RIVET

Recently I placed a seven month puppy dog in a lovely home. the lady phoned me a few days later. She was delighted with the dog, but when she took him to be microchipped the vet had told her he must be neutered "to avoid prostate trouble in later life"

Well, neutering is certainly the treatment for prostate enlargement -- but it`s usually done when the trouble starts, not years in advance. I advised her to save her money. And it got me thinking about neutering.

We all know why we neuter bitches. And it`s commonly done. It is done to avoid unwanted pregnancy, oestrus problems, pyometria and mammary tumours. There are clear health advantages.

And there are of course disadvantages. Papillons are toy spaniels and spaniels have a tendency to fat. Neutering will often result in a very placid, not to say boring, dog with alarming weight gain, accompanied by a change from a beautiful silky coat texture to something resembling tangled wool. It is no fun putting a Pap on a lifetime diet. And neutered females will often be incontinent in later life - and Papilons live a long time.

What about neutering dogs?

Well, here, apart from the case of monorchids - retained testicles often become cancerous and should be removed - and dogs with prostate enlargement, it`s uually done for behavioural reasons. And here we`re on more uncertain grounds.

The American vet websites go to town on male neutering. It will give you a happy contented pet. He will not cock his leg. He will not fight. He will not wander. As one site lyrically piut it - "Think how much happier he will be without his raging hormones!" (Try telling that to your stud dog - or your husband!)

But Americans neuter baby puppies (which can lead to growth problems). Here you`re probably looking at an adult male with a problem. He fights, or he piddles in the house, or his sex drive is excessive. Will castration help?

The answer is always "maybe". In the case of a fighting dog, if the activity has become a habit, neutering will probably just damp it down a bit. His fighting is not now hormonal, it`s something he enjoys doing.

It will reduce scent marking, but in the case of a dog who is just not well housetrained it may be that the stains on the wallpaper will be replaced by ones on the carpet.

My experience of neutering males was in Cresteds, and I did neuter one whose sex drive was so excessive that he constantly tried to mate bitches whether they were in season or not. Of course they resented it and bit him, and he was in danger of a serious attack.

So he was neutered. Being a Crested he didn`t get fat and obviously had no hormone-related coat problems. And he still mated bitches, Only now he waited until they were in season. And of course they didn`t have puppies.

Well. I just let him run with the bitches. They were very happy and so was he. It was useful too. Young bitches not quite old enough to be mated would be taught the facts of life with no danger of pregnancy. Old ladies didn`t feel neglected. The boys didn`t mind because they didn`t see him as male any more. He lived a long, happy life, and died suddenly just after all the bitches had been in season.......I think he died happy as well.

My view is that neutering males to cure a specific behavioural problem is doubtful at best. It takes the spirit and liveliness out of a Papillon, and most of us enjoy that. And if it doesn`t change the problem behaviour, you may just be enriching the vet. If it will treat a specific health problem, that`s quite different.

And why Rivet, you ask. Recently I heard about a family with a neutered rescue dog. They called him Rivet.

Rivets - no nuts required.