[McGloomy]

It's been 5 days since my dog has been neutered. He's approaching 19 months and currently weighs 90lbs. I got him neutered at a low-cost vet, it was not the most informative but for what I paid, it was alright.

Though the testicles have been taken out, I can still see his 'ball sack,' as if he hasn't been altered.

I did a web-based research and apparently since he got neutered when he's already big (size-wise), the 'sack' is the result of his previous already-full grown testicles.

1. Does anyone have any experience in this? Is it normal? Will it ever go away?
2. How long does it take until the hormones leave his body?

I attached pictures to this thread.

Thanks guys.

 

[GypsyGhost]

It is normal. It likely will not go away completely, but once he’s healed and the swelling subsides, it will be less noticeable. I’ve heard hormones stay in the system for months after a dog is neutered. Are you expecting/hoping for a behavioral change in your dog?

 

[Sunsilver]

The scrotum will shrink, but since the vet didn't remove it, there will always be a little flap of tissue there. Sometimes the vet WILL remove it, because it can fill up with fluid afterwards, and make the dog very uncomfortable.

I'm not sure why the scrotum is a different colour than the rest of your dog's hind area. I assume that must be the normal colour of the shaved skin. It just looks a little weird, like his balls have rotted, or something...

Don't mind me, I'm sure that's NOT the case! >

 

[McGloomy]

Thanks!

The surgery wasn't done at OUR vet (the cost would've been 3 times higher) and it was quite far from where we live, so I doubt we'll be getting back there if ever.

Hmmm... So there's a possibility that it'll need to be surgically removed? I sure hope it doesn't come to that.

The good thing is, the red swelling around the incision area is healing up quite nicely. Just feel kinda sorry for my boy, he's been dying to run around but I know activities have to be kept to a minimum for 2 weeks.

About the hormones leaving the body, the only answer I got from the internet was 'up to 6 weeks.' Not sure it's legit though. I know for sure it's only been a few days and there's no way the hormones aren't still there, but he's been unusually hungry. And for the 1st time in a long time, he was got his head in one of the kitchen cabinets in search for a treat... Lol. And he also has been eating a lot better, no toppers needed (usually I add cheese or something else, he's been eating happily just the dry food).

I do expect or hope for behaviour changes. But the most important thing I hope that he will no longer be a target of other altered males in public areas, and that of course he'll not be contributing to irresponsible breeding, ever. It's kind of the whole point.

 

[Sunsilver]

The swelling of the scrotum happens immediately after the surgery. I neutered my mature male at age 3 (he was a rescue, so not done earlier) and his scrotum swelled to the size of a grapefruit! Poor boy - he was SO uncomfortable!

The swelling went down quite quickly, and was mostly gone by the stage your boy is at. If you DO see swelling developing, head for the vet, because it will mean he's got an infection! (Not likely at this point!)

After my experience with him, if I ever do neuter a fully mature male again, I'll ask the vet to snip the scrotum off to prevent postop swelling like that from happening.

Edit: the spay/neuter crowd will do their best to convince you that neutering is the golden answer to ALL your problems. It isn't - training is!

The only difference I noticed in Ranger was he didn't pee on the front counter at the vet's anymore!

He would still take on other male dogs that wanted to challenge him. At the age of 10, a 140 lb. English mastiff that was at that obnoxious teenage stage where he wanted to challenge any dog off the opposite sex, kept pushing him until he finally responded, and said, "You're on, buddy!"

I was very lucky to get him out of that fight in one piece. The mastiff's owner suffered a nasty bite to her calf, and I never saw which dog was responsible.

Ah, the joys of dog parks....NOT! Both the mastiff's owner and I were aware of the tension between the two dogs, and we were doing our best to keep them apart. Unfortunately, they caught us by surprise just as we'd both decided to leave the park. She never reported it, because her dog was mostly at fault, and she knew it.

 

[GypsyGhost]

Recovery time and post op complications are actually increased if the scrotal sac is removed. That should be an absolute last resort. Once all the hair grows back, you will hardly see it.

I know everyone always says that neutering doesn’t fix behavioral things, and I mostly agree with that. However, there are medical conditions that seem to benefit from it, and sometimes those medical issues are part of the reason for behavioral issues. I had to have my boy neutered at 3.5 years old because he was having seizures and prostate issues. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice some behavioral changes after he was neutered. His reactivity toward dogs has been greatly decreased, and of course the medical conditions that forced the neuter in the first place have been helped. However, his environmental fear has increased quite a bit. He has reverted to being afraid of stairs (an issue I thought we had moved past), and he will easily shut down in an environment with construction horses, street grates or tall plants. That was not the case pre-neuter. I would not neuter a dog unless there was a medical reason, personally, but I did just want to share that sometimes there are changes in unwanted behavior after. My dog is sort of a mess in the temperament department to begin with, so maybe with a stable dog, no behavioral changes would have been noted. I was not expecting any of the behavioral issues to improve (he was well managed around other dogs before the neuter), but they did. I am not surprised that his fear has gotten worse. Anyway, just an anecdote before I do some training today.

 

[readaboutdogs]

All our dogs the vet left the scrotum sack, and it was different vets. I thought it a cosmetic thing maybe if you will! My gsds were neutered at 6 months. They still marked the fence line and could be full of themselves as far as barking at other dogs, wanting to run up and down the fence with the neighbor dogs. They were litter mates and were best buddies all their life, I don't know if the neuter helped in their relationship or it was just their temperament and personality's just meshed! They were a pleasure! Moo, non GSD was grown when my son got him, when he came to live with me he was neutered at about 4 to 5 years old? I remember the vet said on a check up, " he doesn't need those"! I still had one of my GSD at that point! Moo was always a mellow dog and I didn't really see a change in temperament at all with him! The gsds since they were 6 months, I didn't see a change since they were pups, so not really sure how it effected their adult life!

 

[Sunsilver]

The male I mentioned above was neutered due to prostatitis. Otherwise, I likely would have kept him intact, as I had a securely fenced property, and didn't let him roam off leash. Our dog park didn't require dogs to be spayed or neutered, either.

 

[Jenny720]

I would just make sure he can’t get to any incision area it looks a bit red he can irritate it more. I know vets leave the sack, as gypsy ghost mentioned, they do not want to make another unneeded incision to heal. Pigment can vary on testicles I would imagine it’s not abnormal for black testicles. So I would not be concerned about color and some swelling is normal. Over time the sac shrivels up and the shaved hair will grow back. A bit of skin may remain and covered up with hair mAking it look like there is something still there. I had max neutered he had a retained testicle at two and I found no changes in behaviors or temperament - I still have to air brush all sitting photos to make sure the pictures are pg 13. He still has every ounce of energy and alertness he did before nor less or no more. He still likes to lift his leg and mark outside on walks and such. I would make sure your dog heals for a few weeks bringing him to the dog park he may still feel he is not healed all the way and be a bit more defensive.

 

[Mareesey]

My last male had this when he was neutered at 9 years old (I know a bit late). His swelled and looked like they were still there, but he wouldn't leave it alone. After the swelling went away and probably a few months down the line it shrunk significantly.

 

[Jax08]

The color is probably from bruising. If he'll lay there, try to ice it to help the swelling. If it feels hot or gets red, you'll probably need an antibiotic.

As far as him being a target from neutered males, that's his body language causing that and neutering will not help that.

 

[Sunsilver]

... a 140 lb. English mastiff that was at that obnoxious teenage stage where he wanted to challenge any dog off the opposite sex...

Sheesh, the things you miss sometimes even when you carefully read your posts before posting!!
OF COURSE that should have read 'of the SAME sex'! :rolleyes2:

 

[McGloomy]

Thanks for your answers guys.

As far as behaviour changes experiences... As always, every dog is different. But it's nice to hear that some of you have noticed positive changes. If neutering does not have any positive behaviour impact on my dog, I'd have done it anyway - better safe than sorry.

If you all didn't mention that my dog's area has been shaved, I honestly wouldn't have noticed lol! I was just double checking because I don't think I've ever seen a neutered dog with a 'ball sack.' So I had to ask if it was normal. Hopefully it won't bother him in the long term.

Jax, there were 3 times when my dog was attacked FROM BEHIND while he was sniffing around by some other male dogs, and those times I'm quite positive that it most likely had something to do with his 'smell.' Other times, yeah, might've been male to male dominance, but those times pretty sure weren't.

I don't take my dog that frequently to the dog park anymore. Don't have the time and I find that it's more beneficial for him to bike/rollerblade with me - more structural, so to speak, and more physically draining. In a perfect world I'd love for him to get to play fetch vigorously at least half an hour a day, but he gets distracted so easily, so we only play fetch when there's no one around at the dog park.

 

[McGloomy]

Today's picture. The red swelling part is almost gone! But just to be safe, he's still in a cone. Probably until this upcoming Friday.

Just a little nervous because tomorrow I'm starting a 9 to 5 job and he'll be alone with the cone for... That long. Grrrrr

 

[Katsugsd]

A pair of men's underwear could help - just put it on backwards so his tail has a hole to poke through :grin2:. I did that with my shiba when he was neutered and I had to go work. He still wore his cone.

 

[Jax08]

Jax, there were 3 times when my dog was attacked FROM BEHIND while he was sniffing around by some other male dogs, and those times I'm quite positive that it most likely had something to do with his 'smell.' Other times, yeah, might've been male to male dominance, but those times pretty sure weren't.

I didn't say male to male dominance. I said body language. Dogs can give off signs of being unsure, nervous, etc and other dogs will attack that. Not because of male to male or female to female, but they are showing signs of insecurity.

All I'm saying is if you neutered your dog thinking that will stop the attacks, I'm not sure that is valid logic. You can't control the other dogs and you are probably missing something in his body language or the whole situation.

Disclaimer: I am not arguing for or against the neuter.