is it possible for a neutered dog to still reproduce?

Question

My male dog has been neutered. Is it possible that they can still get a dog pregnant? My female dog seems to be pregnant (she is producing milk??) and she has been around no other males. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Answer 1

no - when a dog or cat is neutered the actual testicles are removed (instead of tying tubes) to ensure there is no way to reproduce. also removing the testicles themselves makes the animal calmer (less hormonal) since the entire reproductive organs are removed.

Answer 2

Your female dog may or may not be pregnant. Lactating isn't necessarily a sign of pregnancy. Please take her to your vet and inform him of everything you observed.

If she is pregnant, can you be 100% positive she has not interacted with any other male dogs? How recently was your male dog neutered? If recent, perhaps he impregnated her prior to him being neutered.

As was already stated, neutering a dog removes the actual testicles, where sperm is produced. This is not a vasectomy, which men receive. With a vasectomy, there is a chance, even if very slight, that a man could still impregnate a woman. These chances exist if the doctor did a poor job disconnecting the vasa deferentia, or nature somehow reversed it. But both of these are very unlikely. In a dog, since the actual testicles are removed, there is no chance of a "mistake" or nature correcting itself. If your male dog has been neutered for a while, the likelihood of him impregnating your female dog is zero.

I would also strongly suggest you spay your female dog. If she's not pregnant, consider this a warning and promptly spay her. This will not only eliminate unwanted pups (and there are far too many in this world already - a whopping 90% of all dogs born do not go to homes), but prevent cancer and other diseases later in life.

For now, please see your vet to ensure your dog is O.K.

Answer 3

From "BEST FRIENDS MAGAZINE," January/February 2000

Can a male dog sire a litter after being fixed?

Yes. A dog can still impregnate a female for up to two or three weeks after being neutered. Sperm is made in the testicle but requires 10 to 14 days to mature in a squiggly thing attached to the testicle called the epididymis. This maturing can happen anywhere along the vas deferens (the tube from the epididymis out). The vas deferens can’t be removed so the young sperm that were there matured and became fertile.

Richard Allen, DVM

Answer 4

No. Although the male can still do the deed so to speak. He can't produce puppies. If you are sure that no other male has been around your girl, then she is having a false pregnancy. Before you assume that, think back and make sure she had no opportunity to get to another male (you can account for her whereabouts for her whole heat cycle including the beginning).

However in reading the other answers I am reminded that it takes 30 days from the date of neuter to be empty of sperm (it lives in the tubes). If your male was neutered less than a month before she went into heat, she may be pregnant.

Answer 5

How long ago was your male neutered? A neuter is complete removal of the testicles, so no more sperm can be produced. If your dog tried to mate within 72 hours of the neuter, it is possible...but unlikely. If you are 100% sure your female has not been around any other dogs, it could be a false pregnancy which isn't uncommon. I'd recommend having her spayed to prevent future problems.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=1100

Answer 6

When male dogs are neutered, the whole purpose is to get them to stop reproducing. Wait for about a week and check for lumps under her skin in her tummy. Check to see if she is getting fat, because sometimes females do produce milk without being pregnant. If she is pregnant, I would get a refund on the neutering fee, and if they didn't give me one, I'd sue the vet.

Answer 7

Very unlikely. Neutering a male dog they take the testicles out, if somehow a testicle got left behind it would be visible unless your dog is very very very furry. However, he may still be able to 'do the deed'. When I got my Bobbi from the pound she had what looked like a spay scar, so instead of opening her up my vet said to watch her and if she went into heat we'd spay her after. Turns out it wasn't a spay scar, she did go into heat. My Cody, a neutered male, was sniffing around her but I figured with him being neutered it would go no further. WRONG! He got into her, they tied, and on Easter day with all my neighbors having parties out of doors I had two totally paniced dogs tied and straining as hard as they could to get away from each other, which of course made it hurt worse and scared them worse and they were both screaming at the top of their lungs. Fortunately, I had just been reading on dog breeding and knew what to do to get them to release but I kept a close eye on them after that!

AND, while Bob was in heat I had her in my 1/2 acre dog yard with a six foot fence and wire underground 18 inches - I though that would keep any neighbor dogs off her - WRONG AGAIN! Fortunately I was home when it happened and intervened, but she and the neighbor dog managed to get into position where he was about to 'do her' through the fence! Very clever and inventive dogs. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Bottom line is, a dog in heat will attract males from the entire neighborhood, and they will do their best to get a 'moment alone'. And she'll be doing her best to get to them. This can occur without the human in charge knowing, and it only takes a minute. Unless you are planning to breed full blooded dogs, know what you are doing and have the best interest of the dogs and the breed in general in mind, spay your pets. I've heard of dogs climbing or digging under fences, breaking out of cars, slipping collars, chewing through heavy tie downs to run off and get bred. Plus an altered animal is more stable and in general happier than an unaltered animal.

Your dog may somehow have gotten bred without your knowledge. Dogs can also have false pregnancies. I'd suggest an immediate vet visit for advice.

Answer 8

If the dog was fully neutered - absolutely not.
There are three possibilities here:
1 - Your female has gotten out when you weren't looking.
2 - Your male was not fully neutered (the vet only got one testicle - which really seems unlikely)
3 - Your female is having a false pregnancy. This usually occurs in females that have bred before, but can happen in unbred females. Get her to a vet and get her checked out. If it is a false pregnancy, it will correct itself with her next heat.
If you don't plan to breed her, spay her. It's healthier for her.

Answer 9

A neutered dog shouldn't be able to reproduce. Once they have been neutered, it stops them from reproducing. If this continues for a few more days (like 3 days), you should make an appointment with your vet. This might be a little serious!

Answer 10

A properly neutered dog of either gender no longer even
has the necessary equipment to produce children.

Lopped off, yanked out ... all gone.

However, producing milk is a function of hormonal
changes that may not have anything to do with being
pregnant or being exposed to another dog.

However, it would certainly be my first suspicion.
You could imagine something like cancer in her
gonads wacking out her hormones or ... who knows.

Unfortunately, such a problem might also through
a traditional pregnancy test off.

See your vet.

Answer 11

If the operation has been performed correctly it will not be possible for your dog to reproduce, as his testicles have been removed. Your female dog may be experiencing a phantom pregnancy if she has not been spayed. Take her to the vet to confirm this, I am not making a diagnosis - no one can do this without seeing the animal! I would advise getting her spayed, it will remove the risk of many health problems like mammary tumours and pyometra (a common, sometimes fatal condition in older, unspayed dogs).