male neutering

[Anonymous]

Hi

My 15 month old boy is extremely boisterous but also a bit of an escapologist. We have had to check all the garden thoroughly, if he could find the smallest gap he would be out and off down the road at every opportunity (looking for ladies i presume!! ).

I have been told that if I have him castrated this will calm him down and stop him wanting to roam. Is this true? Has anyone else had the same problem? If i do have him 'done' what other difference could it make to him?

Any advice much appreciated.

Nicky                    

[Anonymous]

Sorry. Just realised i put my questions under the wrong heading!!! Its nothing to do with grooming                    

[Jane S]

Not a problem Nicky - I've moved you to Behaviour As to whether castration will curb your boy's escapologist tendencies, it may do but don't bank on it. We had a bitch once who was always trying to go walkabout, digging under fences & the like & in her case, it was for the sheer fun of it - she certainly wasn't after any boys One suggestion would be to try "chemical castration" ie a hormone injection which mimics the effects of neutering & would tell you whether the operation is likely to have the effect you want. This injection generally lasts for around 3 weeks - long enough to see if your boy does calm down & stop his wandering ways. Ask your vet about this - the hormone injection used is called "Tardak"

If you opt for neutering, then possible side effects are a thicker, woollier coat & a tendency to put on weight (though this can be countered by feeding a low calorie diet)

Jane                    

[Pammy]

I had my boy "tardak'd" on Tuesday - not for wandering - he doesn't do that - but to try and curb his excessive jealousy against my younger boy. The beauty is that you can see if it will solve your problem before embarking on the road of no return that may not solve your problem anyway.

I'll let you all know how Jasper goes on over the coming few weeks. You might like to see how it goes for us Nicky.

Pam n the boys                    

[Michele]

Can I just ask out of interest if there is a female equivalent to Tardak?                    

[Anonymous]

thanks Pam. I would like to know how Jasper gets on, it may help with my decision. I wouldnt want to put him through an operation if it isnt going to make any difference, I dont think he'd thank me for it!!

Nicky (& Charlie)                    

[Pammy]

Michelle - I believe their is a femal equivalent - but bitch owners arenot keen on it. I'm sure jane will know more and enlighten you.

Pam n the boys

PS day three and no difference yet!!                    

[Michele]

Thanks Pam, this afternoon I booked Georgia in to be spayed later this month as she'll be mid season by then. That will only leave one entire bitch in the house (Neneh), so hopefully Otis won't get too upset when she comes in.
I was just curious as Tardak gives a good indicator for owners of male dogs, and wondered about owners with problematic bitches. I hope this makes sense, I can't think or type straight this afternoon.                    

[Jane S]

There are hormone injections for bitches but they're not really like the Tardak injections & I've not heard of them being used in the way Tardak is used ie to test whether neutering would cure certain behavioural problems. With bitches, hormone injections can be used to delay a bitch coming into season or to stop a season once its begun. We have done this a couple of times (once when we were moving house & didn't want one of our bitches in season when she had to go into kennels) but it's not something I would want to do regularly as there is evidence that these injections can affect fertility & can also increase the risk of a bitch developing pyometra, but they can be useful now & again

Jane                    

[Michele]

Thanks Jane, I know of the hormone injection to delay a season. I was just curious to know if there was anything to help owners with grumpy bitches (that sounds awful). Perhaps bitches are just more level headed than dogs (yeah right)                    

[Jane S]

Hey, it's a girl's right to be grumpy  Seriously, if you mean bitches that are grumpy before/during/after a season, no I haven't come across anything to cure that yet, though there is a drug available for phantoms now called Galastop which is meant to reduce symptoms like depression & grumpiness - haven't had to try that yet so don't know how effective it is                    

[Michele]

I was thinking more on the lines of behavioural problems. But then little girlies should know better really                    

[*Jay*]

There isn't a female equivalent to Tardak - the delvosterone injection only puts off a season. Maybe the boffins will get onto it soon Like Jane says, it shouldn't be used constantly as it will mess up the bitches reproductive system but I do know a few people who do use it all the time. So michele, are you going to have another bitch going out with her full winter wardrobe in a few months                    

[Michele]

So michele, are you going to have another bitch going out with her full winter wardrobe in a few months

Hi Gill,
Georgia has been clipped anyway for quite some time now, so it won't make any difference to grooming her. I just feel its fairer on Otis as Georgia always comes in season a few days after Neneh, and imagine the poor boy with 2 Flirty Gertie's to contend with
She also has very occasionally (about once a year at the moment) had an epileptic fit and as fluid levels rise when a season approaches, it can increase the chances of her having further fits. By the way she won't be having a Pre Med for that reason                    

[angelad]

I had my boy "tardak'd" on Tuesday - not for wandering - he doesn't do that - but to try and curb his excessive jealousy against my younger boy. The beauty is that you can see if it will solve your problem before embarking on the road of no return that may not solve your problem anyway.

I'll let you all know how Jasper goes on over the coming few weeks. You might like to see how it goes for us Nicky.

Pam n the boys

I'd be interested to know how it went Pam as I am thinking about this for Cooper. Does it really give you a clear indication? I don't want to put him through the op if it is not going to benifit him in any way.