To spay or not to spay?

Castration will surely solve the problem however neutering at very old age has bern connected with increased incidence if hypothyroidism. There is better option called Supralorin - its an implant that lasts for 6 months and stops the production of testosterone by disconnecting the signals from pineal gland. It may be an option in your case to stop the feedback loop with prostate. Or slow it down. I use it s lot in cases where owner is unsure how castration will affect the behaviour of the dog - sort of trial run before permanently removing the gonads.

Thanks for the information Deckard, I had not heard of this before and did some reading on the topic.

I understand how it could be useful to trial castration before doing so permanently, but as this implant has the same effect as surgical castration, could it not also cause hypothyroidism or other endocrine issues? If so, would stopping the treatment and starting testosterone production again, cause prostate issues?
 
After taking my dog to my Vet on Monday, she confirmed what I suspected and said that he has a perineal hernia caused by the prostate issue. As this will need surgical repair, it may be the best option to have castration done at the same time and only have him under anesthetic the one time.

She also said he is in good health otherwise, with a strong heart and should be able to handle the procedure well.
 
Big hug to you and wish a lot of good luck to your pooch. Hope everything will go well, and don't forget to update us. :hug2:
 
Thanks for the information Deckard, I had not heard of this before and did some reading on the topic.

I understand how it could be useful to trial castration before doing so permanently, but as this implant has the same effect as surgical castration, could it not also cause hypothyroidism or other endocrine issues? If so, would stopping the treatment and starting testosterone production again, cause prostate issues?
Not necesarily, in some dogs once you interrupt the feedback loop testosterone - prostate gland it doesn't reoccur, but there are no guaranties. Hypothyroidism is more likely once you permanently remove gonads.
 
Not necesarily, in some dogs once you interrupt the feedback loop testosterone - prostate gland it doesn't reoccur, but there are no guaranties. Hypothyroidism is more likely once you permanently remove gonads.

I see, thanks Deckard.
 
She also said he is in good health otherwise, with a strong heart and should be able to handle the procedure well.
At least that’s something, will01. Big hugs to you man, I hope it all goes well. Keep us posted and & let us know how it goes. Just as an aside, the Aussie Bush flower mob have Emergency essence (their version of rescue remedy) as a mist, which I use on my little pooch just near her collar.

:hug:
 
At least that’s something, will01. Big hugs to you man, I hope it all goes well. Keep us posted and & let us know how it goes. Just as an aside, the Aussie Bush flower mob have Emergency essence (their version of rescue remedy) as a mist, which I use on my little pooch just near her collar.

:hug:

Thanks Arwenn, I have to take him up next week and will let you know how he does.

Hope your pup is in good health and thanks for the tip about the remedy!
 
My dog has had his hernia repaired and the operation went very well. He was castrated at the same time and all the surgical wounds have healed nicely. The prostate issue seems to be resolved, with all bodily functions working as they should. His body hair that was shaved off is also getting some length back, which he will be very happy about as Winter approaches!

Unfortunately, we have a lot of fleas to deal with ATM and this is affecting his recovery. On top of this he also has a yeast problem which is proving very difficult to resolve, as I had to take him off most of his supplements prior to the surgery, just when he was making some progress.

Hopefully he will now be able to live out his days with no more major problems.
 
Hi everyone, I have read the entire thread but I still have doubts regarding the best course of action with doggies my family keep. I would be grateful if someone could offer some advice as I would like to make sure they have the best possible lives and the least possible harm done to them.

There are three doggies, a mommy who's about 10 and two 4-month-old babies of hers, a boy and a girl. The girls are small doggies, especially the baby one. The boy is much larger and stronger than both his mom and sister. We have two separate yards, the front yard where we normally spend time and a backyard where tools and equipment that doesn't get used often is kept. Currently, the two female doggies are with us in the front yard where all the fun is. They all love being around their humans a lot and they really dislike being in the back yard. If they're left in that area there's lots of crying and howling that sad doggie faces.

However, the male dog must be permanently separated from the girls. He's not only bigger than them, he clearly has no issue with incest, to put it diplomatically. His hormones must be at some really impressive levels as neither of the ladies are in heat. In order to protect the ladies from his advances we had to separate them by leaving Frankie in the backyard on his own. This means he's away from other doggies and from the people he's really attached to. He can see the front yard all the time and he stares longingly at it all the time, howling and barking often. I go and play with him a few times a day but it's nowhere near enough for that sweet, playful and super cuddly fella.

We've been talking about having him neutered to put a stop to the hormonal storm but from what I've read it's much too early for that. Yet the quality of his life isn't particularly good, it's heartbreaking to see him so unhappy.

My questions therefore are: what's the earliest we can safely have him neutered? What are the risks of doing it around now, at 4ish months of age? And what is the lesser fo two evils: having him live away from the ladies until he's old enough to be neutered? Or having him neutered now so he can join the ladies and his humans?
 
Last edited:
Il faudrait en parler à un vétérinaire en lui expliquant la situation, la castration est idéale mais si c'est trop tôt, il existe peut-être une piqûre pour le calmer en attendant qu'il ait l'âge pour être castrer...

It would be necessary to speak to a veterinarian explaining the situation, castration is ideal but if it is too early, there may be a shot to calm him until he is old enough to be castrated...
 
It would be necessary to speak to a veterinarian explaining the situation, castration is ideal but if it is too early, there may be a shot to calm him until he is old enough to be castrated...

Thank you Perlou :flowers: That's my problem, the veterinarian says it’s perfectly fine to neuter the doggie now but after reading the thread I’m not so sure. On the other hand, having him live in separation from other doggies and humans seems cruel too, it’s not a good quality of life.

If I was to choose between better quality of life and better health for myself, I’d choose the latter, so I’m leaning towards waiting a bit more, maybe until he’s one year old. But it’s heartbreaking to see him unhappy.
 
J'ai fait stériliser ma dernière petite chatonne à 4 mois et tout c'est bien passé mais c'était une fille...
Je prendrai conseils auprès d'autres vétérinaires pour voir ce qu'ils disent...
Etant donné la situation avec les petites filles, je le ferais castrer maintenant...

I had my last kitten spayed at 4 months old and everything went well but it was a girl...
I'll take advice from other vets to see what they say...
Given the situation with little girls, I would have him neutered now...
 
Four months is really young. I don't have much dog experience we are still learning from our first dog but I just wondered whether it is really sexually motivated or a behavior issue?

What Perlou suggested might be a good solution to give your family some time to think things through and try different approaches of arranging live with dogs. When our dog got into puberty we got him a hormone transplant that worked like a temporary castration. That gave us the chance to see what of his behavior was due to hormones and what were behavioral issues we had to solve by training. He was rather young too ( 6-7 months) but one of the vets I talked to said that small dogs (Terrier) hit puberty earlier. When the hormones wore off after about six months we had him neutered because we wanted to spare him the stress. and keep our own sanity.

All the best for you and the doggies!
 
His hormones must be at some really impressive levels as neither of the ladies are in heat. In order to protect the ladies from his advances we had to separate them by leaving Frankie in the backyard on his own.

If I was to choose between better quality of life and better health for myself, I’d choose the latter, so I’m leaning towards waiting a bit more, maybe until he’s one year old. But it’s heartbreaking to see him unhappy.

It depends on the breed, but normally the females are in heat no more than twice a year. Knowing the signs and timing of these heats, separate them from Frankie accordingly. Maybe an other solution, while waiting for the fateful moment!
 
Back
Top Bottom