Will neutering reduce balanoposthitis risk for my intact dog?

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Biggi. Please do not be afraid of the surgery to neuter him. It may not take care of all his problems with the prostrate gland, but may help. As long as Biggi is in good health as evidenced by normal blood work, has no obvious cardiac or pulmonary problems, then neutering him should not put him in any danger. All surgery carries a small risk, but if you trust your veterinarian, Biggi should sail through the surgery. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Absolutely. Actually, neutering is one way to treat a prostate hyperplasia (enlarged prostate). It should not affect him negatively. His prostate should get smaller, and he will not have any more discharge from his prepuce. If your dog has an inflamed prostate, it still needs treatment with an antibiotic prescribed by your vet.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Popo. Neutering him will help to prevent against certain types of prostate diseases and even some forms of cancer. It will decrease his desire to roam looking for female dogs. It does not affect personality. Every surgery carries the risk of anesthesia. He could experience post-operative swelling or infection. Some adult dogs can gain weight after the surgery. So his calories need to be monitored. These risks are minimal in most cases though. I hope this information helps!

Hi and thanks for your question. There are lots of negatives to having an intact male dog. Intact male dogs can develop prostatic problems as well as testicular cancers that can have serious health consequences to them and may shorter the life of the dog. Aside from marking behaviors and other undesirable behavior (mounting, etc), , the risk of cancers and prostatic issues later in life are primary concerns. I hope this helps!

Poor Alf! Studies have shown that neutering does not provide any protective effects against prostate cancer in dogs - in fact, neutered males have a slightly higher incidence of this disease than intact males. So I'm not quite sure about the reasoning for having him castrated, unless what your veterinarian meant was that Alf has prostatic cysts or benign prostatic enlargement - both of these things would be expected to improve with neutering. It would help to know exactly what diagnostics have been done and what the results were in order to give more specific advice - feel free to request a consultation with one of us if you want to upload copies of his lab reports and medical records for us to look at. Otherwise, if you're unsure about your current vet's recommendations, I would suggest going to another local vet for a second opinion, or requesting referral to a specialist for further evaluation.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Toby. If a dog is neutered as a younger puppy, the scrotum becomes less obvious as the dog continues to grow. If the dog is neutered as an older pup or as an adult, the scrotum may stay visible. Be sure to keep Toby very quiet for a few days as an older puppy can experience post-surgical swelling in this region. The benefits of neutering including preventing unwanted litters of puppies, preventing certain types of cancer and prostate disease and decreasing the dog's desire to roam and seek out females. The negative is some dogs can experience a slowed metabolism and subsequent weight gain. This can be easily managed with calorie restriction if necessary. I hope this information helps!

Yes, I would recommend at the least having Dino neutered. Perianal hernias are almost always due to increased testosterone levels which weakens the muscle of the pelvic floor. Neutering would help prevent further damage to these muscles but would not reverse the problem. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.