Neutering male two year dog – pros and cons

[JFReturns]

Hi PH'ers,

I'd be interested in all your thoughts please about neutering a two year old dog, specifically any pros, cons, tips on recovery and anything else you think is relevant.

A bit of background - the dog is not in the slightest bit aggressive to humans, dogs or anything (other than barking at the vacuum cleaner). Can be a bit naughty (stealing shoes etc), and had a period of anxiety when a puppy during the chewing phase but has been fine for the last 18 months or so.

The worrying behaviour starts when a local bh is on heat - for the first time earlier this week he started howling at 5am, and I really mean full on wolf at the moon type howling. We went downstairs to check him and he was happy as larry and not in any physical pain. Let him out and he widdled on anything and everything. In the past this behaviour, although nowhere near as bad, has passed very quickly and he goes back to his normal well behaved self for months at a time.

The other really worrying thing is he has started bolting off in search of a scent when on walks, only to reappear a minute or two later. At 35 kilos he is very strong and my partner can struggle with him on the lead when he gets a scent. Normally he sticks within ten metres of us when off lead and is well behaved on the lead.

So - is this the kind of behaviour neutering could potentially ease? As a man I have typical worries about it (I'm trying to be objective), but also worried it may rob him of his personality, risks of surgery etc etc...

Any replies much appreciated.

Robert.

[Jasandjules]

I've not read this yet but just saw it and thought of you

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/a...

[GokTweed]

Hi Robert,
Neutering can certainly have a positive effect on the behaviour you describe. You won't see a major difference straight away as the hormone takes some time to leave the system after the 'nads have been removed, I felt bad the first time I did the op as well!, but soon you should notice he no longer goes roaming when he smells a bh on heat.

Health wise there are pros and cons to castrating.
Pros: No chance of testicular cancer, no chance of testosterone related diseases in old age such as benign prostatic hyperplasia which can become infected and affect the dog passing urine and faeces. The dog becomes more manageable behaviour wise provided it wasn't an anxiety related behaviour issue (in this case neutering will only make it worse). Your dog shouldn't change in his personality very greatly, it may make him appear calmer and obviously he will no longer chase after a bh in heat. He will require less food so make sure you modify the amount he is fed to reflect this.

Cons: There has been research showing a link between castration and an increased risk of prostatic cancer, haemangiosarcoma and a few others. More so in Rotties but all breeds have a slightly increased risk. The operation itself has a risk due to the anaesthetic and chance of infection but all operations do.

You should have a good chat with your vet about the procedure and they will hopefully resolve any queries you may have so that you can move forward from there.

There is also a method of chemical castration which you could use as a trial basis to see if this affects his behaviour in a positive way to help you make a decision.

Hope that helps

Edited by GokTweed on Friday 13th June 19:41

[Willy Nilly]

My late JRT was a little bugger with bhes. He'd scamper off like a love struck teenager. I got fed up with this and off to the vets he went, he was about 3 at the time. They were a magnificent set of balls but once they were removed he was a much more stable little dog. His voice went a bit funny, like it was breaking again, then everything returned to normal. He lived a very long and happy life.

[GokTweed]

It's important not to get too hung up on the way the media is hyping up the 'neutering causes cancer' research. it raises the risk yes, this has been found and is being accepted now. But getting cancer is like winning the lottery, the odds are massively against you.

so tripling your chances of getting cancer from say 1 in 20,000,000 to 3 in 20,000,000 doesn't look as worrying. Which is why everything should be taken into account when making the decision and discussing it with your vet is definitely the best option rather than trying to look to google for the answers.

[JFReturns]

Thanks for the replies - GokTweed in particular that is very useful, much obliged.

I think on balance neutering is the way forward, much as it pains me (!). I have a fortnight off in August so it will likely be booked in then.

[Hooli]

I've never seen a difference in a dog doing this, so I wouldn't bother.

[Thevet]

Hooli said:

I've never seen a difference in a dog doing this, so I wouldn't bother.

I have, many times, both in my own dogs and clients' dogs, so I would bother. Don't think I'd want to live with the howling or running off, but that's just me.

[Prof Prolapse]

GokTweed said:

Cons: There has been research showing a link between castration and an increased risk of prostatic cancer, haemangiosarcoma and a few others. More so in Rotties but all breeds have a slightly increased risk. The operation itself has a risk due to the anaesthetic and chance of infection but all operations do.

Just to say that a lot of the data with cancers is subjective.

For example I was told about our Rottie cross, and bone sarcomas associated with neutering. But when I looked the data principally comes from one US based survey and the pure group sample size is actually very small. Too small to actually demonstrate significance. I spoke to a second vet having reviewed the data and they weren't phased by it either.

I'm not saying ignore vets, just don't believe everything you hear. It's incredible how much bullst propagates human healthcare, animal care seems even worse.

[Sexual Chocolate]

My lab was castrated at 18 months old for doing exactly the same as yours. What finally swung it for me was when he tore across a very busy road during rush hour to go hang outside some house. Way too risky for both him and others.

He now doesn't whine/moan/whinge or run off when a bh is on heat in the area. Apart from that there was no real change to his character, maybe calmed down a bit and turned a bit lazy. He did put on weight though and he also, all be it halfheartedly, got a little bit frisky when the spaniel came into season.

[JEA1K]

I had both of mine done in March 2013 when they were 3.5 and 4 (Rhodesian and Border collie) and it had made very little difference to their behavior. They play less with each other and less aggressively but they remain territorial in certain situations and still have a love or hate relationship towards other dogs. They have been trained to return to me so I can get them on a lead before they behave aggressively!