Castration is the male version of neutering. It is used to describe the surgical removal of the testicles but it can also be chemically induced. It is commonly believed that if you have a male dog, you must have him castrated, and for many years vets have always recommended castration as an essential part of dog ownership. Nowadays we know more about the risks and benefits of castration and as such the decision is not always straightforward.
Should you book your dog in for a castration? Here we discuss when castration is appropriate and the different options available.
The benefits of castration
Castration has many benefits for your dog’s health and behaviour.
It can help prevent some health conditions, which are more common in older pets. These include testicular cancers and prostate problems.
If your dog has one or two testicles that have not descended by 6 months of age, the retained testicle is much more at risk of becoming cancerous so should be removed during the castration procedure.
It can help with your dog’s behaviour. Removing testicles removes the hormone testosterone from the body, which can reduce unwanted behaviours including:
· Roaming, looking for a female dog
· Mounting and humping people/objects
· Aggression
· Marking/scenting behaviour
Occasionally these behaviours are not related to testosterone e.g. could be a bad habit, in which case neutering may not resolve the issue.
It prevents unwanted pregnancies. The boys need to take some responsibility too!
The risks of castration
We often assume castration is the right thing to do for our pet dogs, and a lot of the time it is, but there are some occasions where it might not be.
There is a higher risk of your dog becoming overweight after neutering, although this can be controlled with the right diet (they need fewer calories) and making sure your dog is in good shape before they have the op.
It could possibly change your dog’s behaviour for the worse. Some anxieties in dogs can be worsened by removing their testosterone, a confidence boosting hormone.
Castration is a surgical procedure and is performed under general anaesthetic. Although this a routine procedure performed by vets on a daily basis, all anaesthetics and surgeries carry a certain amount of risk, including during the procedure and afterwards e.g. bleeding and infection. Fortunately, the risk is often low in young healthy dogs. Do talk to your vet or nurse to discuss your concerns.
Although not proven, there is some concern that neutering dogs may lead to an increased risk of developing orthopaedic conditions in later life, such as hip dysplasia and cruciate disease. We recommend waiting until your dog has finished growing before performing the procedure to reduce this risk, so in larger breed dogs, this may mean waiting until they are 12-18 months old.
The alternative option - chemical castration
If you are not 100% convinced that castration is the right decision, don’t rush into it without discussing it with your vet, as surgical castration is not reversible. Once they’re gone, we can’t put them back!
The other option is chemical castration, where we place an implant under the skin at the back of the neck, much like a microchip. This can often be done within the space of a normal consultation.
The advantages are that your dog does not have to undergo a general anaesthetic and the effects are reversible. This might be an option to try if you are a bit unsure about your dog’s personality, i.e. they are nervous/not confident, and are concerned it may make this worse. Think of it as ‘try before you buy’!
If chemical castration produces unwanted behaviours, you can be confident that he will return to his good old self once the implant wears off (after either 6 or 12 months depending on the implant used).
At Animail we believe that each patient should be considered as an individual and the risks and benefits should be considered for each dog before castration. It is a good idea to book an appointment with your vet for a pre-neutering consultation so they can give your pet a health check, have a chat and then help you make the decision.
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