Making the Right Choice for Your Dog – To Neuter or Not?

Whether or not to neuter your dog is a big question, which rightly deserves a lot of careful thought and consideration.

It’s not a small thing, or just a cosmetic procedure – it has a long-lasting impact on the life, health, and wellbeing of your dog.

When we talk about neutering (also referred to as getting the dog fixed), we’re talking about the procedures for both males and females, which are:

• Castration – The removal of the testicles from a male dog
• Spaying – The removal of the ovaries and often the uterus from a female dog

So, it absolutely makes sense that you’d need to diligently research what the procedure entails, the potential side effects or benefits, and whether it’s something you want to choose for your dog or not.

Here we’re going to discuss the various reasons why people do or don’t neuter their pets, the potential issues that can arise from either decision – and share with you the important information that will help you make an informed choice.

Is Dog Neutering a Common Practice Everywhere?

For the 2020/21 period, it was estimated that there were 12.5 million dogs in the UK, with 33% of households being home to at least one canine companion – and an estimated 71% had neutered their dogs as a preventative healthcare measure.

Whilst the general attitude towards neutering in the UK is largely for the procedure, this isn’t a global sentiment. In Norway for example, the Animal Protection Act (dyrevernloven, 1974) specifically prohibits neutering dogs – male or female without a medical or essential reason.

Torunn Knævelsrud, head of Section for Animal Welfare and Fish Health at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) stated that, “Neutering can never be a substitute for proper training of a dog,” and when asked about neutering outside of an emergency, replied that, “It’s not in the dog’s need, given that there are no medical considerations.”

There are a growing number of professionals, veterinarians, and scientists who are researching, investigating, and debating the issue of neutering dogs, and deciding that the procedure may not always be the best for the individual animal.

What Reasons Do People Have for Neutering Their Dogs?

There are a number of different reasons given by charitable organisations, such as the Dogs Trust, and veterinarians for why the procedure is important, these include:

• Behavioural Change – It is suggested that a neutered dog will be calmer, have more predictable behaviours, and be less likely to mark territory, or roam in search of a mate.
  One study suggested that neutering reduced the roaming behaviour of dogs by 90%, aggression in males by 62%, mounting behaviour by 80%, and urine marking by 62%.
  
  
• Health Issues – There are some health issues associated with pregnancy, as well as some cancers and infections that neutering reduces or removes the threat of.
  A study found that in Norway, over 50% of female dogs suffer from malignant mammary cancer, and a separate Scandinavian study revealed that 25% of unspayed females developed ‘pyometra’ (an infected womb, a condition that has a mortality rate of between 4-17%).
  It’s not just female dogs affected by health issues either, testicular cancer in male dogs is the second most common cancer in canines, and this risk is eliminated upon castration.
  
  
• Financial Burdens – The Dogs Trust suggest that neutering of dogs can prevent unnecessary costs associated with unplanned pregnancies, and large vet bills associated with certain illnesses.

What Reasons Do People Have for Not Neutering Their Dogs?

Just as there are risks involved with not neutering your dog, there are also risks involved in having the procedure done.

From reports of certain types of cancer being more prevalent in neutered dogs, to abnormal bone growth and development due to the removal of testosterone or oestrogen during the dog’s puberty growth phase, and the risk of incontinence – neutering too early, or even at all, can come with significant health risks to the dog.

It has also been noted by some veterinary practitioners that the decision to neuter a dog should not be based on the hope they will become calmer. Very often, over-excited behaviour in pets is often caused by owners inadvertently encouraging it.

Aggression (particularly in male dogs) that is related to an underlying condition or emotional state will not be ‘fixed’ by castration – and the lowering of testosterone in the body may cause some male dogs to actually become more fearful and less confident, due to the reduction of testosterone in their systems.

In female dogs, removal of the ovaries can lead to a sudden drop in progesterone – which may trigger the release of prolactin and cause a phantom pregnancy to occur. This is considered more likely if a female dog has been spayed in the two months after a season but have been reported up to five months after one.

In the US, Benjamin Hart, a Professor at the University of California at the Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and his wife Lynette Hart, conducted a study on the ramifications of neutering in golden retrievers, which they later followed up with two additional papers examining Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds, in which they found an elevated risk of joint disorders, but not cancers, after early spaying and neutering. They concluded that the decision to neuter should be made on a case-by-case basis, even for dogs adopted out of shelters.

Are There Any Other Alternatives to Neutering a Dog?

There are different options available that are not as dramatic or permanent as neutering and could be considered as potential alternatives. These include:

• Tubal Ligation for Female Dogs: This essentially involves cutting off the supply of eggs from the female dog’s ovaries but maintains the flow of hormones from the organ. The Ovary Sparing Spay and Vasectomy Info Group state that this does seem to do the job, and most agree that the hormone production continues afterwards (as evidenced by signs of heat but with no bleeding), seasons and attractiveness to male dogs.
  
  
• Birth Control Pills – There are birth control pills available for female dogs (in either tablet or liquid form) which must be administered on a regular basis for a certain time (generally 30 days) before a heat occurs to be effective.
  
  However, some of these tablets have a range of side effects reported, from minor issues to significantly dangerous conditions, including: urinary infections, body odour, skin problems, liver damage, pyometra, mammary gland enlargement and cancers, diabetes mellitus, adrenal gland suppression, behavioural changes, and foetal defects (if administered to a pregnant animal).
  
  
• Chemical Castration – For male dogs, a chemical castration induces permanent sterility after an intra-testicular injection. This method ceases all hormone production, and recedes the testicles. It’s only suitable for dogs between three and ten months of age, and side effects can include pain in the scrotum, swelling and irritation, lethargy, diarrhoea, and in some rarer cases a decrease in the dog’s white cell count and anorexia. Chemical castration is still a relatively new method, and studies are still underway.
  
  
• Implants – There are devices available for males and females (although more widely available for male dogs, due to the implant inducing heat in females). These work by being inserted under the skin, and offer a temporary suppression of the sex hormones, similar to a human contraceptive implant.
  
  The two most common types are ‘Gonazon’ and ‘Suprelorin’ – at present with their in-house testing, they claim to have no adverse side-effects noted.
  
  These types of implant work by mimicking castration, impersonating the naturally occurring hormone ‘gonadotropin’ which then desensitises the gland which controls its production, causing (in male dogs) the testosterone levels to drop significantly, and for sperm to cease being produced.

Research on alternatives to neutering are still being considered and developed, with possibilities such as vaccines being discussed, although none are yet available on the market.

Whatever decision you decide to make for your dog, it’s important that you weigh up the individual quirks of your four-legged friend, their own health issues, the commonalities and conditions of the illnesses which occur in their specific breed, and make individual decisions based on their own needs – rather that the general rhetoric or ‘common sense’ that surrounds the neutering procedure.

Take everything into consideration, including the age of your pet, so you’re not running the risk of long-term or avoidable illness down the line. Also consider your home situation, for example if you choose to neuter your dog but live in a high stress environment, the lack of testosterone could make him less confident and scared – leading to wetting accidents, incidents of snapping (from being frightened) and finding his home life less suitable.

At the end of the day, the decision to neuter your dog is no substitute for a lack of training, and ensuring that your dogs are socialised, exercised, and kept mentally active with a range of activities. Dogs are incredibly instinctive, and can read human emotions, body-language and mental states surprisingly well – how many times have you seen it with your own dog? You’re having a bad day, and they’re all for kisses, or bringing you their favourite toy to make you feel better – because they know how you’re feeling.

But it works on the flip side as well; if you’re angry or aggressive, they will respond as such. Choosing to neuter your dog won’t fix this – because it’s not a hormonal issue, it’s a reaction to you. When you see people roaming around with ‘dangerous’ dogs, it’s hardly ever an issue with the dog (unless they have an underlying condition) – rather the dogs are reacting to the will of their ‘pack’ and behaving as their owners do.

If you decide to neuter your dog, you might find that they need distracting from licking at the site of the procedure or attempting to escape their cone of shame (if they’re wearing one). Long lasting dog chews such as cow tails or rabbit skin, and engaging toys can help keep them occupied –  if they’re feeling a bit more active, playing hide & seek type games with low-fat fruit and vegetable bites and training treats as a reward can occupy their mind.Utilising therapeutic fragrances such as lavender can aid in keeping them calm so they don’t do themselves a mischief.

Your dog counts on you to do the right thing for them, whether that’s a simple moment of fuss, dinner on time, or making the decision to neuter your dog or not – and we hope you’ve found the information here useful in directing you to the best possibilities for your pup.