The castration of the dog

Neutering a dog is the basic requirement if you want to give your pet a long, healthy and happy life.
For a very long time, we veterinarians considered this statement to be the absolute truth, but recently, studies have been accumulating that should make us sit up and take notice and question it.
As a meticulous veterinarian, responsible reproductive medicine specialist, and conscientious dog owner, I cannot help but delve into this topic in detail.
Never before has this topic been discussed more intensely and heatedly than now.
In this article, I would like to briefly summarize the latest studies, provide clarification, and encourage colleagues, dog owners, and especially animal welfare organizations to reflect and perhaps even rethink their positions.
What exactly is castration?
Castration is a procedure that results in either the destruction or amputation of the gonads, i.e., the testicles in males and the ovaries in females. By removing or disabling the gonads, the animal becomes infertile, among other things. All other functions of the gonads, such as hormone production, also cease.

Is sterilization the same thing?

No, it isn't. Sterilization is the process of rendering a person infertile by severing the fallopian tubes or vas deferens. The individual remains fully sexually functional, albeit without conception. Hormone production is also unaffected.

Hypothyroidism

Statistically, neutered animals have a higher risk of developing hypothyroidism than unneutered animals. In veterinary medicine, there is a general lack of solid studies and further research on the thyroid gland. Therefore, it is not possible at this time to say why this occurs more frequently. The only certainty is that it does.

Inkontinenz

Die Inkontinenz ist wohl die bekannteste kastrationsbedingte Erkrankung, die wir beim Hund kennen. In den Studien ist die Rede z.B. von 20 - 40 % der Hündinnen die im Mittel 2,8 Jahre nach der Kastration inkontinent werden. Nicht immer kann man diese Inkontinenz therapieren, ein Leben mit Windeln ist im schlimmsten Falle die bittere Konsequenz.

But male dogs can also become incontinent after castration.

The cause, as far as we know, is related to the finely tuned balance of various hormones. LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) rise sharply after castration and affect the sphincter muscle. Furthermore, the loosening of the connective tissue after castration results in a lack of counter-pressure on the sphincter muscle.
What other mechanisms may also play a role is not yet known.

Castration vaginitis and cystitis

Due to the decline in estrogen and the loosening of connective tissue, the female dog's labia become slack, roll inwards slightly, and thus constantly rub against the mucous membrane with their hairy side. This results in irritation and initially a mechanical inflammation.
Increased licking by the female dog transfers germs to the irritated and injured vaginal mucosa, which can lead to an ascending infection. This could be one of the reasons why spayed female dogs suffer from cystitis noticeably more often than unspayed ones.

Cruciate ligament tear and HD/ED complex

These joint diseases, as we know today, are usually genetically determined, but the severity and manifestation of the disease depends on influencing factors (i.e., the environment).
We observe a significantly higher incidence of these diseases, especially in dogs that were neutered before they had finished growing. Considering that large and medium-sized breeds take almost three years to reach full maturity, and even in toy breeds growth is often not truly complete until around one year of age, we must consequently reconsider the definition of "early neutering" and face the fact that neutering has anything but a positive impact on the health of our dogs.

Behavioral problems

Several studies have shown that dogs neutered very early are more likely to develop noise phobias later in life. However, in-depth studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions.
Castration is not always a guaranteed solution for aggression problems. A veterinarian specializing in animal behavior should first thoroughly and comprehensively investigate possible causes and explore appropriate training and therapy methods.
Sometimes castration even triggers aggression problems.

Magendrehung

Auch hier fehlt es an großen und aktuellen Studien, aber sowohl Tierärzte als auch Besitzer und Züchter beobachten, dass kastrierte Hunde öfter unter einer Magendrehung leiden, als unkastrierte. Die bereits erwähnte, mit der Kastration einhergehende Bindegewebsschwäche könnte eine mögliche Ursache hierfür sein.

Overweight

Castration leads to various changes in the hormonal system, resulting in a generally lower basic energy requirement. Furthermore, the animal's needs shift, and food becomes more appealing. If owners are unaware of this, the animals often become overweight, sometimes even to the point of health risks.

Changes in coat

This is probably the least serious side effect of castration, but it should still be mentioned for the sake of completeness. In certain breeds (e.g., Irish Setters), castration leads to a significant change in the coat. The fur becomes longer, woollier, and denser, so that grooming can sometimes be more time-consuming than is typical for the breed.

What does the Animal Welfare Act say?

In Germany, the castration of dogs without medical reason is prohibited within the meaning of the law.
This means that, in principle, both the client (holder) and the performer (veterinarian) are punishable if the germ glands are removed from an animal without medical necessity.

What about animal welfare?

In animal welfare, the castration of the dog has become a means of choice for population control for a long time. If the animal is not yet neutered, the new owner must have this carried out according to the protection contract. An examination of the legal situation and also with the health consequences is missing so far, as well alternatives, such as sterilization, are not considered.
From a behavioral biological point of view, the castrations of street dogs could possibly be even less conducive than we have hoped so far.


I would like to emphasize that this part of the article reflects my personal considerations and unfortunately no study I have yet known to exist:

From behavioral observations, we know that dominant* males and dominant* bitches make an effort to keep the number of sexually active animals in the group quite small. The fewer females are occupied, the fewer puppies have to be taken care of. So the fewer bitches have offspring, the greater the chance of the puppies of the dominant females being optimally cared for.


In the case of the males, it is similar the fewer males are actually sexually active, the more secure the genes of the dominant* male will prevail.
This means, in consequence, the dominant* non-castrated individuals help to contain the uncontrolled proliferation.
If you castrate these animals now, they fall out of these group structures and no longer prevent the multiplication of others.
If these animals were sterilized, they could be used for their natural control behavior, but without these animals producing further offspring.

I firmly believe that this will result in great benefits for the population containment of e.g. Street dogs could yield.
*The term “dominant” is outdated and ethologically no longer correct, but I don’t know a better one at the moment.



How to protect your dog from uterine or suckling?

Today, we know that the risk of an uncastrated bitch getting sick from a malignant mammal is significantly lower than the “famous study” wanted to make us believe. Still, there is the risk.
Just as in humans, the early recognition and treatment of these growths is crucial for the bitch.
Also, a uterine inflammation is not a disease that turns from “healthy” to “deadly” within a few days. Long before the bitch is life-threateningly bad, one can already recognize changes in the uterus.
The decisive factor for a positive outcome is the diagnosis time. Here, veterinarians as well as dog owners have to rethink and take advantage of the possibilities of prophylaxis.
A sampling of the suckling every 4 - 6 weeks can reveal growths even in the smallest stage and rapid intervention can minimize the risk. A reasonably experienced owner can change from approx. Feel rice grain size. If you remove growths as long as they are below 0.5 cm, the chances are outstanding that even malignant tumors have not yet spread.
Similarly simple is the uterine prophylaxis, about 2 - 4 weeks after each running, the uterus should be assessed by an experienced reproductive physician for small animals by ultrasound. This alone is enough to eliminate these diseases through a timely detection and therapy, long before they become life-threatening.

What can be done in male dogs to treat foreskin inflammation and prostate problems?

There are also many treatment options that should be tried before actually performing castration. A check-up (approximately every 12 months) using ultrasound is also advisable.

Is a castration chip a better option?

A very modern method of temporary castration, which is not yet very common in Germany, is the castration chip. This is essentially nothing more than a rice-grain-sized piece of tissue that is implanted under the skin.
The tissue contains a specific hormone (GnRH) which actually only acts in the brain, where it switches certain mechanisms (namely the hormones FSH and LH) and thereby shuts off the production of testosterone in the body.
During the chip's effective period, this is actually equivalent to a condition created by the surgical removal of the gonads. The only difference is that the surgery is irreversible, while the chip eventually loses its effectiveness.
The chip, while it is in effect, is therefore equivalent to castration, with all its advantages and disadvantages, effects and side effects.

What should be the consequence of these results?

I hope that this article will provide modern food for thought for dog owners, veterinarians and also animal welfare organizations and provoke a rethink that should ultimately be in our every sense: namely to be able to make informed, responsible and good decisions in the sense of our four-legged family members.


Castration is not always the wrong step, but this decision should be made individually, carefully and weighed down, only if the advantages of castration for this particular animal outweigh the disadvantages.