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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

The Castration Debate

111 replies

stillchasingdereksheppard · 09/12/2025 17:17

Hi All,

Just wondering what others opinions are on the current castration debate there seems to be with vets? Our vet is adamant that they will only castrate our dog if there is a medical reason and not simply as standard anymore. I am uncomfortable with this and had always planned to have him castrated as he is not a working dog and will not be breeding him and so it seems like the responsible thing to do.

Background

I have a 1 year old male dog that we rescued 6 months ago who was castrated before we adopted him. At the time of adoption we said we would consider a second dog if the right fit came along at the right time as felt that our dog would like the company.
We were contacted by the rescue a couple of months ago to say they had taken in a mother and pups rescued from a fire but mum was attacking pups so they needed to be separated. Estimated to be 8-10 weeks old. We were not sure about it all but agreed to foster as they needed homes quickly. Obviously we fell in love and adopted him.
Puppy is now 4.5 months old. Finished all his vaccinations etc and is fit & healthy. When we last took him into vets for his weight and flea/worming treatments I discussed with them about when they recommend castration. He is a small Jack Russel ISH cross - vet reckons he will be around 8kg fully grown.

Vet is adamant that the new recommendation is that they are not castrated unless there is a medical need and thus chemical castration should be trialed first. I spoke to them regarding the fact the other male dog in the house is castrated and therefore might cause issues if this one remains in tact but they were very 'lets cross that bridge if we come to it'

I did push back that I really wanted him to be castrated. Do not want to have to worry about him being off lead and finding an in season female or any accidental breeding. That our dog walker has a policy that all males on group walks to be castrated by 1 year and we rely on that service etc. Also said we had a contract with the rescue saying we would castrate by 1 year. Vet just sort of shrugged it all off saying well they can't actually make you do it, obviously I said maybe not but I feel its best! Also pointed out that both our pups are rescues of which there are 1000s stuck in kennels so surely castration is part of that solution.

Anyway the vet eventually said we can discuss again in a few months but have a think about it we don't recommend it.

Looked on BVA and actually it says it's unclear and is waiting for more studies.

What is everyone else thinking about this shift? What are other people with puppies doing? It seems from talking to other local owners that all the vets in this area are saying similar things.

I feel like ultimately if I push the vet they will do it however I thought I would see what other options are so I had some consideration first.

OP posts:
TheHungryHungryLandsharks · 09/12/2025 18:52

redboxer321 · 09/12/2025 18:48

Sounds like a good vet to me. Never say never but he needs to be at least double the age you're thinking of getting him done. And chemical first, I mean, why wouldn't you?

100% agree.

Branleuse · 09/12/2025 18:57

Go to a different vet. Most rescue dogs have to be neutered. It's part of the terms.

nightmarepickle2025 · 09/12/2025 19:03

I regret having my dog castrated. Dog walker insisted on it. But he was only 9 months, it was too early, and he has become reactive and is on Prozac

Hellohah · 09/12/2025 19:23

Times do seem to have changed in such a short space of time.

Mine is nearly 4 now and I was very unsure about castration, but vet was very, very for it.

He had it slightly earlier than I would have liked due to needing another operation and the vets pushed to do both under the same anaesthetic.

I will have to read up on why some think it's not a good idea now.

Coffeeishot · 09/12/2025 19:41

nightmarepickle2025 · 09/12/2025 19:03

I regret having my dog castrated. Dog walker insisted on it. But he was only 9 months, it was too early, and he has become reactive and is on Prozac

Thats. Awful your poor dog sounds like a shit dog walker tbh, ive had mine before castration and she never insisted she just assessed if he was aggressive with her dog who she takes along with her.

DiscoBeat · 09/12/2025 19:48

I didn't want to have bits of him surgically removed. He wasn't causing any issues to other dogs, not being badly behaved but he was very boisterous and was getting aggressive attention from other males so he has the jab instead. I would hate him to have major surgery through no fault of his own.

DiscoBeat · 09/12/2025 19:50

stillchasingdereksheppard · 09/12/2025 18:41

Just to be clear I wasn't thinking about getting it done now. I was always going to wait until 9-12 months.

My vet said to wait until 2 if we decided on that route (he's a large breed so would benefit from the extra joint support)

Original poster
stillchasingdereksheppard · 09/12/2025 19:56

@redboxer321

For a few reasons I've said in my initial post;

  1. The rescue we adopted from has a contract in place that requires them to be castrated by age 1

  2. The walker / day care we use requires male dogs to be castrated by age 1

  3. we have another male dog that is castrated and don't want dominance issues between them.

OP posts:
Coffeeishot · 09/12/2025 19:59

stillchasingdereksheppard · 09/12/2025 19:56

@redboxer321

For a few reasons I've said in my initial post;

  1. The rescue we adopted from has a contract in place that requires them to be castrated by age 1

  2. The walker / day care we use requires male dogs to be castrated by age 1

  3. we have another male dog that is castrated and don't want dominance issues between them.

Does the rescue not have a recommended vet then if they want it done before 1?

Banaghergirl · 09/12/2025 20:05

My lab was seriously ill as a puppy and nearly died. After that, I was terrified of having anything done to him that might carry any risks, so didn't have him castrated. He lived to a grand old age, had the most wonderful gentle nature, showed no interest in other dogs either male or female and was extremely clean around the house, no dribbling etc

Original poster
stillchasingdereksheppard · 09/12/2025 20:09

I haven't spoken to the rescue yet as the vet hasn't actually said no. I just wanted to gather some more opinions before making a firm decision.
The issue isn't finding a vet that will do it the issue is making the right decision for the dog

OP posts:
Coffeeishot · 09/12/2025 20:16

Ah I see sorry I misunderstood, yes definitely it is for his benefit

Branleuse · 09/12/2025 20:20

All the talk about how sad it is, but everyone wants their females done without this handwringing.
Also their cats.

ejsmith99 · 09/12/2025 20:27

Branleuse · 09/12/2025 20:20

All the talk about how sad it is, but everyone wants their females done without this handwringing.
Also their cats.

They don't! Female dogs can suffer from the increase in joint problems and some cancer rates, as well as the behavioural issues and incontinence from neutering. You need to read up on the research carried out in the last decade. I'm not saying it isn't the right the right thing for some individual dogs but it is hardly surprising that removing all their sex hormones has a big impact on their lives

redboxer321 · 09/12/2025 20:30

If it was me, I wouldn't worry about the rescue. The neutering clause would say ...unless against veterinary advice.
The walker - could he not go on solo walks until he's two?
Daycare - not sure if there's a solution here as never used. I suppose single dog daycare but might get expensive.
"we have another male dog that is castrated and don't want dominance issues between them" - agreed but as the vet said, cross that bridge if/when it comes.

I understand it's not easy. Good luck!

Out of interest, what are you going to do from now until he's nine months to a year? Will the walker take him? Will he not go? And how about daycare?

dennydan · 09/12/2025 20:32

I have four male dogs at the momnent and none are castrated no issues with any of them.

Previous dogs have not been castrated.

Your vet sounds educated and up to date with their knowledge. If rescue contract says you have to have dog castrated then wait until they are at least 18 months try chemical castration and then have a discussion with your vet.

Summer23 · 09/12/2025 20:33

I had the same issue with the dog walker and the same advice from the vet. I changed dog walker and have had no issues. I would only do it if it was the right decision for the dog and would try chemical first

Original poster
stillchasingdereksheppard · 09/12/2025 20:34

Yes daycare and dog walker will take them in tact until age 1.
He could do solo walks yes but would be a shame for him to miss out on playing with others just becsuse he has his balls!

OP posts:
OverlyFragrant · 09/12/2025 20:38

The science is actually pretty clear. For pediatric neutering in male dogs, the odds of every type of cancer increase apart from testicular and prostate for obvious reasons.
It is also hugely beneficial for the skeletal development.
Behaviourally, intact males are more sensible and level headed. Some neutered males never tend to mature socially and they seem to be stuck in the cycle of wanting to hump everyone and everything.
The whole risk around unwanted litters is massively blown out of proportion. I've had intact males for over 7 years, in a very dog heavy area. The amount of unwanted litters mine have been responsible for is zero.
There is also now a testerone blocker implant, either for 6 months or 12 months, which is helpful as you can see if it has a positive or negative impact on your dog before you get the snip. One of mine had no noticeable difference, and the other became a nervous, reactive mess. I was so so thankful that I took the implant route and he did get better once his testerone returned, not the same though, but no where near as bad.
My advice would be to listen to your vet on this one.

redboxer321 · 09/12/2025 20:41

Yes daycare and dog walker will take them in tact until age 1.

What is their reasons for that?

If he was doing solo walks, he needn't miss out on play as he could play with your dog.

Witchyandtwitchy · 09/12/2025 20:52

Routine castration is no longer recommended.
My entire dog is 7yrs old, has never wandered, fathered any puppies, humped anything or shown aggression to other dogs. He regularly mixes with other males.
Your vet is up to date with his advice.
And if you were to insist on it, he needs to be a fair bit older.

Summer23 · 09/12/2025 20:56

I thought it might be difficult to find a dog
walker that would walk a intact male in a group but actually it was fine. Occasional grumpy dog but nothing too drastic

Corgiowner · 09/12/2025 21:07

Mine go to doggy day care they happily take uncastrated dogs, I met a group dog walker the other day she gave me her card again no problems that my dog hadn’t been castrated.
He's not aggressive to other dogs in fact he positively avoids aggressive dogs, doggy day care know this and the dog walker could see that he was happily mixing within other dogs and bitches uncastrated and castrated.
Anyone with common sense should be looking at the individual dog not making blanket rules.

CoubousAndTourmaIet · 09/12/2025 21:27

Branleuse · 09/12/2025 20:20

All the talk about how sad it is, but everyone wants their females done without this handwringing.
Also their cats.

Actually, no. None of our four bitches were spayed either and none of them was ever bred.

MannequinsArePeopleToo · 09/12/2025 21:28

ejsmith99 · 09/12/2025 18:46

There is a growing body of evidence that neutering, especially so young, increases risks of some cancers, joint issues, cruciate tears, frailty in old age and aggression and other behavioural problems.

But vets should be considering each case individually. If you need to use daycare or a walker and understand the risks that decision should be yours

This is also my vets stance. At my request he also sent me the most recent veternary research so once my Ddogs chemical castration has run its course that's it unless something changes and Ddog needs castration for a medical reason.