sleeping because he will lick and lick the area even now when it gets irritated so I'm not worried about that.
And thanks for letting me know. I do look forward to him roaming less, even a little, because he ran into the street a few days ago and I've clearly trained him to stay off the street unless I go, and even then, he stays close by me, and he tends to listen, but at times I'm sure his instinct gets to him and it's hard to resist. He is very intelligent and trained, but just like his breed, he can be stubborn and have a lack of focus at times.
There's no guarantees that it'll help him and prevent him from roaming 100%. Running into the street one time, doesn't mean he roams. It means something caught his eye.
Good luck with him.
Thanks =]
i have a very co dependant mini pincher/pug who is 9 months old, he is starting to try and hump so i ahve made him a appointment tomorrow to get him netured, but i am afraid something will happen to him when they put him out, he never leaves my side or leash, i dont know if i can risk this, he scream when i leave him, what will he think when i leave him at the vet which he hates?
separation anxiety shouldn't affect the surgery. Being younger, he shouldn't have any problems with the surgery. It's a pretty simple procedure.
I have a 6 month old boxer that I am getting neutered in two days but my boyfriend (aka the other owner) is completely against it because he thinks there is no reason to do it. He also thinks breeding him would be a good idea for money which I COMPLETELY disagree with because of all the unwanted dogs (Even boxers) out there right now. I would really appreciate a "laundry list" of the reasons dogs should be neutered so I can approach him with more facts than emotion about the subject. Thanks!
I've listed a few reasons above why to neuter a dog. Other reasons include breeding for money is wrong and unethical. Too many pets already needing homes, and if the dog isn't of a good bloodline with titles in its pedigree and to its name, it really isn't bettering the breed, so there isn't a reason to breed. Statistically, neutering cuts down testosterone which can reduce attempts to escape, marking around the house, aggression, etc. Statistically neutering can reduce various cancers and health illnesses.
I'd stick with the plans to neuter the dog unless you plan on showing or competing with the dog. If you had plans to show or compete, then the breeder you purchased the dog from would have told you in the beginning that you can't neuter in order to get the full registration of the dog. If there wasn't an option of limited or full registration, then the dog isn't show or competition quality, meaning he's just not breeding quality and doesn't come from a line of champions. (Not saying he's not a good looking dog or not worth it; he just may not be a specimen that could better the breed)
Good luck. I think neutering is the best thing to do for non-competition dogs. He's just pet quality, which is no better or less than any other dog just no need to breed him.
My boyfriend Jeff and I went to a shelter looking to adopt our first puppy. We ended up bringing one home. :) He is a wonderful male black lab. Since he was at a shelter, there is no positive age, but his papers say two months old but he is only 3.9lbs.
My question is, if he is only two months old, was it a bad decision on their part to already have him neutered?
From his behaviors, we do not feel any immediate concerns. We just became curious because many people seem to be shocked when they hear he has been already neutered. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Jaclyn and Jeff
No it wasn't a bad decision to have had him neutered. Most vets prefer at least 6 months old, but he will be fine being neutered at 2 months. Shelters want the dog altered before it goes to their new home, which means sometimes they're altered at 6 weeks. By neutering early, the hormones are cut down, and in some cases growth isn't reached to full potential, but it usually isn't going to cause a major change or problem. There are also some studies that show bone cancer is a possibility with early altering, but cancer is probable in 1 in every 4 dogs, so the likelihood of the puppy getting cancer either way at some point in his life, is fairly high.
Neutering male pups isn't as extensive a surgery as spaying a female.
Remember 2 months is just 8 weeks, so the weight is fine, especially because it's probably a mix.
So, is it bad that the puppy is already neutered... No.
We have a male Basset that we got from a friend as a stray, The Vet has no idea his age but we know he is an older dog. we want to have him neutered. He wants to run off every time we let him out. and he is real aggresive to our male Beagle. Is there a age limit to get one neutered, and would it help this behavor? Thanks
There is possibility that neutering will help his behavior, but it's not always a guarantee. There is no age limit as long as the dog is healthy.
Hi, I just took my 3 year old boxer to be nerutered this morning. Like a lot of the comments I have been reading, my husband was (and still is) totally against having the dog fixed. The reason I had it done despite this fact is because my dog has been (for about the past year) dripping greenish/yellow fluid from his penis. VERY DISGUSTING! I do not think it is an infection as it only happens sporadically and is not a large amount, nonetheless, I cringe at the thought of this fluid being dripped on the carpet where it cannot be seen while my toddlers play there. I spoke with a friend who owns a male dog and she said she doesn't have that problem because her dog is neutered...I am having a hard time finding anything on the internet about it... So do you think neutering will correct this? And please tell me I am not the only one that has this problem with a male dog!!
To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. My neutered yorkie has the same thing. Have you asked your vet about this? He may be able to check out the situation. My yorkie's been to the vet numerous times for this or that, and he has no infection or bacterial issue going on. So I'm not really sure what the issue is. It happens and stops, sporadically, generally just after he uses the bathroom.
My dog is 4 years old and will be 5 in March. One of his testicles hasnt lowered so he needs to be neutered. Is it dangerous to neuter him with his condition at his age? I am really worried about it but dont want him to develop cancer if I dont get him neutered! Thanks!
Your vet will be able to give you best answer for your dog's condition, but there shouldn't be a problem neutering him. They will remove whatever is there. By neutering him, you can potentially reduce the risks of cancer.
Thanks so much! I have been on the fence but just for the health risks alone I'm calling next week. So I (Scott) thank you even though Maximus may not feel the same.
Back again. Keep him calm 7 - 14 days after! I will be lucky to keep him calm for 7 - 14 hours. LOL
Wish us luck!
Try kenneling the dog to keep him calm. Good luck.
Debbie Cook says:
13 months ago
Do older dogs typically revert to puppy behavior once they are neutered? A friend's dog began to exhibit this behavior almost immediately after he recovered.