Neutering dogs...

It's almost certain now that whenever anyone takes their dog, be it a puppy or older dog to the vet for a simple checkup or perhaps vaccinations, before they pay the bill and leave they'll be asked "shall I book fido in for neutering...?"

It's highly likely that if you already have a dog and apply to a "rescue" organisation to adopt another, you'll be politely but firmly refused if your existing dog hasn't been neutered.

So what is "neutering" and why is it so important? Having spent a good deal of time and effort over the last few years reviewing research into the subject, I'll set out here what I've found.

In this article I'll not be using words like "lady parts", "girly bits", "pinkie", "plums", "goolies", "balls", "crown jewels" or whatever, neither will I talk about "chopping them off", "losing his nuts", "de-balling him" and so on.

In my opinion, neutering is an extremely important issue which does involve mutilating† the dog. Therefore the least we can do is treat the matter seriously and properly understand our dog's anatomy, exactly what happens, what's involved and the possible outcomes, both positive and negative. So Please, if you're not sure of the correct names for the parts of your dog's body or you need or want to know more about the mechanics of reproduction, you might visit the Canine Reproduction article in Wikipedia. Alternatively, please do a google search for yourself or even have a look at the "Health & Welfare" page on this site, but do make sure you know your dog's body. It's important for their health and welfare and, to my mind, an essential part of being a responsible owner.

So, what exactly is "neutering"? Looking it up in Wikipedia, it is described as:

"....from the Latin neuter (of neither sex), is the removal of an animal's reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part. It is the most drastic surgical procedure with sterilizing purposes. The process is also referred to as castration for males and as spaying for females. Colloquially, it is often referred to as fixing."

So why would a dog owner consider having their dog castrated or spayed? There are a number of reasons. Some of those commonly put forward - and one or two that are a little more unusual are:
  • If you're adopting a dog in the UK you will almost certainly have no say in the matter. Most "rescue" or "welfare" organisations demand as part of the adoption process that you must in every case have the dog castrated/spayed if it is not already done by the time of adoption.
  • If you wish to adopt a dog, some "rescue" organisations, in the UK at least, now stipulate that any existing dogs in the home must also be neutered. They claim this proves to them you are a "responsible" owner
  • To prevent breeding and so adding to the "overpopulation" of dogs in the UK
  • It will prevent the (male) dog suffering from testicular cancer or the (female) dog from mamary tumours and/or pyometra
  • Behavioural reasons; It will reduce male aggression, "quieten" over-excitable dogs and generally improve their behaviour
  • To reduce the likelihood of the male dog roaming
  • Reduces the inclination of males "marking". (urinating in order to "mark" their territory)
  • Stop unwanted sexualised behaviour such as mounting and masturbation
  • Castration will stop the yellow/green discharge from his penis that I can't stand because it makes a mess on the carpet
  • It will stop him constantly licking his genitals (yes, these two really are given as reasons for surgery!!)
  • It is responsible pet ownership to have your dog neutered.

I'd like to go through those points in turn, focussing upon the male dog and castration. I'll deal with bitches and spaying later. What follows is my own view, but is based upon my trawls of the internet, much discussion and a fair bit of personal experience...

Firstly, it is worth pointing out very clearly that the only things castration guarantees is that (a) the dog will not be able to reproduce and (b) he will not suffer from testicular cancer. This is FACT. Every other claimed benefit at best falls into the maybe, perhaps, or possibly categories

  • Point 1. "Rescue" and "welfare" organisations are free to dictate the terms upon which they will allow us to adopt one of their dogs. However as a result of my investigations into the issue of castration, I have substantial concerns that it is not as benign a procedure as many "rescue" and "welfare" organisations would have us believe, and there are almost certainly disadvantages - potentially very serious behavioural ones such as fear aggression as well as a risk of certain health conditions such as Osteosarcoma ("Bone Cancer"). I would therefore like to have the choice, based upon his individual need, as to whether or not my adopted dog is castrated. For this reason alone, I will not support organisations who have a blanket policy of castration, nor will I advise others to support them, financially or otherwise
  • Point 2. Personally, I find this totally objectionable and would never have any dealings at all with such a "rescue". I do not believe that an organisation has a right to impose their doctrine upon others and the pets they are responsible for, especially as neutering is not always safe, benign or in the best interest of an individual dog. More on this follows later...
  • Point 3. In terms of breeding, if a dog is never allowed access to a bitch able to breed, reproduction will never occur. To me, responsible dog ownership means ensuring your dog is always under your control and therefore not free to mate - among other things. Please see the "Health and Welfare" page (Incidentally, castration is generally illegal in Norway but there isn't an "overpopulation" problem in that country...)

    • † In the UK, Sections 5 (1) and (2) of the Animal Welfare Act, 2006 "makes it an offence to carry out, or to cause or, in specified circumstances, permit another person to carry out, a prohibited procedure on a protected animal. A prohibited procedure is one which involves interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of the animal, otherwise than for the purpose of its medical treatment (see section 5(3) of the Act)."

    However, The Mutilations (Permitted Procedures)(England) Regulations 2007 "... specify the procedures to which the offences in section 5(1) and 5(2) do not apply. Depending upon the animals to which they are to be applied, such procedures may include those for the purposes of identification (such as ear tagging), those for the control of reproduction (such as castration and vasectomy)....."

    It is clear therefore that neutering other than for purely medical reasons is indeed a mutilation, although the latter regulations define it as a "permitted procedure" in contrast to, for example, tail docking which is now a "prohibited procedure".