A vet breaks down myths about dog castration, explaining what actually happens hormonally and behaviorally after the procedure. Covers health benefits and why pet owners believe things that aren't true.
Hello. Today we are going to clear up some myths about castration in dogs. Temperament is not always influenced by castration. When we castrate, what we do is remove the hormonal stimulus. That is, all those impulses that depend on hormones will be attenuated. They will decrease. In other words, a male dog will tend to run away less and will tend to obey his owners more if he is castrated. Why? Because despite smelling females in heat, he will not have that biological need that drives him to jump a fence, cross a road, or escape from a leash. In the case of females, when they are not in heat, let's say it is a time of hormonal tranquility. So when you operate on them, when you castrate them, they really remain in that anestrus. They remain in that hormonal rest continuously. Therefore, hormonal spikes of aggression, fears, or changes in character while they are in heat are the things that will be eliminated or resolved. Females have no biological need to reproduce or become mothers before being castrated, nor is it beneficial. Furthermore, the more hormonal cycles there are, the more the breasts grow and shrink and the changes in the size of the uterus, the easier it is for diseases to appear. Hormones control the animal's metabolic rate to a certain extent. So it is true that if they eat the same amount, they will have a certain tendency to gain weight. But this does not mean that this rule applies to all animals. Regarding activity, a castrated animal and a non castrated animal actually have more or less the same level of activity. It is true that during periods when an animal is in heat, they become more active, and this would obviously be corrected. Castration surgery in females and males is a surgery in which the risks are very measured and very controlled. These are surgeries that we veterinarians are used to performing daily, even more than once a day. In males, it is a surgery that rarely exceeds 10 minutes. In females, it may take up to 20 minutes. And it is a bit more complex. But trust your vet and talk to them, because despite the few risks, it is definitely worth it. Many of our clients tell us that sterilizing our animal is not natural. Dogs are actually animals that have been genetically selected for thousands of years to be our companions. The moment humans touch a breed, it is no longer natural. So castrating them to make them more docile as companion animals, and above all, to ensure their health is natural. Well, here I am appealing to each person's ethics. But for me, from the moment we humanize and have animals in our homes and select breeds simply for their company. Our duty as owners is to seek the best health for them. And this health involves gastrulation, Sam.
