Dog Neuter

    Neutering or Castration the surgical removal of the testicles through and incision just forward from the scrotum. Each one of the testicular cord is tied off  and cut.  The skin incision may or may not have stitches. Neutering can be performed at any age over age 8 weeks.  Dogs neutered before puberty (generally age 6 months) tend to grow a bit bigger than dogs neutered after  puberty (testosterone is involved in the causing bones to stop growing so without testosterone the bones stop growing later). Neutering can also be performed in the geriatric patient should the prostate gland become enlarged and the best medical decision be to shrink it. 

There are several health benefits to neutering.  One of the most important concerns the prostate gland, which under the influence of testosterone will gradually enlarge over the course of the dog’s life. In age, it is likely to become uncomfortable, possibly being large enough to interfere with defecation.  The prostate under the influence of testosterone is also predisposed to infection which is almost impossible to clear up without neutering. Neutering causes the prostate to shrink into insignificance thus preventing both prostatitis as well as the uncomfortable benign hyperplasia (enlargement) that occurs with aging.  Other health benefits of neutering include the prevention of certain types of hernias and tumors of the testicles and anus.  Excessive preputial discharge is also reduced by neutering.

After surgery the scrotum is often swollen in the first few days , leading some people to wonder if the procedure was really performed. If the dog is immature at the time of neutering, the empty scrotum will flatten out as he grows. If he is mature at the time of neuter, the empty scrotum will remain as a flap of skin. Sometimes the incision is mildly bruised but this is not unduly sore for the dog and pain relief is almost never necessary post neuter. Most male dogs are eager to play by the day after surgery but, to keep the incision intact, it is best to restrict the dog from excessive activity.

Cryptorchidism is a condition in which one or both testicles is/are undescended .This testicles have an  increased tendency to grow tumors over descended testicles. They may also twist on their stalks and cause life-threatening inflammation.  For these reasons, neutering is recommended for dogs with undescended testicles. This procedure is more complicated than a routine neuter; the missing testicle can be under the skin along the path it should have descended to the scrotum or it may be inside the abdomen. Some exploration may be needed to find it thus there is often an incision for each testicle. The retained testicle is sterile and under-developed. If there is one descended testicle, this one will be fertile but since retaining a testicle is a hereditary trait, it is important that the male dog not be bred.