Is my dog too old to be neutured?

Question

I have a male 4 year old labrador/alsation cross. He's always been a bit of a "boy" shall I say but some reason the past few weeks he's been too agressive for us to handle. He's had a check up at the Vets about a month ago and is in good health.
We're looking at getting him neutured to see if that will calm him down but at 4 years old is he too old and are there more risks involved?

Answer 1

Nope not at all.. The vet would check his health before he performs the surgery, and if he found something at that time that would make it impossible for him to undergo surgery, he'll tell you. But generally a dog in good health is fine to be neutered at 4. I had an 8 year old female spayed a few months ago,,, didn't bother her in the least.

Answer 2

If the dog is in good health, then no. He is not too old. But if he has some sort of a health issue then I might not risk it. For animals, every surgery is a serious risk because their bodies cannot handle the anethstetics. I had a cat recently who suffered from this. But if the dog is getting too agressive or "friendly" with other dogs or you even, I would get the operation done. But before you do it, remember there is no going back.

Ruby Tuesday

Answer 3

He's not too old but it may make no difference at all and he will have gone through unnessecary surgery. Ask your vet about chemical castration first, this is an injection that acts the same as surgical castration and will give an indication of whether it will work or not. Castration can make a dog worse not better so the chemical way first is a good idea. If it doesn't work and the vet can't find any other reason for his sudden agression ask for a referral to a good behaviourist, don't find one yourself they could be fake.
Good luck
Some people have said it will deffinitely improve his behaviour please be careful sometimes it realy can make them worse. I know this from experience.

Answer 4

No he is not too old to castrate. In fact if he has become aggressive this may help him considerably .If he is in good health then there should be no problems with the surgery. Also you do have the option of having the pre op blood test which your vet can do before the op which will show up anything untoward. Male dogs generally do not need another check after the op unless you are concerned .With female dogs generally a check after 3 days and 10 days stitches out.

Answer 5

Your dog is certainly not too old to be neutered but castration is not always the solution. The reason that he has become more aggressive recently needs to be sorted out too. It may just be that he needs firmer handling, have you tried an animal behaviourist or taken him to a good obedience class? In some cases, castration can make a situation worse. Have a read of this before you decide:
http://www.gsdhelpline.com/castration.htm

Answer 6

It is never too old to castrate a dog, and on the plus side, he will calm down a lot, and not want to stray as such, as for the risk,s well in all operations the only risk is the anaesthetic, but as he is not a short nosed breed (which are more vunerable) he should be fine, so do him a favour and get him done, you will see a much nicer dog when you get him back.

Answer 7

No he's not to old. I had to have mine castrated last year due to him having testical cancer he'll be 15 in July. There is a risk with any animal that has to be put under.
By having him castrated you will spare yourself the heartache that I had to go through. If only I had done it years ago. Castrated dogs tend to put a bit of weight on too. He will calm down but if he is becoming aggressive towards you, you need to show some dominace towards him. Feed him after you've eaten, even if you only eat a biscuit before you feed him, sit in his bed, make him wait so that you go through a door before him, if he is at the top of the stairs call him down before you go up(never walk upstairs to him). Put all his toys in a box and only play with them when you want to. If he's allowed on the sofa move him and sit in the place that he was.

Answer 8

the risk is small hes still a young animal and the vet will check his health on the day of the operation. (as animal get older there is a grater risk do to the Anaesthetic) my 2nd dog was done at 3 years old (rescued dog) with no problems

Answer 9

First of all, many female dogs come into "heat" ( aka "season) in the spring and the fall. Should your dog come across the scent of a female in one of the "pee mails" that dogs leave behind in specific places, he will be in breeding mode thereafter. This " breed everything that moves" behavior, will last as long as the scent of the female indicates she is breedable ( this would be in the middle of the 28 day cycle in most females). I allow 28 days as most people are not absolutely certain when their female is in heat unless they are a breeder themselves. Better safe thaan sorry with a female in heat.
You may not see a female in heat during daylight hours ( I used to walk my females in" heat" during the night to avoid contact with males) but, the scent lingers in the female urine for some time after.
The dogs get frustrated ( dogs....... referring to the males) and cantankerous when they are prevented from doing what comes naturally.
A male or female dog can be neutered or spayed much later in life that they used to be. Advances in anaesthesiology permit the Veterinarians to neuter a dog in it's advanced years. Neutering a male dog does not involve the type of body cavity invasion needed to achieve the same for a female.
I rescued a male poodle that was never altered and I had him done at age 20( because of enlarged prostate gland). He survived to age 24!
Bravo for looking to control your dog, it is not an easy thing for most people to consider neutering a male dog.
I am in favor of neutering for population control , but, have you considered obedience training for your dog as a way of controlling unwanted behavior? This is worth discussing with your veteranarian who should be well versed on the agression of male dogs.
I have had males both mellow out after neutering as well as stud dogs never forgetting what their "job is on earth " ( I mean perpetuation of the species.). In view of this personal experience , I am reluctant to give an answer that is written in stone!
If , after neutering, your dog didn't settle down, what would your next move be?
If you say training, I would try the training first, if it was my dog. That way, what have you lost?
In other words, behavior modification is ongoing and changable , neutering is permanent and irreversable!
In other words I like having the option of a " plan B" rather than doing the most drastic thing first. Others do not agree, I have learned! In view of this, the ultimate diecision is yours!

Answer 10

We foster rescue animals and the first thing we do is get them their shots and get them spayed/neutered if they are not .A dog can be neutered at any age. However, if he is older when he gets neutered he might still engage in behavior such as marking his territory, getting excited over a female in heat, etc. Our Achilles was a shelter puppy we got at age 2 and a half months and he got neutered at age 4 months and he hardly ever marks or goes after female dogs. Our rescue Rottweiler, Doc, was 3yrs old when we got him and got him neutered. He still marks his territory quite a bit and pees in numerous spots instead of one when he goes outside to potty. Also, Achilles sometimes will pee just on the ground when you take him our. Doc has to have something to pee ON like a tree, fire hydrant, telephone pole,etc. unless he has to go BAD. Good Luck with your furkid!