So all being fair last month we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of spaying and so this month it seemed only fair we turned our attention to the male variety and castration.
Advantages
Like spaying there are a number of advantages to neutering. The first one is obviously that once castrated your dog won’t be able to get a female dog ‘in the family way’. With many thousands of dogs in rescue unless you intend to breed from your dog, castrating and preventing unwanted puppies can literally save dogs lives. Also, your dog should quite literally stray less as he won’t be drawn to that local female in heat, which by the way he can smell from a very long distance away.
Some dogs once they reach sexual maturity will become a little obsessed with items such as cushions, legs and even other animals including the cat. Castration should reduce or stop this behaviour. They will also scent mark less around your home and other homes when he goes to visit.
Another behavioural advantages include reducing dominance and aggressive behaviour to others and indeed others to them. It can also calm some dogs down and make them more focused on humans and the relationship with their owners than on other male or female dogs.
From a health prospective there are also a number of key advantages to castration. Instances of both prostate and testicular cancer can be reduced or alleviated by castrating.
Disadvantages
Nothing is always one sided and castration can also have some negatives.
Dogs who are castrated can if feeding is not adapted put on weight significantly more easily than uncastrated dogs. Not all dogs’ metabolisms change in the same way but this is something to keep a close eye on post castration so as to avoid health risks that come with weight issues in your dog.
Like in spaying castration can affect the overall endocrine system and as such there appears to be good evidence that while not common, there is an increased risk in castrated dogs of hypothyroidism. There are also thoughts on neutered dogs being more prone in later life to dementia as hormones appear to protect the brain in some regards.
The other health risk again like that in spaying is that castration does require an anaesthetic and there are always health risks with general anaesthetics in humans and animals.
If castration is done too early before full growth is complete in dogs there does appear to be good evidence that it can impact bone growth and issues such as hip dysplasia.
Finally – Microchipping laws
As a final aside please note the new laws on having your pet microchipped come into force on the 6th of April 2016. If your pet is not microchipped after that date, you can incur significant fines. If Calagran Four Paws Hotel can assist you, we are licenced implanters and can chip your pet from £15.
Bev & Steve Deighton (3rd November 2018)
"The kennels are excellent with the extra long runs, the ability for all dogs to be able to see one another and the comfortable beds given to the dogs. The excellent paddock that you have for exercising the dogs along with toys for them to play with. Always spotlessly clean and tidy."
Mr and Mrs Curry (10th October 2016)
"Where do I start? The staff are friendly and extremely helpful, the kennels are kept very clean, our male dog can be protective towards our female dog and this causes him to become anxious the staff dealt with this. Anyone who is unsure please please go and have a look at the kennels they are brilliant along with the staff who do an exceptional job. We can't thank you enough and look forward to seeing you again in 2017."
Jules Foster (24th October 2018)
"Great location in the fields, lovely knowledgeable and caring staff, clean and spacious kennels, they can't do enough for you and your pet."
Xeno & Marie Batt (5th April 2017)
"Thank you Julie for your faultless service & for going that extra mile. Best wishes x"
Glennis Snailham (10th May 2017)
"Excellent..Both the facilities and care shown to the animals."
Steve & Jayne (20th April 2017)
"We had reservations about kenneling our dogs but after this trail we are more than happy to use this service again. Dogs there mentally stable & not displaying signs of stress. Overall we are very happy and pleased to use this service again"
Janine Royle (8th August 2016)
"We first met Julie at Off The Leash in Bakewell. The next time we went away we knew that Calagran was a place we wanted our WCS Jarvis to stay. We went for a visit first and Jarvis loved running around the paddock, he's a live wire and needs his exercise. Finding somewhere where he would be able to run round and not cooped up was paramount. The whole place is spotlessly clean, roomy and modern and with all the home comforts your dog needs away from home. Jarvis never seems distressed when we leave him, or appon picking him up. He's visited many times now and really seems to have the best time when he does. It's great to recieve pictures too of your dog having fun while your away and missing them."
Lisa clibbery (29th August 2017)
"Clean tidy and welcoming , safe and secure"
Linda Allen (3rd November 2018)
"Brilliant place, really love each & every dog that comes through their doors. 👍"
Tony Clark (2nd February 2017)
"We have never used a boarding service before, and were naturally worried about leaving our two dogs while we attended a family funeral. Our old boy has been with us for 9 years and never been away from us and our young lass is quite a nervous dog who has also never been away from us. We needn't have worried, they both settled and seemed to enjoy the experience, and we returned to two healthy happy dogs. They were quick to respond to email enquiring about their well being, which put our mind at rest, and we got a good summary of their stay when we collected them. Thanks to all the staff at C Four Paws for looking after our pooches so well. Would definitely use them again without hesitation."
Calagran Four Paws Hotel
Deep Sic Lane
Arkwright Town
Chesterfield
S44 5DN
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