Hi everyone After much discussion, research and deliberation we had our male lab neutered yesterday. It wasn't a decision we took lightly we researched and researched (then argued) about whether it was the right thing to do. We spoke to the vets and people who have and haven't had their dog castrated. I feel we have made the right decision for us as a family however, how on earth do you deal with the guilt? . We got him home last night and as expected he was very weary and mardy from the anaesthetic after lots of cuddles and a good night sleep he seem to be better this morning. Still a little mardy but more like himself. We have to limit his exercise for the next few days which is easier said then done as already this morning he has ran off with a pile of socks for the washing machine, my tea towel and a sofa cushion. He is eating fine and going to the toilet fine. I guess my post is really for a little assurance from people who have made the decision like us and had there dogs done. it seems to be done less and less these days and i know all the arguments for and against. I just want to know that he will be ok and not hate us forever for making this decision. Please do not comment if you only wish to criticise our choice! it took us a long time to make this decision and it was not easy. I have stopped posting on here about a lot of things as I feel people are only out to criticise rather than offer a helpful perspective. Thanks
You have done what you think is best for your dog, that you love and that fine. Don't worry what other people think.
Hi , and please don't worry , we are not judgemental on this forum, our views may differ but we also respect an individuals decision re neutering . I had my lad castrated too , it was my decision and I haven't ever regretted it . You will find the hardest thing is keeping him calm , no off lead free running was a nightmare for me, but its soon over
I don't see why you would feel guilty if it's a decision that you carefully considered, and decided was right for you dog and family. Your dog won't hate you, he'll have no idea whatsoever what has happened, or why. And he'll soon recover from the operation, it's really quite minor. I think that's a very odd comment to make. You say don't post if someone wants to be critical, then you make a sweeping statement being, effectively, critical of the whole forum (from which you are seeking support).
Any dog I have will always get desexed (although guess I should never say never, haha!) and yet with my first dog (male) I found it really hard to actually book him in for the op. I even booked him in then cancelled it...then eventually booked him in again. I felt guilty about it because I felt I was making a big choice for him, and he was just a cute little puppy and I felt sorry for him having to have an op. But when it was done he was totally back to normal within 48 hours. Once I saw that he got over it so easily I felt ok about it. Our second dog Obi was already desexed at 7 months when we got him at 9 months, but I would have had it done anyway (one reason being that in my state it is the law to desex unless you are a registered breeder). So, it's not at all odd that you feel kinda bad about it, even having thought it through carefully and come to a considered decision. But don't worry, your dog will not hold it against you in any way. He won't even associate it with you at all. He'll still love you to bits And he'll be just fine in a day or so - they really do get over it so fast. I think that the anaesthetic knocks them about much more than the op itself.
No Julie, I asked for people not to criticise our choice I was not being critical of the forum. My post was asking for other dog owners who have made the decision to have their dog castrated to assure me that my dog would be ok (speedy recovery) not that I have made the correct decision. I know I have done that! my post was about my dog!!!! However, the need for you to pick this up and comment on it just shows what I meant about this forum. I made a post once about my dog not eating and got a very helpful suggestion about portion size etc. from another member. This then resulted in another member accusing us of starving our dogs! I wanted helpful advise from people who had been through castration not from people who haven't but think they know everything!
I thought your original comment was a bit rude. As are your follow up comments. I'm not sure why you don't expect to be called out on it.
Don't worry about the neutering; I am absolutely sure your dog will be fine. And he won't know anything about it, and he certainly won't blame you for it!!
You're referring to a post of mine here in a different thread about your dog being a fussy eater. Someone else in that thread suggested you halve the quantity of your dog's food to motivate your pup to eat. I replied to that other person's post, criticising the suggestion to cut the food ration in half. Suddenly cutting food by that amount could've posed a health risk to your young dog and I was worried that you (or any other reader) might think the idea of halving the meal size was a good idea. That's why I was critical of the suggestion that you were given. I'm sorry to realise that you thought I was "accusing you of starving your dogs" when I was not responding to anything you had said or done at all. Sorry that there was a misunderstanding that made you think negatively about the forum. I hope this clears up my actual intention
My dog Boogie came from Battersea Dogs Home and was neutered before we got him (6 months old) He lived very happy, healthy 19 years old
Regarding recovery , Sam was a shocker for about 24 hours , crying and upset , I`m sure it was the GA which caused this but within the 24 hours, he was looning around as usual . I think I kept him on lead for about a week, then normal service was resumed .
I think the initial sorry-looking dog is down the the GA, as you already see - ie running off with the laundry - your dog is back to himself, and doesn't really realise what has actually happened to him - he is just as he was before and loves you just the same. Coco is a rescue dog so was neutered by the ManxSPCA as per policy, so we didn't have to go through his recovery period. Good luck keeping him "calm" !
Thank you everyone for your comments, they mean a lot. I just wanted to hear from others who have been through it how they felt making such a big decision for them and how their dogs dealt with it afterwards. Its nice to see that others felt the same as me regarding making such a big decision. My comments are not meant to be rude I just kindly asked that negative comments be kept to yourself as all I was concerned about was other peoples dogs recoveries as you can read all the information there is but everyone's dogs are very different. Oberon please do not worry about the comment, I was just trying to explain myself for my earlier comment. I'm not being Rude JulieT just trying to hear other peoples stories about their dogs not how others feel about neutering. There was no malice behind it.
My Italian Spinone boy was neutered and he certainly never "hated" me, why would he? He was fed, loved, cuddled and walked before the op and treated the same afterwards. We did have a trip to the emergency vet after his op though as he developed an infection but apart from that no problems and certainly made no difference to his relationship with us or with other dogs. I had my girl spayed at 5.5 months as recommended by vet which I know is frowned on by some but my view for both males and females is that if you don't intend to breed where's the problem with neutering
Hope your boy sails through this - I am sure he will. Labs are so good with their eyes and demeanour, I am sure it is a way of getting more food out of us. Lilly was spayed before she was 6 months too and was absolutely fine after her op - just a bit pathetic for 24 hours. I think they cope much better when they are young. Let us know how things are going tomorrow (hope you manage to get some sleep!)
All three dogs I have owned have been males and they have all been neutered. I live in Canada, and that is very much the expectation here, unless you are a breeder. In fact I was quite surprised when I joined the forum and discovered that not everyone around the world felt the same! The only trouble I had with the whole thing was trying to keep my dog from licking st his stitches, which meant a cone, which meant a bunch of issues for me but hopefully your boy will be one of those who does just fine with the cone, many do!
We had our boy done in April this year, he was just over a year old, I did cancel the original appt, then did battle whether to get him done or not, in the end we did it as he has elbow dysplaysia so wouldn't be responsible of me to keep him intact in case he found a nice girl in season he liked. I don't regret the decision and he was back to his usual self within 24hrs, a nutter as usual.
