I was watching an episode of Animal Planet's "It's Me or The Dog", and they spoke about an injection which could be used in lieu of neuter surgery. ??
I'm a bit confused about what this procedure does (they mentioned it only briefly on the show as an "alternative to surgical neuter".
Questions:
1-Is this the same as neutering? (the dog will become sterile),
OR...
Is it just that the dog will stop the usual type of intact male behavior (marking territory, hyper after females in heat, etc)?
2- Is this procedure safe??
3- Is this available in the USA?
4- Have any of you had this done on your male Neos? If so, what are your feelings about this procedure? Was it successful in stopping the behaviors?
********************* I'm curious about this procedure because we hope to one day own a male Neo puppy, but we have gotten mixed feedback from breeders we've spoken to, regarding whether or not to neuter a male Neo even if one is not planning to show him or breed him. Some say that neutering will compromise size (of head, bone, etc), whereas others have said it would not. We want a male who will grow up to look like a male (large bone, large head, etc), but we do not want to deal with the marking, hyper around intact females, etc issues. Yet, we don't want to use anything like this injection, if it would compromise his health (I can't see how this injection would not impact health...but..?). If we had to have a choice between a neuter surgery/and smaller head vs this injection/and health risks, then we definitely would go with what is better for his health.
Hi Pam That is funny I saw the same show and that sparked my interest a lot. That was the first time I had ever heard of the alternative as well. I have a 5 mos old pup. My husband does not want to neuter him. I'm indifferent. My concerns if we do not have it done is the aggression, being hyper, embarrassing humping etc.... as well as the risk of cancer.
I have been around quite a few Labs that were never neutered and cancer was never an issue. And there were times when the other cons came up but mostly during their adolescence. But I am not experienced in this breed.
I'm no expert but logic alone would make me think that if you remove parts such as that on a dog it definitely will have an affect on his growth. I don’t see how it couldn’t. But again I have NO idea it’s just what I would assume would happen.
If anyone has more experience on this please let us know. I would be curious. Thanks
Castration was/is thought of as elective surgery in many portions of europe and thus was not considered ethical. Consequently alternatives were researched, injection being one of them. Chemical castration and even a castration vaccine are items currently being researched, but I would give them more time before I would subject my own animals to such techniques.
This injection is available in Australia - either a 6 monthly or a 12 monthly injection. We have done a lot of research into the effects of desexing and have come to the conclusion that early desexing is not good for either male or females. Much research also shows that more dog attacks occur with desexed males than undesexed - with many believing that desexing can cause agression (I am sure many of the men on this list would no doubt be a little peeved if they were). Anyway we have a male Maremma Sheepdog who looks after our poutry. We have not desexed him, but as he is large, agile and able to climb or dig out of or into any enclosure rather than desex him we have used the 6 monthly injection. It has made no difference to his behaviour in any way at all, he still guards his poultry, interacts and socialised with the Neapolitan Mastiffs, is friendly and happy. However he no longer displays any interest in a bitch in heat. So in this case it has worked very well. He is not quite 3 but it aappears to have had no effect on his coat or general health - so we will certainly continue to do 6 monthy top ups - although at $70au an injection is works out dearer than desexing. There are no quick fixes or preventatives for behaviour. All dogs male and female, desexed or undesexed will mark territory. If you have a male why not train him to use a pee post - that will solve the problem in your garden. Agression is not related to being entire - in fact in can increase with desexing. Humping - even desexed dogs will do that. So if you are ging to desex do it for the right decisions not a quick fix for behavioural problems - all you will end up with is a desexed dog and the behaviour will remain. JMHO Nancy Keck Maggiormente Neapolitan Mastiffs Click me
Robin & Nancy: Thanks for the replies! Interesting information. In the USA, neutering a dog is very much condoned. It was interesting to hear that in many parts of Europe, neutering is not considered "ethical"...seems to be the total opposite of the mainstream point of view here in the U.S. I
'm curious to know: does Europe (or the European countries viewing neutering as non ethical) have a problem with an over population of stray dogs/unwanted dogs/dogs in shelters? That is one of the main reasons given in the States for advocating the neutering/spaying of one's pets.
Nancy: you have a male why not train him to use a pee post - that will solve the problem in your garden.
Thanks for the advice, but I don't own a Neo yet (or any male dog, for that matter). I was simply posing the question out of curiosity (as I explained in my initial post). Interesting though about the "pee post". I had never heard of such a thing, but did also see one mentioned in an episode of The Dog or Me! show.
Robin & Nancy: Chemical Neutering: Ok, so if I'm to understand this correctly, the injection is "temporary", thus not the same as "neutering" (which is permanent). Good to know!
Intact vs Neutered Male Dogs, in re to aggression: Wow! this is another point of view I have never heard! I had always heard/been told that an intact male would be more aggressive than a neutered one. You are saying that neutering may actually have the opposite effect?
In the USA, it's been my experience that most show breeders INSIST that a male be neutered, if you purchase the dog on a "pet contract", or else 1- you will not get your AKC registration, 2- and in some cases, the breeder will refuse sale if you do not agree to the neuter clause. I've found this to be true across breeds, though the Neo seems to be the one exception where I have spoken to a few breeders who have said they do not insist on males being neutered on a pet contract. I had been leaning towards neutering our male pup when we get him, mainly for the aggression & marking territory issues, but now it seems I need to re-examine the issue.
Hi - I'm a newbie here. I have a 6 month old male neo who has shown signs of being pushy or being a bully. He's been thru 8 weeks of obedience training and does well with commands. It's been recommended that we neuter him now but I've read about the higher chance of bone cancer. I do not want to hurt him physically in the long term. I do love how he looks now so additional wrinkles are not an issue. Please give me your thoughts.
He's pushy because he's a neo. Not because he's not neutered. More obedience and socialization. Well timed corrections. _________________________ Nikki Agrippina Mastino
Robin. since i know you are a vet, is this "injection" realisticly going to happen here? are they trying it in the USA yet? is it worth it? sounds like since they do it in another country it may come here eventually? i have always heard you should Neuter your large/giant breed dogs at 1year to not stunt the growth or to atleast let them mature a little before the *snip.
just interested in everyones opinion about OUR BREED and also Robins (since she is a VET). Charina Corrado Mastini
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