We all know that in spite of the fact that Vets stoler their spot in Vet School, breeders know more than they do.

Neutering Your Male Dog: How To Make Life Bearable For A Male Dog

Canine/Dog Neuters

Here’s a fact:  Neutered male dogs may gain weight. So, after the surgery, it’s not a bad idea to change to an adult, or less active formulation of dog food after neuter.

If you neuter your dog, he’ll turn Sissy, and won’t guard your home. In fact, he’ll hate you forever; and will probably run away.

That’s absolute bull, but people believe that.

Neutered male dogs don’t forget their territories, and I could show you a few dogs (neutered Akitas) that could tear up any intact male dog around.

We all know that in spite of the fact that Vets stole their spot in Vet School, breeders know more than they do.
We all know that in spite of the fact that Vets stole their spot in Vet School, breeders know more than they do.

If you have a beloved dog, and you want to avoid later prostate problems, stop roaming behavior, and you’re embarrassed by his “leg-jockey” routine, then neutering should be considered. Intact male dogs can make awesome pets, don’t get me wrong, and it’s imperative that you run this advice past a breeder because as we have all been told, breeders know WAY more about pets than veterinary doctors.  But read on patiently. I’ll fumble through it.

When we neuter a dog, we anesthetize him, and surgically remove his testes.

He goes home with an incision, but usually with no external sutures. The wound is closed from the inside to eliminate his chewing at the line.

We recommend that his exercise be very restricted for 3 days post operatively, but that’s it. They’re as good as new within the week.

What can you expect?

1) The dog will never have Prostate problems: Hyperplasia or Cancer.

2) The dog is also unlikely to develop Perianal Adenomas, which are dependent upon testosterone for their growth, and arenot uncommon in intact geriatric dogs.

3) The dog will stop playing leg-jockey with your guests.

4) The dog will quit roaming as much.

5) The dog would still eat the postman if he did before neutering. You see, their sense of territory is undiminished. It is only their rivalrous (gender) behavior that you curtail.

6) The dog makes short work of the lawn watering routine. Instead of marking 27 different trees, he goes out, and comes back in. This is a good thing come mid-February at about 3 A.M.

7) Some aggressive behavior associated with male-dominance is curtailed by neuter, but this cannot be relied upon. Most dogs maintain their demeanor, good or bad, after neuter.

Neutering isn’t a joke. You should do it for the health of your pet, and for the population at large.

A former iteration of this page held that a neuter would be $80 and I apologize for that because the inclusive cost is weight dependent and on average is $150 depending on weight.

Please schedule with our office. All animals submitted for surgery should be immunized against the important diseases facing their respective species. For dogs, that’s Rabies and Distemper-Parvo immunization. They can be admitted the same day on an empty stomach. Dogs go home the same day they’re neutered.

Dr Erik Johnson is a Marietta, Georgia Veterinarian with a practice in small animal medicine. He graduated from University of Georgia with his Doctorate in 1991. Dr Johnson is the author of several texts on Koi and Pond Fish Health and Disease as well as numerous articles on dog and cat health topics.