Male Contraception

24 Male Contraception




FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS



1) My wife wants me to get my hunting dog neutered. I do not want him to get fat and lose interest in hunting. Does neutering affect a dog’s hunting ability?

There is no evidence that neutering a male dog interferes with his hunting ability. There are a lot of good female hunting dogs that prove testicles are not needed to hunt. Castrated male dogs only get fat if they are fed too much and not exercised properly.


Contraception is treatment of an animal to prohibit its ability to reproduce. Castration is by far the most common contraceptive method in the United States at this time. Research continues to try to develop less invasive contraceptive techniques for use in male dogs and as a model for contraceptive techniques for use in wild and exotic canids. For a review of the anatomy described in this chapter, see Chapter 22.



I. SURGICAL



A. CASTRATION


The common term, neuter, actually can refer either to castration of male dogs or to spaying (ovariohysterectomy) of female dogs. Castration is the more exact term for male dogs and is defined as surgical removal of both testes and epididymes. Another term for this surgery is orchidectomy.


The animal is placed under general anesthesia and laid on his back. The groin is shaved and surgically prepped. A single incision is made just in front of the scrotum. One testis at a time is pushed to the incision and removed. Two surgical techniques exist. With a closed castration, suture material is passed around the tunic containing the vas deferens and separate testicular blood vessels and the entire tunic tied off. With an open castration, the tunic is opened, and the vas deferens and blood vessels are tied off separately. The deep and subcutaneous layers and the skin are sutured closed. The scrotum is usually left and eventually remodels against the body.


The following are the advantages of castration:


• It is a completely effective contraceptive technique.

• The primary source of testosterone is removed, decreasing the incidence of testosterone-dependent disease, including benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and subsequent prostatitis and perianal tumors.

• Some male behaviors, such as urine marking, roaming, and mounting, are reduced in frequency.

• Some studies suggest that neutered animals have a longer life span than intact animals; the physiologic basis of this effect is undefined.

The following are the disadvantages of castration:


• General anesthesia is required.

• It is a nonreversible contraceptive technique.

• Possible side effects of obesity, testosterone-dependent urinary incontinence, and predisposition to prostatic neoplasia have been reported. Obesity is a multifactorial problem; appropriate feeding and exercise should be sufficient to prevent obesity in either castrated or intact animals. Testosterone-dependent urinary incontinence is very uncommon. The link between castration and prostatic neoplasia is undefined at this time. Prostatic neoplasia is aggressive and usually is not treatable, but the incidence of prostatic neoplasia is so low that veterinarians cannot in all conscience recommend against castration because of this possible predisposition.

Castration has not been demonstrated to be associated with decreased muscularity of male dogs or with changes in trainability. The general perception that dogs will be better hunters or guard dogs if they are left intact has no basis in fact. Nonsexual behaviors, such as aggression and fear of inanimate stimuli, for example, thunderstorms, are unlikely to be affected either positively or negatively by castration.


Castration is the recommended method of contraception in male dogs at present. I recommend castration of all male dogs that are not being used for breeding and any male dog with a history of testosterone-dependent disease. I also support castration of pediatric animals (see Chapter 13).

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Related posts:

  1. Anatomy and Reproductive Physiology
  2. Embryology
  3. Infertility
  4. Pharmacology

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Jul 18, 2016 | Posted by in PHARMACOLOGY, TOXICOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS | Comments Off on Male Contraception

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