Neutering Question

Oliver is just a year old and is scheduled to be neutered tomorrow. My wife is all for it but I'm on the fence. I have a couple of questions.

1.Oliver still has anxiety, do you think this will calm him down a bit? Being that he has this anxiety he doesn't like to be "handled"... he loves to be scratched and held...but try to "examine" him and he's off and running.......I'm worried about the recovery that he won't let us apply anything to him.

2. I've read that he could gain weight after this......he really is all muscle right now.......what have you folks experienced with this bread?

I know that some would say it's the responsible thing to do but it just doesn't seem natural...and why is it responsible? There is no risk of him mating, he's our only dog and is leashed when walked. At the dog park I monitor him constantly.

Thanks
Steve

Comments

  • edited November -1
    1) You shouldn't need to apply anything. You just want to keep him from licking. It really should not have too much impact on his anxiety. Especially assuming that you have been doing work with a behaviorist.

    2)As long as you are feeding him properly and keeping him active, he should be fine. You should have nothing to worry about.

    Neutering him is a wise choice.

    Best of luck to him for a quick recovery.
  • edited November -1
    I don't know if you have read any of BradA1878's threads about his in-tact males and females, but if you have you should know that an intact male can go CRAZY if they get a whif of a female in heat. This is why he boards females during their heats, so the in-tact males don't go nuts trying to get to them. It is VERY hard for a male to resist the scent of a female in heat and I have even heard of dogs trying to jump through closed windows to get to them.

    Here is some other info I pulled from the interwebz...

    WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS TO THE DOG?

    There are several health benefits to neutering. One of the most important concerns the prostate gland, which under the influence of testosterone will gradually enlarge over the course of the dog's life. In age, it is likely to become uncomfortable, possibly being large enough to interfere w/defecation. The prostate under the influence of testosterone is also predisposed to infection which is almost impossible to clear up without neutering. Neutering causes the prostate to shrink into insignificance thus preventing both prostatitis as well as the uncomfortable benign hyperplasia (enlargement) that occurs with aging. It is often erroneously held that neutering prevents prostate cancer but this is not true.

    Other health benefits of neutering include the prevention of certain types of hernias and tumors of the testicles and anus. Excessive preputial discharge is also reduced by neutering.

    Myths About Spaying/Neutering
    Some people don’t want to spay or neuter their dog because they have heard about some bad “side effects” of the surgery, or because they have picked up some mistaken ideas along the way. There are a number of myths about spaying and neutering. Here are a few of the most common, and the truth about each.

    Altering makes a dog fat. Spaying or neutering at the youngest possible age—before the dog has reached sexual maturity—generally has no effect whatsoever on weight. Dogs who undergo the surgery after reaching sexual maturity may show an increased appetite because altering affects hormone balance. However, dogs who are fat are usually fat because they are fed too much and/or do not get enough exercise.

    Altering makes a dog lazy. Neutering reduces a male dog’s desire to roam (often over long distances) to find female dogs in heat, and altering can somewhat reduce a dog’s energy level. Altering does not make dogs lazy. Altered dogs are as playful and energetic as intact dogs.

    Altering changes a dog’s personality. The only personality changes that result from spaying or neutering are the positive changes described above—no roaming, less tendency to mark territory, and less aggression. Aside from these changes, your dog will be no less like himself than humans are after undergoing vasectomy or oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries).

    My dog has a right to experience sex. Sex, for a dog, is nothing more than the result of a powerful instinctive drive to reproduce. People who worry about this issue are usually over-identifying with their dog. This is an excuse often presented by men, who cringe at the very idea of castration—even though it is a painless surgical procedure being performed on their dog, not on them.

    It’s a good thing for our children to see the miracle of birth. Bringing more puppies into a world already overburdened with thousands of homeless dogs is not the best way to show your children the birth process. You can show them videos or even let them witness live human births on the internet. You might also want to consider that if you allow your dog to have puppies so that your children can observe the miracle of birth, you should also take your children to an animal shelter, so they can observe the sad results—the thousands of dogs who are killed every day because no one will give them a home.

    Top 10 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Dog

    Altered dogs, on average, live longer, healthier lives.
    Female dogs spayed before their first birthday are 99.9 percent less likely to develop reproductive cancer.
    Altered dogs behave better and are more focused on training.
    You’ll stop overpopulation. One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in just six years.
    You’ll stop homelessness. Only one in four dogs find a permanent, loving home.
    You’ll stop the killings. More than eight million surplus dogs and cats are destroyed each year because there are not enough homes for them. Taxpayers pick up the tab to the tune of $300 million.
    Eighty percent of dogs struck by vehicles are unaltered males.
    The majority of dog bites to postal carriers are from unaltered male dogs.
    Pet licensing fees are lower in cost for altered dogs in many cities and countries.
    Thanks to improved surgical and anesthesia equipment and techniques, you can spay a female or neuter a male as early as 8 weeks of age. Don’t hesitate.
  • edited November -1
    I was speaking with Vet friend and I asked about weight gain post neuter. This is being re-evaluated more carefully as a more critical time in growth, and yes, neutering is best for exclusively pets. She mentioned that halving the amount of feed directly after the neuter (I don't know for how many days or weeks), is being shown to reduce the chances of the post neuter weight gain for some hormonal reason, which is what we sometimes see in young animals that are neutered at 6 months and then balloon afterwards. Oliver has completed the majority of his growth already at 1 year, so that is in his favor and if you wish, you could increase the amount of protein in his diet and reduce the protion sizes in the days directly following his surgery.

    I wish I had a direct reference for this other than another person's professional opinion, but she cited some Iams or Purina study out of a recent journal. Maybe somebody else has heard this? One of my worries with intact pet dogs getting loose, is that whack jobs can and do find them and use them to start backyard breeding ops in the hope of turning a buck.
  • edited November -1
    1.Oliver still has anxiety, do you think this will calm him down a bit? Being that he has this anxiety he doesn't like to be "handled"... he loves to be scratched and held...but try to "examine" him and he's off and running.......I'm worried about the recovery that he won't let us apply anything to him.
    >Recovery generally consists of administering pain pills and keeping the cone on for at least 7-10 days
    Neutering will only calm his anxiety if its caused by testosterone.

    2. I've read that he could gain weight after this......he really is all muscle right now.......what have you folks experienced with this bread?
    >As long as you keep his feeding and exercise schedule, he should be the same dog he was before the neuter


    I 100% understand your sentiments. I too always feel slightly awful for spaying/neutering. I've come to the conclusion that the reason I feel awful is because we are altering them for a reason that is NOT their fault. Its a human mistake that leads to over population of pet animals and a human mistake that leads to misbehaved and frustrated pets. It is for this reason though, a dog living in a human's world, that pets should always be neutered at a time when you and your vet feel is appropriate. Being allowed to naturally mature and grow until he was a year is going to do wonders for him, but if now is the time to neuter him - do not feel guilty, we have to do it as responsible dog owners. But its not Oliver's fault.
  • edited November -1
    Well stated Jen!

    Hi Steve, I have never had a male dog, but I do have my insights on weight issues after neuter/spay. Basically it's in their human's hands. The amount of food comsuption and exercise is totally dependent on the owner. They may get hungrier as a result of the hormones adjusting, but perhaps give them a "low cal" healthy treat instead of a milkbone, etc. We have to keep our Shiba on the thinner side b/c of her knees, so she gets carrots or blueberries instead of milkbones should she get hungry inbtwn meals. The family cat, a male, is huge after neutering, but that's b/c my parents don't monitor exactly how much he's given, and he's an indoor cat. He just turned 15 so I doubt some weight gain after neutering is going to harm an animal, aside from asthetics.
  • edited November -1
    I am kind've going through the same second guessing right now. Koda's neuter is scheduled for the 25th, and I have had my doubts about if this is the right thing to do for him, but I'm going to keep the appointment. My fear too is that his anxiety will get worse after neuter, but in my mind I know that rationally it will not. I'm actually hoping that it will help him with less testosterone in his system. His fears/guarding/anxiety have become an issue the last couple weeks and I'm thinking that it may partly be because his testosterone levels are going up.

    I have always neutered my male dogs that were my pets/companions. I have grown up with at least 10 male studs in the home that were used for breeding. Brad posted something on one of his threads last week about Marian from Classy Kennels saying that neutered males are the best companions, and when I think about it yes my neutered males were better companions than the breeding males. I'm just holding onto that thought.

    But it's easy to feel guilty when you are making such an important decision for them. I wouldn't worry about weight gain and anxiety. He will be fine.
  • edited November -1
    Thanks everybody.....I appreciate all your concerns and comments.

    So it looks like it's on for tomorrow, there really doesn't seem to be a down side to this because Oliver is a family pet and I don't intend to breed him.

    What brought this on was we had him groomed and the groomer said that he needed to be neutered. She said the female dogs were driving him crazy while he was there and he wouldn't behave at all. At home he is very well behaved but still jumps at different sharp noises. He's not really good at paying attention when we try to train him on different things.....lol..... but he doesn't chew on things that aren't his and doesn't get himself into trouble.

    He loves to play and like I said, he's all muscle.....I take him for walks twice a day, play in the yard and in the house all the time....he loves to run. I've never seen a dog jump so high from standing still... he jumps straight up to catch the toy.....it's crazy!!!

    So I just wanted to make sure that this wouldn't change him negatively.

    Thanks again,
    Steve
  • edited November -1
    He's going to be the same dog. The only difference is the ladies won't drive him nuts! :-}
  • edited November -1
    Neutered boys can and will breed the girls. No pups will result, but some are still willing and are able to do the physical deed.


    Phil
  • edited September 2009
    I disagree on a few points and have some info to the contrary.

    1. Aggression. I had my Shiba done at 2 years as a result of sudden (mistaken) aggression. The surgery fixed it, but later I found....so could have retraining. We left for 3 weeks and the people watching him couldn't handle a dominant animal so he became the boss. When we returned and I challenged him (off the sofa)...he took up his boss role. I 've seen him slightly revert on a 1 week vacation, but I brought him back around.

    2. Weight gain. I was worried about having a puffy runt myself, but afterwarrds, he actually seems thinner or leaner than before.

    3. Personality. After the procedure, he became very protective of the yard....becoming vocal and very physical toward outside dogs crossing the area. This was never exhibited before.

    4. Stinky chink (JP for penis). He still leaks and leaves those lovely metallic smelling spots around

    5. Running. He still runs as fast and as far as he deems fit. Being fixed did not fix his fixation on fleeing.

    6. One absolute plus. He had a bed wetting problem. Kinda. It was a sexual relief problem really ad he was completely unaware of it at night as he would wake up being wet himself. This problem was fixed.

    Would I do it again? No. Between the cost to my wallet (200usd) and the really only one positive result it had....I wouldn't do again. I'm not planning to do it to my Akita. The saddest part about the Shiba is, I can't produce another from him.

    As to your "anxiety" problems. Hang in there. My knudge took about 1.5 years to REALLy warm up to me. Hes still very about himself and what he wants, but he will sit with you quietly now and is actually enjoying being scratched under the chin and neck.
  • edited September 2009
    Behavior varies from dog to dog, but neuter should not inherently change what Oliver is mentally.

    ---------

    Yes the act of breeding can happen for those formerly used for breeding and then altered as I am told by others. I have not observed that though. It probably is less common for a dog that is neutered, BEFORE ever being bred.

    Some of the rescues that have been out and about to wonder and mate can take a little longer to calm down after neuter. Our current vet has indicated that with any dog the hormones can circulate in the system for a month or so after surgery so the animal may still exhibit posturing and mating behaviors during that time.
    ---------

    Snf
  • edited November -1
    Sniperx- No offense, but your Shiba doesn't really sound like so much of a good dog to breed from given the issues you describe. Why would you be sad about not being able to replicate that?

    The smegma (the drops from the sheath): the presence of an odor and excess amount can indicate an infection. Neutering does not remove the presence of smegma-it is the body's natural cleaning process and neutered dogs can still leave a drop or 2 every now and again but not usually as much.
  • edited November -1
    Smegma. Thats a fun word..

    My male has been neutered for over 2 years and occasionally we notice that metallic smell, but its very few and far between and not particularly strong.
  • edited November -1
    Well. Oli is at the vet now to be neutered...he was scared and I felt bad but it will be done today.

    Steve
  • edited November -1
    I am sure you both will be fine soon. Sending good thoughts.
  • edited November -1
    Aw, good luck to Oliver and a smooth recovery.
  • edited November -1
    Sending happy thoughts to Oliver and you. He will be just fine. Keep us updated once you hear how the surgery went.
  • edited November -1
    Good Luck today Oliver and family! Im sure everything will go great!

    Lots of healing vibes coming your way!
  • edited November -1
    I don't agree with the poor choice of dog comment. His desire to run won't necessarily be passed on. His more serious problem, territory protection, only emerged AFTER he was fixed.


    Eh, if dogs weren't meant to have balls, they wouldn't have been born with them (don't hink that would really work would it?).
  • edited November -1
    Back to Oliver,

    How is he feeling?
  • edited November -1
    Hopefully Oliver is home recovering and doing well! Miso was up and running the day after his neuter. I think the hardest part was trying to keep a 6 month old Shiba CALM... :)

    Hoping for an Oliver update soon!
  • edited November -1
    Here's to a speedy recovery for Oli...btw, how has his battle with Giardia been?
  • edited November -1
    Sending healing vibs to Oliver for a quick recovery.

    Snf
  • edited November -1
    Happy healing, Oliver! My one male had a huge fit for weeks and my other one thought he'd spent a day at the spa. Hopefully Oli acts more similarly to the latter :)
  • edited November -1
    So how is Mr. Oliver? Hopefully everything went smoothly and he is home relaxing. :)
  • edited November -1
    How is Oli doing? What no embarassing shaved pics?
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