My dog has been neutered today and hasnt had a wee all day is this normal? Ive took him out the back but i think its more the cone thats the issue but i took it off and straight away hes at his wound so straight back on .

As he will not have drunk all day having been under anaesthetic i would not worry. Make sure he has free access to water overnight and if you're still concerned tomorrow phone your vet for advice. I expect he is sore and that may be affecting him

Is this the nervous puppy by any chance?

Can take a good 24hrs before some dogs go after surgery.
Some dogs fair better if you take the cone off but keep them on a lead and walk them around the garden or a little bit out the front of the house to encourage going to the loo

Can take a good 24hrs before some dogs go after surgery.
Some dogs fair better if you take the cone off but keep them on a lead and walk them around the garden or a little bit out the front of the house to encourage going to the loo

If the cone is an issue you could try either a surgical vest from the vet or a baby grow adapted to fit round her tail

Thanks all ive ordered a body suit hope it makes a difference

Unfortunately there’s nothing that can be done now but I would question why you’ve gone to the trouble (and expense) of having him neutered when you’ve been very concerned about how anxious he is, such a shame that the vets didn’t discourage neutering him so early. I’m writing this honestly help and perhaps highlight one problem with neutering to future readers.
Please look in to a behaviourist for the lad if you’re still worried about him, you can get decent behaviourists that’s won’t cost as much as having a dog neutered, unfortunately more often than not neutering only increases anxiety in dogs…(a big reason why I won’t be spaying one of my older girls is because she’s reactive and anxious since being attacked and although we’re continuously working on it I don’t want to take a risk in making her worse, she needs her hormones). So to help you before you post again I’m suggesting it now as I really do think it’s worth it, an outsider’s opinion can totally help, take it from me as someone who works with dogs but paid for help and it really did show me things I hadn’t thought of with my girl (a different thing to you as her anxiety was due to being severely attacked by another dog but I’d highly recommend)

Like the others have said he will go to the toilet but will have needed to have drunk quite a lot as I’m assuming he would have not had anything pre op so his bladder would be empty.  Another thing is it may be good to ring the vet and see if he went whilst he was there? I know my vets sometimes like them to eat and wee and perhaps poo (or at least give chance) before they send them home.

> Unfortunately there’s nothing that can be done now but I would question why you’ve gone to the trouble (and expense) of having him neutered when you’ve been very concerned about how anxious he is, such a shame that the vets didn’t discourage neutering him so early. I

If this is the same puppy who has been the subject of so many questions of late, 7 - 8 months is TOO YOUNG in my book, for castration.  It's too late for this dog now, but it might caution others not to consider castration until the growth plates have closed.  I hope the pup will adjust to his new status because as said, castration may not have been a great idea for an already anxious dog.

As for needing to urinate - again as said, as he'd have been nil by mouth since around 10 pm the day before his surgery, it would be expected that he isn't needing a wee until his body system kicks in again (food/water intake).  I had a vet who, after a general anaesthetic (for nose to tail x-rays on my Frankie, early days), preferred to feed/water him before discharging him.  I asked about this and was told it helped a patient come found better after the g/a.

This is why I asked if it was the anxious puppy.

Testosterone has been shown to be very important to a dog’s confidence, and I’m very worried if he’s been castrated when he’s clearly very nervous and insecure, at a critical time in his mental and social development.

I remember my vet asking if I was considering castration for my sensitive and nervous papillon, when he was about a year old. I said no. She said definitely don’t - it wasn’t worth the risk that losing the testosterone would negatively impact his confidence. She recommended I leave him intact but suggested that if I did think neutering was necessary we should try chemical castration first, so if it had a negative effect on him at least we’d just have to wait for it to wear off. Surgical castration is permanent.

Anecdotal, but my friend has a standard dachshund whose testicles didn’t descend and were trapped in the groin area (of course they had to castrate him at about 18 months) and he never got the full amount of testosterone. You can see it in the way he’s developed physically, but he’s also a very nervous boy and while he adores his family he can’t cope with strange humans. And dachshunds should be “bold almost to the point of recklessness” so he’s very much off standard with regards to his temperament too.

>I remember my vet asking if I was considering castration for my sensitive and nervous papillon, when he was about a year old. I said no. She said definitely don’t - it wasn’t worth the risk that losing the testosterone would negatively impact his confidence. She recommended I leave him intact but suggested that if I did think neutering was necessary we should try chemical castration first, so if it had a negative effect on him at least we’d just have to wait for it to wear off.

Good for your vet. I thought it was common knowledge with vets that nervous dogs shouldn't be castrated because they need all the testosterone they can get. They shouldn't even try chemical castration till they're at least a year old either. What a shame this has been done to a nervous puppy.

I actually think it's nothing short of criminal that we are whipping out the hormones of young dogs (male and female) even still. All the evidence exists to show the increased rate of cancer, joint disease, behavioural problems, dementia, and so much else besides associated with spaying and neutering.

I once worked with a (human) doctor and her puppy and she brought the subject up, because her vet had mentioned neutering to her. As a doctor, she said it made zero sense to her because surely hormones do important things - just as they do in people. I fully supported her common sense logic and encouraged her to keep her young dog intact.

As someone struggling with menopausal stuff at the moment and realising the importance of estrogen to just about every part of me, I shudder in horror at the thought that we are removing this from dogs - especially young dogs. Many of the things afflicting menopausal women (headaches, joint pain, brain fog, vaginal atrophy, fatigue, sweats) is not something you would ever know to look at someone - it's a hidden illness, like so many are. Which raises the question: How many dogs are suffering all this and we don't even know it....They can't speak and we can't see it. Especially when you consider that unlike women who go through menopause, dogs will cycle and retain their estrogen levels throughout their lives. In humans, testosterone is responsible for optimal brain functioning, helps clear thinking, assertiveness, and a sense of agency in the world (rather than being a depressed passive subject of it all).

I think I've just about decided never to spay or neuter a dog again, unless medically I need to. If that means we get pyo or a cyst, then we will deal with that as and when and if we get it. Just like we would with any disease in an intact woman. Many of which also increase in likelihood the older we get. We don't get neutered to prevent these, and, even if we did, we would replace those missing hormones with HRT. Which just doesn't seem to happen for dogs. (No idea why not.)

Anyway, which is all to say, I now have a sense of revulsion and horror and outrage whenever I read yet another post about someone having neutered their young dog. I don't often say anything because I accept it's probably still a minority opinion, but there we go.

I do agree with u 1234 bit I feel in this case the op as many do followed vets advise .very sad as it won't help the situation .
I just wish vets would think before such advise and let's hope we don't go the way of some American breeders with pediatric spays

What has always fascinated me is that cats seem to be different and early neuter appears to do no harm as far as current science tells us

Thanks for all the great opinions i have had all my dogs neutered at 7months none of which have suffered so i went ahead with it. It will be me dealing with the aftermath re anxiety i wont be posting again thankyou to all for the pst advice was appreciated everyone has their own take on things which is fine but sometimes it feels more like an attack when you dont agree with something so sadly for me i wont be posting anymore.

Take care

Cats mature much earlier than dogs, Tom's can sire kittens as young as 4 months & Queens can conceive at a similar age.

These are two different species which you cannot really compare, entire Tom's tend to be involved in far more fights than entire dogs.

Cats tend to be neutered when they hit around a kilogram in weight for your average cat, the bigger breeds like Main Coons, Ragdolls, Norwegian Forrest cats they tend to mature more slowly as do some oriental breeds.

Yes that is true although generally vets will neuter at 2kg although rescues in particular will do earlier.
You are still removing hormones regardless of age of maturity .
I just think it's fascinating that it's OK with cats  goodness knows how we would deal woth it if it wasn't considered safe

Tagging on to the end here, as I am replying to several people.

Many of the things afflicting menopausal women (headaches, joint pain, brain fog, vaginal atrophy, fatigue, sweats) is not something you would ever know to look at someone - it's a hidden illness, like so many are.

The menopause is not an illness. It's something that happens naturally. Not all women have problems with it either - I have had none whatsoever, and I have not had HRT as that would be dangerous for me with a condition I have.

I have seen bitches change for the worse after being spayed (and I DO notice if a dog of mine is in pain or unhappy or changed in any way) but in my experience this has usually happened when they were neutered at 10 years or thereabouts. I think if a bitch is going to be spayed it's better to do it around 3-6 years of age, but that is my personal experience and I have not researched (yet) whether there is any scientific truth in it. Coming from a country where neutering dogs of both sexes used to be illegal I have had to very much both use research and experience of trial and error to decide what's best for my dogs. The first few years here were a bit awkward when I had vets and people tell me it was irresponsible NOT to neuter, and back at home the exact opposite was said. I had no choice other than find my own answers and not rely on what was the norm/generally believed in either country.

What has always fascinated me is that cats seem to be different and early neuter appears to do no harm as far as current science tells us

It is correct that cats and dogs are very different when it comes to neutering -that has been scientifically proven. Cats and horses, for instance, really do change their behaviour and become easier to deal with (we're talking male animals here) whereas in dogs it basically does nothing except render them infertile. However, neutering a kitten can still cause harm and I am personally against it. I only had it done once so my experience is limited to say the least, but the poor kitten was in terrible pain after being neutered at 14 weeks, it took until he was 6 months old before he could be groomed again as he had become so scared of being handled, and it was about a year before he could travel anywhere without really freaking out. Luckily he eventually settled and he's still with me aged 13 and a half - I had planned to sell him but couldn't because of the neutering after effects on his behaviour. The neutering was done by a vet who does it frequently for breeders so he wasn't even inexperienced in doing it early.

Tom's can sire kittens as young as 4 months & Queens can conceive at a similar age.

No, queens will not call as early as 4 months -it's similar to bitches in fact. Some cat breeds mature extra late and may be a year or older the first time. Most will be around 6 months.

I do agree that a nervous dog should not be neutered at 7 months as it can make them worse. I'm not sure I agree that the same is true of bitches -if anything getting rid of the hormones tend to settle them. Who hasn't had a bitch who is extra jumpy and skittish when she is due in season? I also personally think that neutering a SMALL MALE dog at 7 months need not be a problem if they are confident etc. I've had it done twice. The first time the dog lived until he was over 16 and he had no problems resulting. But a very small dog can be more or less fully grown at 6 months. I wouldn't advice it as routine, but sometimes there are reasons. I should perhaps also add that I currently have a small male entire dog who is 12, and his son who is 7. They're both healthy as well but it has to be said, total pains at times lol.

I have to admit that I haven’t experienced any issues relating to having an intact male, apart from the occasional little bit of marking indoors which I believe is common in neutered toy breed males as well. Riv doesn’t lose his mind over girls, even in season bitches he’s he’s been near (on lead, obviously). Sure, he’s a bit distracted, but he can still focus on me. I’ve seen him far more distracted by a human with tempting food!

He can keep his balls. They aren’t causing problems.

I feel horrible for the puppy. Sure, OP might think that it’s her that’s going to have to deal with the extra anxiety he’s almost certainly going to suffer from by losing those hormones, and that’s true to a certain degree, but the dog has it much worse than she does. And he didn’t make that decision. She’s clearly struggling with him now and it really can’t feel nice for a dog to be that insecure and anxious.

If the OP can't afford a behaviourist right now which she did post on another thread then this isn't going to improve any time soon for the dog and the family.
We as owners especially novice ones can inadvertently create SA and exasperate it too. I don't know what others do but I say all puppies need to be left alone, they need to learn from a young age that people, their people leave the house for periods of time and do come back.
I know it differs with some homes but I've never allowed a puppy to sleep in my bedroom, they learn to sleep downstairs in a crate. They learn early on I go out shopping, work etc and always come back.
I've seen it many times when owners won't allow their dogs to be left ever, I have raised that what happens in an emergency when you are out, be it a medical emergency, the dog will be left and you need from the start for a dog/puppy to have the confidence that you will be back

> If the OP can't afford a behaviourist right now which she did post on another thread then this isn't going to improve any time soon for the dog and the family.

Agree with this, that’s why I think it’s such a shame. Neutering costs money so I just wished that money could’ve gone to, imo, better use for a behaviourist. Which is why I mentioned expense, a behaviourist if needed is as important as paying for any vet bills imo.

I also agree entirely with leaving pups and starting at a very young age, granted this helps if the breeder has started this (although I know it’s not often and for a long time that pups are on their own individually). My 7 month old lab has stayed in a crate for a couple hours on her own and just over 3 hours (we went to watch Batman ) with the others in the same room, although she was crated still. I started that gradually though and still make sure that when I’m leaving her for hours that she’s been up for a while and is ready for a sleep, setting her up for success.
I know from experience and seeing the other members of the household do things that they think are ‘ok’ but don’t help pup to settle. For instance when I was first leaving her then I’d get the other people to leave the house first and wait in the car whilst I settled her. Now she settles in no time and watches everyone leave and is fine about it but little things like that I think a lot of people don’t think about and how much hectic energy it creates with the family leaving the house if I’d left her then, as she’s so social and not used to being left she wouldn’t have settled that well if at all…especially when we take the other dogs too that FOMO for the youngest pup can be real. I know small breeds vary from bigger breeds but it saddens me because the OPs dog is the same/similar age to my pup and I just couldn’t imagine not being able to leave the house etc.
Unfortunately some people want a quick solution but often with anxiety there is no quick solution and as it’s gone on for so long and he’s still very young I think a behaviourist would be the best money spent. I’ve seen it, my dog was nearly killed by another dog and I won’t stop shouting from the hilltops about how my behaviourists helped me, you wouldn’t believe the change and that’s coming from someone who works with dogs - an outsider (and professional) can see so much more than us as owners sometimes.

> I've seen it many times when owners won't allow their dogs to be left ever, I have raised that what happens in an emergency when you are out, be it a medical emergency, the dog will be left and you need from the start for a dog/puppy to have the confidence that you will be back

To quickly touch on this, when I just had one of my girls when she was just over 1, we were out walking and cutting a long story short the person I was with had to go in an ambulance. I followed and dropped my girl home. Nearly 6 hours later I got home, thankfully she’d been used to being left and although I felt awful for leaving her so long she really was ok. I’ve never had to leave a dog for that long and wouldn’t ordinarily choose to but yes I think it’s super important so that at least the dog will not be as stressed being left in an emergency

I have to admit my pap wasn’t good at being left at first, coming to my house it was the first time he’d ever been anywhere without at least one other dog and he was understandably scared and unhappy.

We did have a couple of weeks where me or my partner had to be within a few feet of him, but we gradually worked up to moving towards the door, opening it, closing it, leaving for literally a second and coming back in. We kept everything very calm and matter of fact, and slowly he learned that he was okay on his own and that we always come back.

He’s always slept in a pen/crate in our room, mostly because being so tiny as a pup he needed to go out to the toilet twice a night. (He sleeps through now.) But as he got better at being left, we started putting him in bed earlier and leaving him alone when he was already sleepy and inclined to settle down to sleep anyway. Now we do last toilet walk around 10:30pm and he goes straight up to bed after that. We follow later.

I make sure he has alone time every single day even though I’m in the house pretty much all the time. Most mornings he sleeps for a few hours downstairs alone after his early walk and he’s absolutely fine. I think it’s a super important skill for dogs to learn, you never know when they’ll need to be kennelled at the vet or boarded somewhere.

For the clingier breeds it’s something you have to work on, increasing their confidence slowly. I couldn’t have just left River to cry, he’d have lost any trust in me and he’d be a nervous wreck.

>The menopause is not an illness. It's something that happens naturally.

Hmm, and illness isn't something that happens naturally? Illness is the most 'natural' thing in the world. So is death. And when someone is injured in a car accident, we don't say that medical treatment is a bad idea - because it's 'not natural'.

So this whole division between 'natural = good' and 'not-natural = bad' is flawed and false logic.

Increasingly, well-clued up doctors see the menopause as a hormone deficiency. Just like people who don't have enough thyroid hormone, need medication to supplement it, so the lost hormones should be replaced...with only very few exceptions.

Until the 1900s, the average age of death for a woman was 65. It is relatively recently that women have been living long enough to be living a substantial part of their lives without their hormones.

It's not about managing menopausal symptoms either - it's about future health and protecting yourself into old age: Research shows that HRT (replacing their natural lost hormones) leads to a reduced risk of osteoporosis, reduced risk of dementia, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks and reduced risk of bowel cancer. You can find out more from the https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk website and also her excellent podcast 'Dr Louise Newson'.

But I fear we are straying from dog related subjects here. Except to say that research shows that dogs which are neutered have a higher risk of joint disorders (just as post-menopausal women often experience joint pain) and a higher risk of canine cognitive dysfunction in old age (just as women are at higher risk of dementia if not on HRT and post-menopausal). I am pretty sure that as we finally start to piece together the science on all this, we will see that dogs are prone to similar issues as women, when denied their hormones. Even if they can't communicate that.

Many Local Authorities only allow day cares to have neutered males in their licensing.

One of my puppy owners only neutered her male pup for this reason.

He looks like neither bitch or dog,  as the sex differences  in my breed is quite obvious.

Only vaguely related, but most strangers assume my pap is female. I guess he’s small and cute, with hair covering his testicles so you can’t see them.

It always makes me laugh though because anyone who knows the breed would take one look at his (admittedly pretty) little face and know immediately that he’s a boy!

And people are so embarrassed and apologetic if I correct them, so many have apologised *to him* which is funny because of course he has no idea what they are saying and wouldn’t care if he did.

>The menopause is not an illness. It's something that happens naturally. Not all women have problems with it either

Very true; the menopause is as normal as periods - it's part of the natural hormone cycle of women, just as phantom pregnancies are a natural part of the hormone cycle for bitches.