Desexing Rescue Dogs

[Leah82]

I'm interesting in the process for de-sexing male dogs when they come into rescue. Would you generally go for a full castration or just the snip (vasectomy) and if you generally prefer one are there scenarios where you would go for the other. E.g. if the dog is malnourished would you go for the shorter procedure to reduce the time they are under anaesthesia

I assumed castration would be used in 99% of cases however I had a foster dog over last night to get clipped. He had just been desexed and foster mum was under strict instructions from the rescue not to bath him for a week or so, so she asked if I could just remove the bulk of his hair so she can get a better visual of his condition as he's quite underweight, and he was a bit muddy and knotty. Anyway as I was clipping him I noticed balls were still intact and he had a small incision between the testes and his penis, so I'm assuming he just had a vasectomy even though after introducing him to my dogs it seems he has a propensity for humping.

Interested to know other people's thoughts

[*kirty*]

That's not a vasectomy - that is how castration is done. They don't remove the sac, they make a small incision, squeeze out the testicle and remove it, then suture the wound. For the first week or so, the sac is very swollen and it looks like the balls are still there. Eventually the swelling goes away and the sac shrinks.

All reputable rescues desex their dogs. There is no reason to vasectomise a rescue dog (unless maybe a giant breed puppy).

[_PL_]

Most are full castrate. Or a desex voucher if they want them desexed when older. Some swelling can occur making it look like they still have a full set. :) Which is probably what you are seeing.

In my layman terms, humping can be a response to stress and change. It just seems to be something the males do until everything settles. Hard to explain sorry. Humping and leg lifting. It's quite predictable. :laugh: By around 2wks things will become clearer re personality etc.

Really not sure why the dog would have had any vetwork done while visibly underweight, and ungroomed. That's not normal at all. I realise it's going out of fashion to wait until a dog has actually recovered and gained weight but it is still the best way for the dog. Circumstances may mean it had to be done early I don't know.

edit: If it was a fresh un-quarantined dog, parvicide/disinfect your grooming tools and area used.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Powerlegs

[Leah82]

ok thanks, I thought it was a bit weird and foster mum is a newbie to dog ownership so I'll let her know when the little guy comes back for a bath.

My experience with de sexing is with cattle and involves a very little rubber band

I assume there's no parvo risk, the dog is 7 and is being fostered through Animal Aid so one would hope he's was quarantined for a period and is up to date with his vacs but I will make sure to disinfect everything tonight anyway

[raineth]

When I picked up my first boy dog after he'd been castrated I asked them if they had really done it, I was expecting to see no sack!

That skin shrinks over a period of a few months after desexing until it becomes hardly visible.

Mr Digby had a little rudder for the rest of his life though.

In terms of desexing vs vasectomy, from my experience with rescue and foster caring, if the dog was a bit unwell then typically they would just wait until he was well before getting him castrated rather than doing a less invasive procedure.

[Dame Aussie]

That's not a vasectomy - that is how castration is done. They don't remove the sac, they make a small incision, squeeze out the testicle and remove it, then suture the wound. For the first week or so, the sac is very swollen and it looks like the balls are still there. Eventually the swelling goes away and the sac shrinks.

All reputable rescues desex their dogs. There is no reason to vasectomise a rescue dog (unless maybe a giant breed puppy).

Yeah I've never heard of vasectomys being done in rescue, just castration.