castration

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jackie36

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can someone please give me an idea of the benefits of castration. my dog is 19mth old and im left thinking should i or should'nt i. why put him through surgery??
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jackie xx
 
I used to breed GSDs and always advised new owners to castrate dog puppies due to the fact that when they reach about 18 months old the testrosterone (sp) starts of kick in. They can become territorial and agressive - thats not to say they all do - alot of it is to do with how that are brought up. Plus the fact that if you dont intend to use for stud - why run the risk of him getting 'the sniff of the wind' and going walkabouts. Pretty much the same reasons as why you would castrate a colt Imo.
 
It can calm them down, make them a lot easier to handle. You also then don't live in fear of it jumping on another dog and ending up with unplanned babies!
 
he is pretty calm, big old stupid lumbering great dane. so far hes not in the least bit sexual, i have a bitch dane too, and she humps him. i was wondering about any health benefits as in bitch spays.

xx
 
Tonnes of benefits for both dog and bitch neutering.
Saves risk of cancer (both male and female), saves unwanted litters, helps calm down dogs, less hormonal issues, no messy seasons from bitches. I could go on and on but basically if you do not intend to breed then neutering any dog is IMO the best option. Most reputable vets will agree that the health benefits of neutering far outweigh the benefits of leaving intact.
For dogs its a really quick op and he'll be back on his feet very quickly.
 
ok so i can reduce the chances of prostate cancer. i dont have a problem with any of the other issues raised. i have no hormonal issues or behavioural issues. has anyone got any figures on incidences of prostate cancer in uncastrated dogs, also figures on things going wrong during castration or post-op. just trying to get as much info, so to make an informed choice.

xx
 
The benefits of castration, as has already been said, are health-related: castration eliminates (or can help prevent) numerous disorders such as testicular and prostate cancer, bladder problems and hernias. It prevents escaping and roaming, and the listlessness that some entire males suffer when there is a bitch in season nearby (loss of appetite and fretful behaviour). It may (or may not) help with some behavioural problems. It prevents unplanned matings and unwanted litters. It's a straightforward op normally- your dog should be home the same day and back to normal very quickly! (Except with empty pockets!)

Having said that, I have been told that castration may not be such a good plan for a particularly nervous dog as the lack of testosterone will make them worse- I'm not sure how true that is though. But the benefits far outweigh the risks, so I would much prefer to castrate a dog I had no intention of breeding.
 
This is off a vet website - vetmed - might be the information that you're looking for:

Neutering with removal of the testicles has several advantages in addition to reproductive control. Since the testicles produce the male hormones that control male-specific behaviors, neutering tends to decrease behaviors such are urine marking, mounting other animals, roaming and fighting with other male animals, and removes the more pungent odor of the intact male's urine. It will not change basic personality patterns such as watch-dog barking, hunting activity, playfulness, activity level and seeking affection. By removing the testicles, cancer of the testicles, the second most common tumor in the male unneutered dog, is prevented. Cryptorchid dogs (those that have testicles that never descended into the scrotum so are not visible externally) have a very high risk of cancer if not neutered. Other testicular diseases such as infection or torsion, as well as diseases of the secondary sex organs like the prostate (which will occur in many unneutered males as they age) are prevented.

Rare complications include risks associated with anesthesia and surgical complications, bleeding, scrotal swelling and infection. A common misconception is that after neutering, males will become lethargic and gain weight. No published evidence shows a change in appetite or exercise after neutering. Some possible explanations for the misconception may be the decreased roaming activity and decreased fighting between males. Any weight gain can be controlled by the caretaker decreasing the animal's available food intake. It should also be noted that sperm may still be found in the male for up to 21 days in the dog and up to 49 days in the cat after neutering and may cause pregnancy if allowed to breed.

An alternative to surgical neutering with removal of the testicles is a vasectomy where the connection between the testicles and the body is tied off, leaving the testicles in the scrotum. This procedure is not widely performed because it does not provide the medical benefits such as decreased cancer risk nor does it affect male-specific behaviors such as intermale aggression while carrying similar risks to neutering
 
In some coated breeds castration has an adverse effect on the coat - they can grow a very thick woolly undercoat which is moulted less often and has a much greater tendency to matt. Despite what many vets say - my own experience is that neutering most definitely does lead to significant weight gain too -and can change temperament significantly in that the dogs become much more lethargic, most of the very fat Cavaliers and Labradors that you see being dragged around by their owners have been neutered.

Having said all that there are real advantages - especially in preventing unwanted litters but also in stopping male dogs from spray marking.
 
'helps calm down dogs,' this has put me off castrating/spaying without real thought. My lab bitch was castrated as a 2yr old and never been the same since. Used to be very energetic, happy dog and now quiet, not as energetic or happy at all. I was no t impressed and also have to question why we remove something for health beenfits when we don't remove, for example, the liver to reduce liver cancer! It is a fairly big op for bitches anyway, although not as bad for dogs.
Personally I would probably still get it done but be very wary...
 
[ QUOTE ]
'helps calm down dogs,' this has put me off castrating/spaying without real thought. My lab bitch was castrated as a 2yr old and never been the same since. Used to be very energetic, happy dog and now quiet, not as energetic or happy at all. I was no t impressed and also have to question why we remove something for health beenfits when we don't remove, for example, the liver to reduce liver cancer! It is a fairly big op for bitches anyway, although not as bad for dogs.
Personally I would probably still get it done but be very
wary...

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I think you may be confused. It would be physically impossible to castrate a bitch as she does not have testicles!
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
'helps calm down dogs,' this has put me off castrating/spaying without real thought. My lab bitch was castrated as a 2yr old and never been the same since. Used to be very energetic, happy dog and now quiet, not as energetic or happy at all. I was no t impressed and also have to question why we remove something for health beenfits when we don't remove, for example, the liver to reduce liver cancer! It is a fairly big op for bitches anyway, although not as bad for dogs.
Personally I would probably still get it done but be very
wary...

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I think you may be confused. It would be physically impossible to castrate a bitch as she does not have testicles!

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lol! TripleSandH - think you might want to get your castrating and speying sorted out if you're gonna go to vet school! you cant castrate a female! and if you do get there, you'll learn of all the benefits of neutering and also to think of a better argument than that liver one - of course you cant remove the liver - it does 3 zillion important jobs in the body! the testicles and uterus dont have an important job unless you want to breed - other than that they are completely redundant. Having seen numerous cases of testicular cancer, prostate cancer, other prostate issues, anal adenomas, pyometras, unwanted pregnancies, ovarian and uterine cancer, mammary cancer etc etc - i could go on and on, but the benefits of neutering far outweigh the risk and there is no reason why animals have to put on weight because of it - you just reduce their food intake accordingly.
 
I would go for it if you have no intention of breeding from him, the benefits are huge. The other dogs I have owned have all beed castrated (one aged 9 as he had abcess problems and even he healed well) they make for happier males. If I had my way all convicted sex offenders would get the chop too when they were sentenced, but then that's going off topic!
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ok, ok I give! (waves white flag) I always always just write whichever word somes in, be it spaying or castrating, must just have got a bit lost in my waffle!
I know there are a lot of benefits and think it is easier to keep a neutered animal so would probably do it again.
I know the liver has important jobs, and I suppose there is no other organ which does no job (is there?)
Humm...all of ours have put weight on, I think people are not saying they all will, but they have an increased tendancy to do so.
Note of course that all of ours are also on a diet!!
 
We've always had mongrel dogs so never had the debate about breeding them and have always had them neutered without any problems, no weight gain or personality changes. I hoped it might have calmed my crazy lurcher down a shade but he's still as mental as a box of monkeys. Get the chop I say as lets face it, a pair of saggy old testicles swinging about is not a pretty sight....and yes I'm still talking about dogs!
 
I think this probabley due to the fact that she is breeding from poor stock!!! if she is still breeding after so many of her dogs are turning into diabetics!!! shes needs to stop!!!
!!OR IS THE MONEY TO TEMPTING I WONDER!!!
 
I THINK THIS IS DUE TO POOR BREEDING NOT CASTRATION!!!
YOUR FRIENDS NEEDS TO STOP PUMPING OUT SO MANY PUPPIES IF THEY ARE ALL TURNING INTO DIABETICS!!! OR IS THE PROSPECT OF MAKING MORE MONEY MORE APPEALING!!!
 
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