Fake Testicles...

[sumo]

i won't be neutering Sumo until he is 1 1/2, but thought i'd post this well in advance to get some opinions...When i do have Sumo neutered, i and am considering having "fakes" installed (Neuticles).... Somebody i was chatting with at the dog park suggested that after a dog is neutered, he quickly realizes that he is missing body parts....I'm guessing this is traumatizing to the dog, so i'm thinking that i can fool him by having them install "fakes".... Perhaps he won't even know the real ones were removed!?.... Any opinions? http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

Sumo's Dad

[WorkinDogz]

Sumo,

The owner notices and many times obsesses on the "missing parts"...the dog is fine with it.

I don't recall one time where a dog has needed K9 Therapy post-alter.

Neuticals are there if you insist on them but, know well in advance, your vet and his/her staff will have plenty of laughs at your expense while implanting them http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/wink.gif

I'd rather see a donation made to a Rescue in the amount of the Neuticals....would serve a much better purpose and IMHO would be money better spent.

[Carol Burke]

WorkinDogz is so right once again. The dog will not know he is missing anything and why put a foreign substance into your dog's body?

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Carol
Darrlburg Rottweilers

[German Vanegas]

I thought "they" regenerate, growing even bigger http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/biggrin.gif

[Monkey]

I'd think this could cause other problems.

If your male is running around loose at the park, he'd better be immaculately trained. I know if my female is romping around, and what appears to be an intact male demonstrates that he is not under his owner's control (I.E. not coming when called), I'd be sure to keep an extra close eye on him. This causes concern, where only fun and play should exist.

Besides, having worked for so many years with various animal shelters, it is important to set a good example to all others you encounter. With pet overpopulation at alarming numbers, I am disappointed whenever I see testicles on a dog. So very few are worth breeding. Why are there so many intact males wandering around? Education is so important.

In my city, dogs and cats which are both spayed or neutered AND microchipped are free to licence, and that licence is good for life! Better make sure you get a certificate of sterilization, if you plan to implant fakes. Who knows when you'll need it?!

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Danes rule the world!

[German Vanegas]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Monkey:
Danes rule the world!
</font>

Rotties rule the Universe! http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[Tri-Star]

My dog didn't act like he missed them. He was a stud dog that was bred many times, and is an American & Canadian Champion. He was neutered and is doing fine.

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Tri-Star Rottweiler's
Champions & Companions

[sumo]

thanks so far everyone! i did a search on the Neuticle website and they do claim that the neuticles will help your dog phycologically, so i guess the extra few bucks won't hurt. but my only other concern being is this technology proven safe? Has anybody here ever installed these and does anyone know of side effects? http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[netescapee]

Sumo, I started reading this out of curiosity. Having read a lot recently on surgery where my dog's hip joints will need to be cut and rotated and then plated back together compared to waiting and having a complete hip replacement--the complete hip replacement seems to be much more risky due to foreign material being inserted into the bone to cement the new ball and socket (and yes bone's another matter but we're still talking about foreign objects in the body). It just seems common sense to me that inserting any foreign material into the body is a bad idea.

Have you ever seen a woman's breast implant after a few years???? They are often black and hard and crusty. That couldn't be good for a human's body and I can't imagine that the neuticals wouldn't have the same problem. The body sees a foreign object and then begins to attack it and encapsulate it. What will you do if that happens and leads to infection after infection and lowers your dog's immune system? Remember, the company marketing and the vet installing aren't necessarily going to tell you all the bad things about their products--that's how they make money.

If you are a man, I'd say you're inserting the neuticals for yourself not your dog.

Not to be mean but that's just my personal feeling.

Our 104 rott/shep mix never missed his and he was a very large dog. The only dogs bigger at the dog park were large great danes and he was never phased by them. He was very confident and very, very rarely even raised his hackles and that continued after his testicles were removed. My daughter's aussie never missed his and still acts like a male.

[Monika Malow]

Fake balls!! Boy, you gave us a laugh for the day!! Only a man could have come up with that one. Get real, it's a dog we are taking about here---not a human.

[WorkinDogz]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by sumo:
thanks so far everyone! i did a search on the Neuticle website and they do claim that the neuticles will help your dog phycologically, so i guess the extra few bucks won't hurt. but my only other concern being is this technology proven safe? Has anybody here ever installed these and does anyone know of side effects? http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif</font>

Of course the manufacturers of Neuticals are going to tell you they help them psychologically! What are they going to say?? "We developed these so....um....people with more money than brains will buy them and their doggie can appear "whole" to female dogs that pass by." http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/confused.gif

Dog food companies give you a "recommended feeding" amount on the back of the bags too....that generally is 1/2 MORE than the dog SHOULD have. They have a vested interest in you emptying that bag.

If you want to implant Neuticals; do it. But please don't be suckered into thinking that it's for the DOG...because it's NOT. It's 100% for the OWNER.

[Barbara Surplus]

Can anyone (WorkinDogz, are you up yet?) give advice on vasectomies for dogs? A friend mentioned it a while ago however I don't know if it's effective (but they do get to keep their testicles which, if you're concerned about your dog having that "manless" feeling, might be an alternative).
Barbara

[WorkinDogz]

::::yawn:::: yep Barbara http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif I'm awake!

The vasectomy/tubal-ligation issue was discussed at great length at a recent meeting I attended.

The conclusion was that none of the DVM's in the 3 county area would participate in this proceedure because it's medically not in the best interest of the dogs.

Females would continue to go into and out of season; leaving the potential for pyometria a constant concern.

Males would still suffer testicular cancer and prostate problems.

It was also mentioned that the VERY MINISCULE difference neutering at 6 months vs. 2 yrs. makes in size and development, again is not in the best interest of the dog. (who CARES if the dog grows that 1/4 of an inch or "fills out" enough to add those 10 pounds! HE'S A PET!)

The #1 thing taught to anyone entering Vet School or a Technology career is "DO NO HARM".

Name ONE positive thing Neuticals provide the dog.

[German Vanegas]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by WorkinDogz:
[B.It was also mentioned that the VERY MINISCULE difference neutering at 6 months vs. 2 yrs. makes in size and development, again is not in the best interest of the dog. (who CARES if the dog grows that 1/4 of an inch or "fills out" enough to add those 10 pounds! HE'S A PET!)[/b]</font>

Sorry, but the "very miniscule difference" is about developing the correct temperament and masculine character, and not about growing in size. You tell me how many personal protection dogs, police & military service dogs, are castrated BEFORE they are protection-trained?... That's the reason why: it negatively affects the desired drive http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/wink.gif. Of course, AFTER the dog is protection-trained, then the dog can be castrated (usually around 18 to 24 months of age, or even more)

Other vets contradict the "growth theory" of neutered pets v. intact males, by stating that a castrated dog will grow even bigger than an intact male, due to the imbalance in the production of testosterone, which takes so much energy out of the dog's system, thus the castrated dog normally grows bigger in size than the intact dog.

Likewise, politically correct veterinarians (some of them, if not most, are profit-motivated too http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/wink.gif ) want to castrate pets as early as possible, under the banner of proliferation of unwanted pets... they just forget to add: due to irresponsible dog ownership! I am a responsible dog owner. I have my two dogs under absolute control at all times, therefore, I have never had an accidental mating, ever!... Albeit, I admit, most dog owners are not that responsible, so in such cases I agree: castrate the dog as soon as possible... Perhaps these are the people that should not have a dog in the first place anyway, but that's another story http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/wink.gif

I agree with everything else you have said Workingdogz, how about that? http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/biggrin.gif

[Barbara Surplus]

Thanks, Annette, for the information. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

Following is a quote from an article on the Kennel Club website by Mary C. Wakeman (D.V.M. Ashford Animal Clinic, Canine Fertility Center, 269 Mansfield Road, Ashford, CT) which I find very interesting.

.....The situation in dogs (male dogs), is not equivalent. It is no longer medically justifiable to castrate dogs for prevention of cancer. The overwhelming mass of data to the contrary can no longer be ignored, and publications are out there so that no veterinarian can use the excuse of ignorance. Castration predisposes to highly malignant prostatic cancer. Nearly all dogs afflicted with this nasty tumor are neutered individuals. Testicular cancers are very rare and almost always benign. Perianal adenoma can be treated by castration if and when it arises. It too is benign although messy.....

.....With large breeds, early castration often results in an animal with an insufficient breadth of chest for orthopedic health. Seeing the number of giant breeds that I do, I am very aware of the tragic effects of castration on young males. The narrow chests which result are inadequate to support the weight that so many neutered animals, male or female, put on. These dogs then have to develop a 'toe-out' stance, with valgus deformity of the carpus, in an attempt to broaden their base for weight bearing. Once you've seen the harm caused by this practice in person, you quickly change that 'knee-jerk' reaction so often seen, of 'neuter everything that breathes'. If you do choose to castrate your male dog, by all means wait until he is at least one year old for small to medium size breeds, or at least 2 years old for giant breeds.....

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by WorkinDogz:
Name ONE positive thing Neuticals provide the dog.</font>

I can't think of one thing about Neuticals that would benefit the animal (I agree that it only benefits the company selling them). Personally would never have this invasive procedure done - it can only cause harm to the dog. I try never to mess with Mother Nature. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/wink.gif
Barbara