Neutering your dog
You may have gotten a new puppy or have recently adopted one. You are probably trying to now decide when to have your dog ‘fixed’. The medical term for “fixing” a male dog is castration. It can be called neutering as well. Neutering is the removal of testicles. Some owners will chose not to neuter their dogs if their intention is to show their dogs or breed from them. There are great benefits to neutering your dog. This is to help decrease unwanted sexual behaviours, decrease aggressions, or prevent accidental breeding.
What exactly is Neutering?
Neutering involves the removal of your dog’s testicles. Your dog will undergo general anaesthesia. Your veterinarian will shave an area right in front of the scrotum. They will make an incision in this area. The spermatic cord will be ligated so it will not bleed before removing the testicles. Your dog’s scrotal sac will remain intact. The incision will be sutured closed. After a few months the sac of the scrotum will shrink and you will barely even notice that there was a sack.
Does neutering affect the behaviour of your dog?
When your neuter your dog, you are removing all the hormones that the testicles produce. The main hormone responsible for the bad behaviours is testosterone. A dog that has been castrated does not have this excessive testosterone in their body causing them to be aggressive, look for a mate, or have extra stored up energy. The behaviours that neutering helps stop are:
• Unwanted sexual behaviour: An unneutered male will constantly be seeking out a female companion. By neutering your dog, you will be greatly decreasing these behaviours. Most dogs who are found wondering around lost are unneutered male dogs. These dogs that are roaming have an increase chance of being hit by a car or getting in trouble.
• Marking everything with urine: when you neuter your dog, they will not want to hike their leg to urinate on everything. This is a dog’s way of marking their territory. This is an unwanted behaviour that can be easily corrected with neutering. Sometimes this behaviour has gone on too long that it becomes a habit. By getting your dog neutered young, you will prevent this unwanted behaviour in your dog.
• Aggression: By neutering your dog, you will decrease the aggressive tendency in your dog. Unneutered male dogs will fight over their territory. The testosterone causes unwanted aggressive behaviours.
Other reasons to neuter your dog
There are many other reasons to neuter your dog. These are other reasons that your veterinarian may recommend that you neuter your dog.
• Medical reasons: If you neuter your dog, you are eliminating the risk of testicular cancer. Neutering also decreases the risk of prostate problems. These are two very common problems that are often seen in intact male dogs.
• Decrease unwanted litters: This is probably the most important reason to neuter your dog. There are many unwanted dogs in shelters. By neutering your dog you are helping decrease the number of accidental litters. One male dog can impregnant many female dogs in one day.
Is there a risk in neutering my dog?
Today there are very little risks with neutering your dog. This is a very common procedure that is done at Oasis Vet. Young and healthy animal recover very quickly without any problems. With the wide range of selection of anaesthetic drugs and fancy monitoring equipment, there are very rarely any problems. The biggest concern is not the complication from surgery or anaesthesia but your dogs after care.
After surgery, you dog will need to stay calm for about 10 days while they recover. Your dog should not be licking at the incision site. This can cause the stitches to come out or the wound to be infected. If your dog is excessively licking they may need and Elizabethan collar or ‘cone of shame’ until their incision is fully healed.
What is the best age to castrate my dog?
The best age to neuter your dog is different depending on each dog. Once your dog’s testicles have dropped they can be neutered. Most veterinarians agree that you should neuter your dog around 6 months to a year. Large to giant breed dog owners will sometime wait until 2 years so their dog can reach their full potential size.
In a shelter setting most dogs are neutered before going to their new home. This means that they are castrated at a very young age. If your dog is not neutered when you get them your veterinarian may want to wait until they are fully vaccinated to castrate them. This makes sure that they are mature and healthy enough for their surgery.
My dog only has one testicle. What do I do?
If your dog only has one or no visible testicles, they have a condition called cryptorchidism. This is a genetic abnormality that can be spread to their offspring. The other testicle is usually still present it just did not make it out of the abdomen and into the scrotum. This testicle can be stuck anywhere between the abdomen and the scrotum. These retained testicles are more prone to developing testicular cancer. It is best to have your veterinarian remove these testicles.
If you are looking to neuter your dog, there are many benefits to having this surgery done. While no surgery is without risk, this is one surgery where the risk is minimal. Make sure to follow all the aftercare that your veterinarian recommends to make sure that your dog stays health. If you do have any problems after surgery, make sure to call your veterinarian right away.