Male Dog 'Castration' Injection

[DarceyK123]

Son has 9 months old dog who is just coming into adolescence. He doesn't want to breed from him and he is getting a bit frisky so was thinking of getting him castrated.

However, a lady i was talking to in the park says she's heard of an injection the vets can do instead of him having the operation, has anyone heard about this?

Any advice very welcome.

[Mamyalynne]

A few pros and cons of Chemical Castration here.

https://wagwalking.com/wellness/chemical-neutering-for-dogs

[lankeela]

Yes there are two different ones - one is called Tardak, which is short lived (only lasts a few weeks) and is often used to see if castration would work for things such as aggression. The other is called Suprelorin, which is a slow release implant which lasts either six months or a year depending which one you give. During the time is it in use the dog loses all instincts to go 'womanising' and it renders them infertile, but once the six or twelve months or so has passed the dog reverts back to normal. His round bits also shrink while on it, but they revert back to full size after. It is very useful if it is planned to breed from the dog later in life, and I have used it on several dogs over the years. What it does not do is correct any behaviour issues such as aggression or extreme hyper behaviour, it is really intended just to prevent them showing a lot of interest in the girls and fathering puppies. The vet would happily explain. It costs around £80 for the six month jab. If the dog is never going to be bred from I would personally wait till he was mature (at least eighteen months) and then have him castrated.

[Buenchico]

The practice of using injections for such a purpose has now largely been abandoned, due to the potential side effects (such as diabetes and cancer). Implants under the skin are used instead:
https://firstvet.com/uk/questions/488/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-with-chemical-castration-vs-surgical-castration-in-a-male-dog

[lankeela]

This article says the dogs are injected into each testicle and it is painful (well it would be wouldn't it) but the Suprelorin is injected into the scruff of the neck just like a microchip or vaccination - it is not painful. Bearing in mind you would have to do this every six months or every year if using the longer lasting one it would cost many times the cost of neutering the dog, so if not going to be bred from it is certainly not cost effective and there is the danger the owner forgets to have it done and the dog would then be able to father puppies should he get anywhere near a female in season.

[DarceyK123]

Thanks all, lots to think about then.

[Hymie]

Just make sure the vet does not jab your husband by mistake.