Surgical castration (orchiectomy) in the male dog can be carried out around the age of nine months, although it is up to the vet to determine and advise on the best time to carry it out.
This is a routine operation that causes infertility in the subject by removing the testicles where testosterone and sperm are produced. After all the tests have been completed, the dog should be fasted for twelve hours, and before the operation the intestines should be kept clean, go to the vet who will prepare the dog for the operation. The area to be treated will be shaved and kept disinfected and protected, and then total anaesthesia will be carried out, which will be monitored to the maximum!
One testicle will be removed at a time, after the spermatic cord has been severed, the surgeon will remove the testicles and close the wound (this in brief….). The dog should then be kept from fatigue for about ten days, not stressed, an Elizabethan collar should be worn to prevent licking and the dog should be kept under observation.
Neutering is carried out especially if we are in the presence of bitches in heat where our friend will react with restlessness by running away from home, mounting pillows and soft toys, peeing in the house, marking the territory.
We can see that with this intervention these types of behaviour are eliminated and reduced, they tend to be calmer, not howling and marking less.
Another factor in which surgery is recommended is when there are testicular and prostate tumours or perianal fistulas and retained testicles (cryptorchidism). However, in the absence of testosterone production, the dog will tend to be more alert to the dangers around him and to have aggressive attitudes towards anyone! The risk of obesity is also favoured, but an adequate diet with less frequent and lighter meals with kibble for neutered dogs is sufficient, and there are many different types on the market.
Less well known but equally valid as an alternative to surgical castration are vasectomy (closure of the ducts and spermatozoa outside the testicles the subject maintains the production of male hormones and his behaviour) and chemical castration. The latter, also known as pharmacological castration, does not last long but is a temporary solution. Desloreline is the drug that is administered in mature, healthy subjects and acts by blocking the production of the male hormone testosterone. It is injected with a syringe under the skin at the base of the neck by the vet. Infertility occurs within six weeks of administration and lasts for a period of six months. Neutersol is another type of drug that sterilises the dog permanently but is injected into the testicles causing infertility within three to thirty days. The injections are administered without sedation by the vet. The dog remains intact while retaining its testicles and its behaviour!
Drugs that last for six months can be removed when they have finished their effect surgically, and then you have to be careful about unwanted mating. Whether we use surgical or chemical castration, it would be a good idea to wait for complete sexual maturity before proceeding with any intervention! Obviously it is up to the breeder, the private individual and the vet to assess when to proceed by consulting the general picture of the dog.
Kennels make it compulsory to sterilise adopted and stray dogs by law. The number and capacity of these places are limited and overcrowding can cause the spread of infectious diseases, so an orchiectomy is a must!
The biggest recommendation is to stop breeding dogs when it is dangerous to do so. Elderly dogs with suboptimal semen quality, dogs with serious malformations, dogs with hereditary defects, etc. should be discarded, and in such cases there are good reasons for neutering, and our friend should not be offended by this!!!!!!!