Orchiectomy . This is the surgical removal of the sexual organs in males and females, known as castration, not only to prevent reproduction but to eliminate the undesirable effects of hormones on the behavior of our dogs .
Summary
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- 1 When to apply the orchiectomy
- 2 Effects
- 1 Behavior
- 2 Health
- 3 Society
- 3 Examination before orchiectomy
- 4 Performing the orchiectomy
- 5 Post-surgical care
- 6 Consult the vet if:
- 7 Source
When to apply the orchiectomy
- Behavioral problems: aggressiveness, urine marking.
- Hereditary pathologies: dogs with dysplasia , cryptorchidism (retained testicles that do not descend), allergies , etc.
- Prevention of pathologies: prostatic tumors, venereal diseases, etc.
- Population control.
The most recommended age for performing the surgery will be before one year of age, since they recover better the younger they are, it is possible to reduce the hormonal influence on various pathologies. Neutering dogs has many health benefits and helps protect animals in general, by helping to avoid overpopulation and abandonment.
Effects
Behavior
Orchiectomy in animals does not alter their vitality, temperament, instinct, or intelligence, etc. It makes them more sociable and less troublesome. This avoids inappropriate behaviors for pets and their owners such as: marking with urine ; the sexual anxiety that produces in animals desire to escape, riding instinct; and sexual dominance aggressiveness problems with other males and even with people. In short, the hormonal stress that pets suffer is reduced by not allowing them to reproduce, thus increasing their quality of life.
Health
Animals do not need to reproduce psychologically or physiologically, and having a litter will not prevent any pathology. Castration has a number of advantages and benefits on the health of pets, increasing their life expectancy by reducing the appearance of possible diseases: It avoids the problems of the Prostate , tumors, perianal hernia , etc. Once the orchiectomy is performed, the animals must be provided with an adequate diet to avoid being overweight due to the resting metabolic rate, therefore the daily energy requirements will be lower.
Society
With orchiectomy, the proliferation of unwanted litters is avoided by avoiding accidental or indiscriminate reproduction of animals. Control of dog populations in cities is essential, as thousands of animals that cannot be put up for adoption are slaughtered each year in shelters or kennels.
Examination before orchiectomy
Includes a complete physical examination of the patient, performed by the vet . During it, weight, temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate are determined. In addition, the clinical condition of the animal is determined through the examination of the skin, hair and mucosa, extremities and pads, eyes and ears, nose and throat, mouth, teeth and gums, heart and lungs , abdomen and the gastrointestinal and urogenital systems. The male should be free of intestinal parasites and all vaccines should be up-to-date before surgery.
Performing the orchiectomy
First, the testicles are approached through the skin and the robes that protect them. Once isolated, the vessels and vas deferens of each testicle are ligated , then sectioned and removed. Once this is done with both testicles, the tunics and skin are closed with simple stitches. In dogs, depending on the size and breed of the animal, we will do it between 5 months and one year of age.
Post-surgical care
Delivering the animal after surgery tells them when they can start drinking and eating. You should go to check the day after the intervention and in the reviews it is specified to remove the sutures and administer antibiotic and analgesic medication. This process lasts between 7 and 10 days.
The activity of the animal must be restricted during the days after surgery, ensuring that the stitches are not removed, that the wound is damaged or that there is inflammation . For this, an Elizabethan collar is put on that will avoid self-injury and will make the male less active and have a better recovery.
Consult the vet if:
- You have a fever.
- You have swelling that does not go away or continues to get worse.
- You have trouble urinating.
- You may feel a lump forming in your scrotum.
- You have bleeding from one of your incisions that won’t stop despite the place being squeezed between two gauze pads for ten minutes.
