Chemical castration

Beckyy

I was wondering if anybody had any experiences of chemically castrating a dog with the suprelorin implant?

I have a 2 year old great dane and have been considering getting him 'done' now that he's an adult. He doesn't always see eye to eye with other larger entire male dogs and I was hoping castration might aid this, but he is quite a nervous lad in general and from a nervous line so I don't want to make this any worse by removing the testosterone, and in turn any confidence from it, from his system. So I'm considering chemically castrating him to see the effect oit has on him.


I've read quite a lot about the implant, and heard very mixed things about it so was wondering if I could get any direct experiences (particularly any changes in behaviour) from owners who might have used it before? I was also wondering if it's removable as have heard conflicting things about this too.

Any replies are appreciated!

Hillbilly1

You need to speak to a behaviourist. The issues with nerves/other dogs are unlikely to be made radically better or worse with neutering.

I would avoid a hormone implant like the plague. I don't think playing around with them will help him.

Finally, can I ask why people are breeding and why people are buying pups from a "nervous" line?

Beckyy

Thanks for the reply, it's more than unfriendly attention from other entire male dogs that I'm wanting rid of; I just don't want anything to make him more nervous. I think I'll have a word with the vet about it in the future and get their opinion on it.

zebidee1

Hillbilly1 wrote: »

You need to speak to a behaviourist. The issues with nerves/other dogs are unlikely to be made radically better or worse with neutering.

We consulted a respected behaviourist about our boy who was very nervous. He advised against neutering as it could make a bad situation worse, i.e. the removal of testosterone may make him even more nervous.

Our vet was uncertain it would make any difference but credit to him, he did some research of his own and asked opinions from more specialist vets and he was told the same thing, don't neuter.

I don't know anything about chemical castration so I'll be reading any replies with interest.

Hillbilly1

Beckyy wrote: »

I didn't find out about the nervousness until after we got our dog. It seems that a champion in the bloodline will make some breeders 'forget' about other issues that breeding certains dogs could have, sadly.

That is sad - and unusual for the breed, they are usually jovial sorts who play well with others, but just aren't aware of their size!

What benefit have you been told about using the implant? Is it because you can see if hormones make a difference to the issues?

clipclop_2

Danes can be a bit nervy which I find silly due to their size! Bless them
I doubt castration is going to aid his attitude other dogs as he is already in that mind set now, I would definately get your vet to refer you to a behaviourist which will be covered on your pet insurance (assuming you have it)

snowman2_2

clipclop wrote: »

I doubt castration is going to aid his attitude other dogs as he is already in that mind set now

Not necessarily - the younger the better though before it becomes a learnt behaviour. Delaying any treatment will reduce the chances of success.

clipclop wrote: »

I would definately get your vet to refer you to a behaviourist which will be covered on your pet insurance (assuming you have it)

Not all policies would cover this and it may be a requirement to see a vet as a behaviouralist. Check your small print - not all policies are equal!

madmeg

I can only advise extreme caution with chemical castration. A colleague tried it with her large breed (Mastiff) and he reacted badly to it, becoming extremely aggressive and undoing years of work she had done with him. It took him years to recover. If you'd like more specific information I can get her to post as she has done lots of in depth research and knows the subject very well.

Emmabeth

I have used Suprelorin with my Tibetan Terrier - I would say it made minimal difference to his slightly 'arsey' behaviour with a couple of our other dogs and DID make his nerves worse, which backed up what I thought real castration would do, and so we have not had him done.

You would be better off trying to make little changes around your house with what you do and how you interact with him, and how he is allowed to interact with your other dog, and if after a good few months of that you STILL see no improvement, then revisit trying out Suprelorin, armed with the knowledge of what to do IF his fearful, nervous behaviour gets worse (nkowing that eventually Suprelorin will wear off!).

There is another kind of chemical 'castration' which really is not comparable, this is Tardak (madmeg, the Mastiff in question isn't called Cal is he?) and this has been shown to create depressed dogs who can react explosively, suddenly aggressive..

Back to your dog - how you handle the situations that arise (and ideally BEFORE they arise) can make a huge difference, and, at 2 a Great Dane is still a fair way from being a mature adult dog, so there is plenty of time yet for him to settle down.