[JulieS]

I've only had bitches before.  I now have Hector the 6 month old Basset Hound.

When I first got him and took him for a vet check they advised me to have him castrated at 6 months.  I called to book him in and another vet has advised me to wait until he is a year to 18 months old.


Does anyone have any advice/ideas?

Many thanks.

Julie.

[knightquest]

Personally, I would wait until 18 months. You need to let the dog get his hormones circulating and they haven't by 6 months.

We have four male dogs together by the way 

Ian

[JulieS]

Many thanks Ian.

I'm in no rush.  Just wanted to make sure I am doing the right thing for Hector.   

[doganjo]

Many thanks Ian.

I'm in no rush.  Just wanted to make sure I am doing the right thing for Hector.   

Some vets are absolute idiots!  If you neuter an animal before it has reached the equivalent of puberty in humans it will not reach it's full potential in conformation. Simple as that!

[JulieS]

Thanks Annie.  I did think that 6 months seemed young.  Thank goodness I spoke to the other vet too.

Hector keeps his bits for a year 

[Sylvia]

Is there a particular reason to castrate him at all?

[JulieS]

A very good question Sylvia.   

Only that I don't want to breed from him, and it was recommended by the original vet.......And only having had bitches before I just assumed it was the 'right' thing to do.

[doganjo]

If you don't want to breed from or if you don't want him causing an unwanted litter (for instance if he gets away from you accidentally)  then have him castrated.  I don't normally castrate my boys - I may want to use them at stud (bobtail gene in my lines).  IT is NOT necessarily the right thing to do.  If a dog shows aggression or highly excitable prior to the 6 month age then sometimes it can sort that out - but there has never been any documented proof of it working every time.  I spay my bitches usually when they get to around 7 or 8, to help prevent illness in later life.  I have left my older bitch too long - 10, and she has developed another mammary gland tumour, as well as having had a couple removed at the same time as being spayed!

[JulieS]

Do hope your girl is OK Annie.

[doganjo]

Do hope your girl is OK Annie.

Thanks Julie, she's not showing any symptoms or illness.  The others were non malignant, and we did know this ione was growing so we'll just wait and see what happens meantime.

[JulieS]

So pleased to hear it isn't causing her any problems.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it turns out to be like the others.

[JulieS]

Hector in one of his rare quiet moments.   

[Hopewell]

If you neuter an animal before it has reached the equivalent of puberty in humans it will not reach it's full potential in conformation. Simple as that!

I think the scientific evidence is a little less straightforward. Whilst neutering prior to puberty will inevitably mean that the external sexual organs ie vulva or penis will remain infantile, the growth plates in the bones will be delayed in closing and therefore the animal will be bigger.

There is also good evidence that early spaying of bitches prevents health problems such as mammary tumours and therefore bitches would be expected to live longer. The evidence on health issues in male dogs is more complicated in that although they do receive health benefits from castration, if risk analyses are done comparing health benefit to risk of surgery, the dog would need an anticipated life expectancy of about 16 years before the benefit of castration was warranted. There has only been one extensive study on this and that was the conclusion. The study didn't consider behavioural issues.

[SallyintNorth]

Hector is beautiful, JulieS!

A friend has two Bassets; Hector is almost the spitting image of the older one (in his younger days.)  He had both castrated on veterinary advice at 6 months and both have infantile willies and have never really grown up.  Neither had shown any testosterone-related behaviours and I never did know why the vet thought they should be castrated so young.

I was always told that 10 months was the earliest, 12-18 months better unless the dog is showing lots of testosterone-related behaviours.  (In which case I guess it is already mature enough, huh.)

My first dog (that was mine as an adult, not the family pet) was a rescue Alsatian (as they were then) cross Lab (we think, being a rescue you can't be sure) and I got him at about a year old.  He was always an absolute delight with all living creatures except with other male dogs, who he always wanted to subjugate.  A male vet friend put me off having him castrated, telling me to try anti-testosterone injections to see what the impact would be, before taking the plunge.  I did try the injections and the dog was practically comatose for a month - no interest in anything except lying in front of the fire, and food.  So I didn't have him castrated, just developed tactics to handle his aggression with other male dogs.  Eventually, partly because I worked away from home a lot and friends looked after the dog and my cats, and the friends were not so good at handling the aggression towards other male dogs, the problem became something I had to get fixed.  So I got him castrated.  I was told that, as he was a fully mature dog, it may take a long time to have an effect and that it may not have as full an effect as I would hope, because in dogs some of the testosterone is manufactured in the kidneys.  The proportion and amount varies from dog to dog.  Sure enough, there was little change for many months, but gradually he did become less aggressive with other male dogs and after about a year he was mostly quite manageable - although you did always have to be alert to doggy body language, and call him away if another male was getting a bit uppity with him.

Since then I always had all my male dogs castrated and bitches spayed when I got them (or at 14+ months for dogs, 7+ months for bitches if I got them younger) until I started having working collies.  I was told that a castrated male would be less keen to work and so left my boys entire.

Ted, who became my farming partner's working dog on my previous farm and so stayed on that farm, was aggressive with other male dogs and that is how I came to have him - no-one else could manage him as he fought all the other working male dogs.  He and Skip did fight if the opportunity arose, but Ted was so much better a fighter it rarely lasted long, although Skip did have a few sessions getting TLC and sympathy in front of the fire... 

I have since had to have Skip castrated as his testicles had never descended and the vet was worried that that gave him an increased risk of cancer in them.  So we had them out a year ago.  He is definitely less energetic than he was before, and puts on weight very very easily, but his desire for and willingness to work is undiminished.  He is actually a better sheepdog for it, as he has calmed down a little and listens better.  (Of course I could have achieved the same effect by my being a better sheepdog handler!  Or perhaps I am becoming a better sheepdog handler, and it's nothing to do with his castration...  )

I have not had Dot spayed as I may yet want a litter from her - she is a tremendous worker and any 'spare' pups would be snapped up for working and/or trialling homes - but thanks for reminding me, Annie, that at some point I should think about getting her spayed for her own long-term health.  (She's not 4 yet.)

So I think my take on it is that all pet dogs, unless specifically required for breeding, should be neutered at an appropriate age.  I would not be frightened now to castrate a working dog or spay a young working bitch if there was a reason and I definitely did not want to breed from them. 

[JulieS]

Many, many thanks for all your comments.  Definitely worth asking any question on this forum....Isn't it great