FAQs and myths about dog neutering

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) and myths about neutering:

This section outlines some of the commonly held myths and misconceptions about neutering surgery and answers some of your commonly asked questions.

 Myth 1 - All desexed dogs gain weight (get fat).

I have previously discussed this topic in other sections of this page: it is a commonly held belief that is, quite simply, not true.

Studies have shown that neutered animals probably require around 25% less calories to maintain a healthy bodyweight than entire male animals of the same bodyweight do. This is because a neutered animal has a lower metabolic rate than an entire animal does. Because of this, what tends to happen is that most owners, unaware of this fact, continue to feed their neutered male dogs the same amount of food calories after the surgery that they did prior to the surgery, with the result that their pets become fat. Consequently, the myth of automatic obesity has become perpetuated through the dog-owning circles and, as a result, many owners simply will not consider desexing their dogs because of the fear of them gaining weight and getting diabetes and so on.

Late onset complications of neutering

Late onset complications of neutering

Weight gain.

Not really a complication per se, but an often complained about sequelae of desexing surgery.

Studies have shown that neutered animals probably require around 25% fewer calories to maintain a healthy bodyweight than entire male animals of the same weight do. This is because a neutered animal has a lower metabolic rate than an entire animal. Because of this, what tends to happen is that most owners, unaware of this fact, continue to feed their neutered male dogs the same amount of food after the surgery that they did prior to the surgery, with the result that their dogs become fat. Consequently, the myth of automatic obesity has become perpetuated through dog-owning circles and, as a result, many owners simply will not consider desexing their dogs because of the fear of them gaining weight.

Author's note: The fact of the matter is that most dogs will not become obese simply because they have been desexed. They will only become obese if the post-neutering drop in their metabolic rate is not taken into account and they are fed the same amount of food calories as an entire animal. Any weight gain that is experienced can be reversed through not feeding the pet as many calories and treats. 

Dog : Possible surgical and post-surgical complications of neutering

Possible surgical and post-surgical complications of neutering

There are some surgical and post surgical complications of desexing a dog that should be considered before you take the step of having your pet neutered. These are outlined below. The most important thing to remember about the complications listed below is that the vast majority of these complications are very rare and the small risk of them occurring should not outweigh the benefits of having your pet neutered. Of those complications that are more common (the common ones are indicated), the vast majority of these are not life-threatening and most can be prevented by good attention to after-care and wound care. 

Pain after surgery (common).

It is not uncommon for dogs to show some signs of mild to moderate discomfort and pain immediately after having a desexing surgery. It stands to reason: the vet has just performed a surgical procedure on a very delicate area of the male body. 

Dogs that are in discomfort after desexing will normally show signs suggestive of pain in the groin region. The animal may pant a lot; pace the room (not want to settle);adopt a stiff hind leg gait (these animals are reluctant to move their hind legs much when walking) and refuse to sit down in a normal sitting posture. Some dogs will be irritated by the sutures and/or by the fact that the delicate scrotal skin was shaved (and thus abraded a little) and keep licking the region obsessively (this licking needs to be discouraged by placing an Elizabethan Collar on the dog or a bitterant on the wound - see section 5 on aftercare). Some dogs will even go off their food for a few days after desexing because of the discomfort. 

Dog Neutering aftercare

Neutering aftercare - what you need to know about caring for your dog after neutering surgery.

When your dog goes home after neutering surgery, there are some basic exercise, feeding, bathing, pain relief and wound care considerations that should be followed to improve your pet's healing, health and comfort levels. 

1) Feeding your dog immediately after neutering:

After a dog has been desexed, it is not normally necessary for you to implement any special dietary changes. You can generally go on feeding your pet what it has always eaten. Some owners like to feed their pet on bland diets (e.g. boiled skinless chicken and rice diet or a commercial prescription intestinal diet such as Royal Canin Digestive or Hills i/d)for a few days after surgery in case the surgery and anaesthesia has upset their tummies. This is not normally required, but is perfectly fine to do. 

Dog Neutering procedure

 Neutering procedure (desexing surgery) - a step by step pictorial guide to canine neutering.

As stated in the opening section, neutering is the surgical removal of a male dog's testicles. During the procedure, each of the dog's testes and testicular epididymi are removed along with sections of the dog's testicular blood vessels and spermatic ducts (vas deferens or ductus deferens). And to be quite honest, from a general, non-veterinary pet owner's perspective, this is probably all of the information that you really need to know about the surgical process of desexing a dog. 

Desexing basically converts this ...

Information about neutering age: when to neuter a dog

about neutering age

The following subsections discuss current desexing age recommendations and how they have been established as well as the pros and cons of early age (8-16 weeks) neutering.

Current desexing age recommendations.

In Australia and throughout much of the world it is currently recommended that male dogs are neutered at around 5-7 months of age and older (as far as the "older" goes, the closer to the 5-7 months of age mark the better - there is less chance of your dog developing a testicular or testosterone-dependant medical condition if he is desexed at a younger age). 

The reasoning behind this 5-7 month age specification is one of anaesthetic safety for elective procedures.

When asked by owners why it is that a dog needs to wait until 5-7 months of age to be desexed, most veterinarians will simply say that it is much safer for them to wait until this age before undergoing a general anaesthetic procedure. The theory is that the liver and kidneys of very young animals are much less mature than those of older animals and therefore less capable of tolerating the effects of anaesthetic drugs and less effective at metabolising them and breaking them down and excreting them from the body. Younger animals are therefore expected to have prolonged recovery times and an increased risk of suffering from severe side effects, in particular liver and kidney damage, as a result of general anaesthesia. Consequently, most vets will choose not to anesthetize a young dog until at least 5 months of age for an elective procedure such as neutering. 

Dog Neutering pros and cons - the reasons for and against neutering.

Dog Neutering

The benefits of neutering (the pros of neutering) - why we neuter dogs.

There are many reasons why veterinarians and pet advocacy groups recommend the neutering of entire male dogs. Many of these reasons are listed below, however the list is by no means exhaustive.

1. The prevention of unwanted litters:

Pet overpopulation and the dumping of unwanted litters of puppies (and kittens) is an all-too-common side effect of irresponsible pet ownership. Every year, thousands of unwanted puppies and older dogs are dumped on the street (where they ultimately end up dying from neglect or finding their way into pounds and shelters) or handed in to shelters. Many of these animals do not ever get adopted from the pounds and shelters that take them in and need to be euthanased. This sad waste of healthy life can be reduced by not letting pet dogs breed indiscriminately and one way of preventing any accidental, unwanted breeding from occurring is through the routine neutering of all non-stud (non-breeder) male dogs (and female dogs too, but this is another page). 

What is Dog neutering

Neutering is the surgical removal of a male dog's testicles. During the procedure, each of the dog's testes and testicular epididymi are removed along with sections of the dog's testicular blood vessels and spermatic ducts (vas deferens or ductus deferens). The remainder of the male dog's reproductive tract structures, including: the prostate, urethra, penis, bulbis glandis and much of the dog's testicular blood vessels and spermatic ducts are left intact.

 Basically, the parts of the male reproductive tract that get removed are those which are responsible for sperm production, sperm maturation and the secretion of testosterone (the major male hormone). Removal of these structures plays a big role in canine population control (without sperm, the dog can not father young); genetic disease control (male dogs with genetic disorders can not pass on their disease conditions to any young if they can not breed); prevention and/or treatment of various medical disorders (e.g. castration prevents and/or treats a number of testicular diseases and testosterone-enhanced medical conditions) and male dog behavioural modification (testosterone is responsible for many male-dog behavioural traits that some owners find problematic - e.g. roaming, aggression, inter-male aggression, dominance, leg cocking - and castration, by removing the source of testosterone, may help to resolve these issues).

View full : Dog neutering 

Male Dog Neutering

Male dog neutering, otherwise known as sterilisation, "fixing", desexing, castration (castrating) or by its correct veterinary name: orchiectomy (also termed gonadectomy), is the surgical removal of a male dog's testicles for the purposes of canine population control, medical health benefit, genetic-disease control and behavioral modification. Considered to be a basic component of responsible pet ownership, the neutering of male dogs is a common surgical procedure that is performed by most veterinary clinics all over the world. This page contains everything you, the pet owner, need to know about male dog neutering. Neutering topics are covered in the following order: 

Setting the House Rules for Your Dog

Setting the House Rules for Your Dog

Heel. Sit. Down. Stay. Come. That's what comes to mind when most people think about training their dogs. Training your dog to respond to obedience commands is an important part of training that builds your dog's confidence, teaches your dog to look to you for direction and gives you a means of controlling your dog when you need him to behave.

But if you want your dog to be a civilized member of your household, there's a lot more to training than teaching commands. There are decisions that you need to make about how you want your dog to behave around the house when he's not on command. These decisions should be made as early in your dog's life as possible, but it's never too late. By setting house rules for your dog, you let him know which behaviors are acceptable and which are unacceptable in your home.

The guidelines you set for your dog's behavior around the house will make a big difference in what kind of companion your dog will be. There's no "right" or "wrong" when it comes to choosing many of these house rules. They are based solely on your personal preferences for what kind of behavior you want to allow.