Just interested in people's experiences on using this method and why they used it , the outcome of using it , then if they went for surgical castration and if that worked ?

Thanks
Lucy

> Just interested in people's experiences on using this method and why they used it , the outcome of using it , then if they went for surgical castration and if that worked ?

Likewise, as I wish I'd tried it before surgical castration - one of the worst things I've done.

I've used Tardak and also Suprelorin on 2 different dogs and have mixed reviews on both of them.
Tardak I tried for a number of months and it had no effect at all
Suprelorin had an effect on one male but not the other - This was a positive one and have been happy and will continue to use it on him.

I am considering, potentially on getting my boy castrated in time as i'm hoping to add a bitch to the pack. So will see how things pan out. I don't want any accidents nor do I need any other issues to arise either, so we'll see. As it stands there is nothing in the rules on showing that prevents a castrated male on being shown these days, as to how well they will do?? As for Suprelorin, its made no difference to my boy or any other dog I know who uses it in the ring. Many dogs in Europe use it and its almost more common for dogs to use it than not when not being uses at regular stud.

I've used something called Ypozane. It's a course of tablets and lasts for about 6 months. No side-effects to speak of and seems to do the job OK. Useful for when we have a bitch in season, keeps our boy calm and his skin seems better than when he's fretting over a bitch. Not sure if I would go for castration as a previous castrated male of ours was permanently hungry and put on weight at the drop of a hat, even on reduced rations.

I researched Ypozane but I found nothing that said it would actually make the dog turn infertile (as that isn't the normal usage for it), just that it reduced testosterone so I was worried about what would happen if he still mated.
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Virbac_Limited/YPOZANE_Tablets_for_dogs/-48992.html
This is why I went for Suprelorin instead. So far (we're about 9 weeks in) all's good. No interest in in season bitches (that stopped after 6 ½ weeks -at 6 week there was still some interest), no leg cocking indoors, but no other changes which is what we wanted. In the past I've tried Tardak (on a different dog though) and it might as well have been water. :O

> I found nothing that said it would actually make the dog turn infertile

Not sure about that, we used Ypozane to reduce libido and also because it is known to shrink the prostate. It certainly worked OK for our male. Tardak also worked (on a different dog of ours too) but only lasted a few weeks whereas the Ypozane seems to work for about 6 months. How long do you think Suprelorin works for?

> As it stands there is nothing in the rules on showing that prevents a castrated male on being shown these days

Don't know about that, I think all breed standards say that males should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum, or something like that. Maybe you can ask the KC for permission to show a castrated dog?

Maybe you can ask the KC for permission to show a castrated dog?

You don't need permission, you just need to inform them (on the correct form signed by the vet) but most judges would not place such a dog.

Not sure about that, we used Ypozane to reduce libido and also because it is known to shrink the prostate

Yes but tell me where in the data sheet it says it causes infertility? The Suprelorin data sheet says it causes infertility for around 6 months. Suprelorin is marketed as a contraceptive, Ypozane a treatment for an actual medical problem.

> Ypozane a treatment for an actual medical problem

Yes that's fair enough. We have used it to solve a problem. I guess it depends what the OP is trying to achieve.

> How long do you think Suprelorin works for?

On average around 6 months. Its the same implant for each dog regardless of the size of them. I was only a few weeks delayed in getting my boy reimplanted and in that time his testicles had grown back to their original size.
The one thing I would say is that within the first few weeks of using Suprelorin you'll notice a huge surge in hormones and you just need to be really on top of them while they go through this period until they settle right down again.

Yes that's fair enough. We have used it to solve a problem.
No, read the data sheet. Ypozane is a treatment for benign prostatic hypertrophy. Suprelorin is a contraceptive implant. It's a bit like saying Frontline is a treatment for skin infections -because it kills the fleas that might have caused it to start with. The two products are manufactured for totally different purposes.

Have to say in my rare breed quite a few dogs have been placed highly who have been castrated.

That is interesting Marianne about stopping the cocking the leg up.

This is what I am looking at to see if the chemical castration route will solve this issue. If the behaviour is temporarily stooped I wonder if once a dog is then off the drug if the behaviour would stop ? This is a dog where it is not down to bitches in season but more of the learnt behaviour.

Have to say in my rare breed quite a few dogs have been placed highly who have been castrated.

You're lucky -and good on the judges!!

I often think the best solution would be to split neutered dogs and bitches from the entire ones at shows like what is done in cats, with separate titles for them as well. That way a lot more dogs can be shown -and if a Champion has to be neutered it can then start showing again and go for the Premier title instead. My best show cat at the moment had to be neutered due to having just one testicle.

We used Tardak ( I think) when Dakko had perianal adenomas to try tp stop them recurring without castrating him. It had no effect and we ended up having to get hm castrated anyway.

> I often think the best solution would be to split neutered dogs and bitches from the entire ones at shows like what is done in cats, with separate titles for them as well.

Think of the extra entries at shows, and the number of people who could then show who don't now because their dogs are neutered/spayed! Or those who would like to own one or two show dogs, but don't because they (for various reasons) have to or prefer to own neutered dogs. I wish the KC would consider it. In the cat show world, show neuters are living advertisements for their catteries and breeders.

>Think of the extra entries at shows, and the number of people who could then show who don't now because their dogs are neutered/spayed!

But they can show them, and, especially with bitches, often do very well - there was the spayed Sheltie bitch who won BiS at Crufts one year, for instance.

The problem with showing a castrated dog is that the standards all call for "two apparently normal testicles in the scrotum", so one without has an immediate fault in comparison with entire dogs. There's no requirement for a bitch to have ovaries.

Apart from the fact most judges would not place a castrated dog, some breeds change their coat in a major way when a bitch is spayed -which can be both good and bad, so in every way it is more fair to not have entire dogs and neutered ones competing together.

I certainly have one dog I'd love to castrate but as he's being shown I can't even consider it.