Dog remains active despite neutering

By Tina Neel

Published: August 25, 2008

Q:I had my dog neutered seven months ago, but I found my dog having sex with a female stray in my backyard.

Is that normal? How could my dog be sexually active when neutered? My dog cannot produce offspring, can it?

A:This isn't common, but in some cases, male dogs will still be able to mate with a female in heat. When this occurs, there cannot be a pregnancy because the testicles were removed, so no sperm can be produced.

This happens mostly when a female nearby is in heat. The dogs in heat will produce a pheromone or scent detectable by males up to a mile away. Not all testosterone is produced from the testicles, so there is still some available in a dog's system. If this is a problem. it may be possible to treat your dog with a hormone to decrease the testosterone effects. You would need to discuss the medicine and its side effects with your veterinarian, as this is not an approved or labeled therapeutic use for the medicine.

Neutering is important to the long-term health of your pet. Neutered males have a much smaller chance of getting prostate cancer as well as almost no problem with prostate infections. In some cases, prostate infections will spread up the urinary tract and cause life-threatening kidney damage. Cancerous prostates often shrink in size simply by neutering the pet. This is not a cure for the cancer, but it makes a significant improvement in the condition.

Many positive side effects occur when your pet is neutered. Aggressive competitive behavior between males is significantly reduced. This is important in a multidog household, as aggressive behavior can result in severe injuries.

About 90 percent of male dogs will not have the urge to roam once they are neutered, and most will not mark their perceived territories with urine. Neutering before these habits are established is best.

Often there is a concern about the optimal age for neutering. While it once was thought that pets had to be completely mature, that is not the case now. Neutering, whether for males or females, is approved to be performed at 8 weeks or older. Most surgeries are not done when the animal is less than 2 pounds in size.

While most animal shelters follow the early spay and neuter policy to assist in population control, some veterinary hospitals wait until the pet is 4 to 6 months old.

Animal shelters require that the surgery be performed before a pet leaves the facility to avoid adding to overpopulation.

Responsible pet owners who bring in their pets regularly for vaccinations will generally bring back the pet for the neuter procedure once the vaccinations are complete.

The upside of waiting until 4 to 6 months of age is that the pets have time to adjust and are not in a stress situation, and they've had time to develop their immune system.

Whether the surgery is performed at 8 weeks or 6 months, the fact remains it is a vital procedure. Pets live longer and have many less life-threatening conditions if they are neutered at less than 6 months of age.

Neutering at a later age still has positive benefits, but delaying the procedure can be more expensive and lead to completely preventable conditions. The economic and emotional cost of euthanizing tens of thousands of healthy pets makes early spaying and neutering not only a necessity but the moral responsibility of every pet owner.

Tina Neel is a veterinarian and owner of Neel Veterinary Hospital. Submit your pet health questions online at NeelVet.com.

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