jesomil Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I am considering desexing my 6yr old male and wanted to hear about any negative issues that have arisen from doing so. When I google it, all that comes up is "everything must be desexed" articles so I cant find anything that discusses the cons. He has been a successful trialling and stud dog when he was younger but I wont be using him anymore. He is the most perfect gentlemen of a dog. He socialises happily with other entires and girls and has no behavioural faults at all. Its just that I am expecting a baby in a few months and it would be so much easier not to have to separate the dogs when in season. It is pure laziness on my part, I know that... Has anyone desexed an older dog and seen any changes. Eg, Has it caused aggression or any other issues? I am really torn up about this and am 50/50 as to what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We had our old dog (gone to the bridge now) desexed at 8 and it was only due to the fact that he developed a cancer so the vet thought it best to remove the cancer and desex him at the same time. The only difference in him that we noticed was he put on a little bit of weight but that was about it. It didn't alter his personality at all. After the cancer scare he lived till he was 16. The vet said one of the reasons for the cancer was that he wasn't desexed? I'm not sure how they can tell or if this is even true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Had one done at 8 no negative issues apart from a longer recovery time compared to a juvenile, but even then within 5 to 7 days he was as normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dxenion Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I am considering desexing my 6yr old male and wanted to hear about any negative issues that have arisen from doing so. We desexed our two male GSDs (one was 4 1/2, the other was just shy of 3) at the same time after receiving permission from the breeder. Neither had been used at stud. The only problem we had was when one boy experienced severe and prolonged swelling after the op - he looked like he had a couple of kiwi fruit hanging between his legs. The vet examined him over a period of 3 weeks and told me that during the operation they noted he had a tough sheath which took a bit to cut through - made my eyes water when she said that. If I understood the vet correctly, because the sheath was thicker and they had to do more to close it, the blood flow was more restricted flowing out of the sack, slowing the reduction in swelling. For 3 weeks we had to keep him dry, very quiet and not let him lick the wound. Sure was fun having two GSD sized bucketheads in the home - my shins may never recover. He did take about two weeks longer than the other male but both recovered fully. It took a few months for the skin to shrink (the vet said up to 12 months) but our boys were barely noticable just four months later. No other negative issues to report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I desexed a 9 year old male last year, no problems at all and no changes to personality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Desexed dogs can still mate and tie with a bitch, so keeping them separate during seasons would still be a good idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whippetsmum Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Ours was desexed at 3 years, he was fine. No changes in personality. No weight gain etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 No change. You could Superlorin if you wanted to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesomil Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Desexed dogs can still mate and tie with a bitch, so keeping them separate during seasons would still be a good idea Yes, but it wouldnt be such a distaster if they happened to get together. OH will be helping me and while he loves the dogs, he is not as careful as I am. So this way, I can rest assured and wont have to double check him all the time. Dxenion, cute photo of your bucket heads! Thanks for all the opinions. Nothing too negative so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FHRP Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I have had a 9 year old dog surgically desexed and a 12 year old chemically castrated. No changes in personality with either of them. The surgically desexed boy has become more 'attractive' to some entire males who will make sexual advances towards him. It can be annoying as it has upset the dynamics in our 'extended pack' when out with friends dogs and caused a few minor tiffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I desexed a 9 year old who had been used at stud, after losing his dad to prostate cancer. No complications, he recovered quickly and the only change in attitude was being less interested in the girls in season. Instead of whinging for the whole three weeks of a season, he was just a bit interested on the key days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory the Doted One Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I've had a few older boys desexed. Never regretted a single one of them. The only changes to personality were very positive ones (less interested in the girls, that kind of thing). As far as the weight thing is concerned, I just fed them less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Zero was desexed at 2.5 years. He was a rescue though so I'm not sure how it affected him other than his coat (which is now longer than it was). He had no problems with it that I can tell. He is still the first dog to tell you when a bitch is in season though - kind of handy really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolassesLass Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I desexed my Bullmastiff at 5.5 years of age because he was no longer being shown and needed a GA for a lumpectomy. That was just over a year ago and the only change I've noticed in him is he's a little more inclined to sleep all day. No negatives so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 No negative issues here either. The 'empty pockets' left behind can take a little longer to shrink. Mostly they just have a couple of tender days and don't skip a beat. Benefits: it's nice to see an old desperado & former byb'ing romeo settle down a bit and relax. We did have a 10yr old boy come in whose prostate had enlarged and given him hernias which made the surgery complex and he took longer to recover. I don't know how common that is. We aren't really getting dogs who have had the very best of care previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 No negative issues here, when I got my old boy desexed at about 8 years old. The only behavioural change I noted was that he marked outside less often after desexing (he was never allowed to mark in the house, so that didn't change). If you're concerned, you can get him a Suprelorin implant that will last around 6 - 12 months. The hormonal effect of this is very similar to desexing, so you can see for yourself if his behaviour changes. You could also vasectomise him, if you didn't want the effects of neutering but did want to make sure he didn't sire any more puppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I got my oldest dog desexed when he was 3.5 years, the only negative is he got a much plusher thicker coat that is harder too groom but apart from that I am so glad I did it, he drove me insane when he was a teenager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Westie desexed at 6 years - no probs at all - a bit of weight gain which I'm not convinced wouldn't have happened anyway as he got older. He's still the loveliest boy. Go for it. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow_wolf Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Most of ours have been desexed. All at later ages. And there have been no bad side effects so far. Although, they do need to be fed a little less to maintain a healthy weigt. Especially with the girls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow_wolf Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) . Edited February 14, 2011 by snow_wolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now