An article from a qualified veterinary surgeon. Male Dog Neutering, The Pros And Cons Of dog Castration.
I write on the Internet now and again on veterinary matters and sometimes of course meet people who hold diametrically opposite views from my own, they can be very sincere and dedicated to whatever issue they have adopted such as alternative medicine but of course some people are just “ Trolls “.
I recently had a comment from a reader who accused me { and all vets } of neutering and castrating dogs just for financial gain and that they were best just left as God intended. While I did reply in a polite fashion I did not make much headway with this person and for my trouble just received more of the same allegations. I soon gave up that reader as a lost cause but it has spurred me to write this article to lay out what is not only my case but I suspect also the case of most small animal vets on this issue..
A. So firstly what are the “ pros “ the advantages of castrating your dog?
1. Well really anything which will cut down the dog population world wide has to be a good thing. World wide dog overpopulation is a serious issue and by allowing your dog to breed you are adding to the problem. In most countries the dog pounds and dog’s homes are full! Castrated dogs cannot breed and so contribute to the problem.
2. Neutered male dogs tend to be much calmer and can be better pets without their male hormones which contribute to their natural behaviour. This can include aggression towards other dogs, urination due to territorial marking in the house and yard. And a castrated dog will be less likely to wander and so be at risk from road traffic accidents.
3. There are health benefits from neutering male dogs, without testicles they cannot suffer from testicular cancer or other diseases of the testicle. And without male hormones there is less risk of prostate gland related problems.
B. So what are the “ cons “ of dog castration, of course with every surgical procedure there will be a down side.
1. Obviously your dog will never be a breeding animal.
2. Some dogs gain weight after neutering because of the change in metabolic rate. However cutting back on his food and maintaining a good level of exercise should go along way to counteracting this.
3. As with all surgical procedures there is some level of risk but these days with modern techniques this is very minimal.
4. While I cannot really get my head round this some owners are concerned that their dog will look different for these folks there is the possibility of testicular implants to maintain your dog’s post surgery appearance.
Those are the facts so all you need do now is to weigh things up for yourself. You can read a similar article on spaying female dogs : The pros and cons of spaying female dogs
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