hi everyone. thank you so much for your responses. can you describe the pros and cons for getting him done please? i've researched and most people recommend castration. what are the bad side effects on getting this done? he does 'mark' outside a lot and a bit of a roamer! x x x x x
I think we’ve all been faced with the question at some time or other. There are lots of dogs on here who have been castrated and lots that haven‘t, for all sorts of reasons and the strength of the arguments as to the pros and cons depend very much on the situation.
I can therefore only list the fors and againsts as they apply to us, based on the information which I‘ve gathered along the way (in some cases only read, not experienced!). Apparently castration, if done too early, can affect growth, some argue that it could cause anxiety and lack of confidence. It can affect the coat making it thicker and woollier and more difficult to manage, it can also cause weight gain. Castration is an operation carried out under anaesthetic and there are always some risks, albeit extremely low. Castration affects the hormone balance, obviously, and that can have both positive and negative effects. However on the plus side, a castrated dog is less likely to run off after bitches in season, some dogs suffer badly when bitches in the neighbourhood are in season, becoming restless, pining and not eating etc. Living with an uncastrated dog in a neighbourhood with a lot of other dogs or having to walk where there are also a lot of dogs can therefore be difficult for both dog and owner. With regards to marking, I‘m not convinced that castration will successfuly stop it infact I‘m not even certain if any behaviour issues are guaranteed, it very much depends on the individual dog. For the record, I live in a quiet rural area and so don‘t have many of the problems others do, so Humphrey‘s still entire, he does however still have one undescended testicle, which does pose a cancer risk so we have it monitord regularly but there is a possibility that it will have to be removed at some point. Whichever way you decide will be right for you and your dog but I would suggest you gather as much info you can first. There are some vets, (not all) who advise castration early and I know it is quite common but I would only have it done if there was a solid reason! Hope that helps, a bit!