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Vasectomy?

830 views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Fitzmar Dobermans 
#1 ·
My husband and I recently ended up taking in 5 month old brother and sister dobbies that needed a home. I had already made the decision to wait on castrating our next dog until they where older if at all. However I in no way want these 2 dogs to have a chance at making and oops puppies. I know that there are know veterinarians offering vasectomies as a means of sterilization while still leaving the hormones intact. Has anyone had experience with this? I have found an office near me that does the procedure and have made a consultant appointment but I am also looking for owners experiences?
 
#2 ·
I don't imagine you're going to like this answer, but if it were me, I would try to find one of the dobes a new home. Not so much because of the worry about an oops litter (though congrats for thinking ahead about that possibility), as because two puppies raised together (especially littermates) can lead to all kinds of trouble.

Read up on littermate syndrome. Here's a place to start:

https://www.dobermantalk.com/puppy-...ly-excellent-article-littermate-syndrome.html

I don't have any experience or extra knowledge about dog vasectomies, though. Hopefully someone else will chime in with that.
 
#3 ·
Concerning the vasectomy, for all intents and purposes, he will still be intact. If you do keep both of these puppies, you will still need to separate them when she is in season, because he can and probably will breed her given the opportunity. Also, a vasectomized male needs to have his semen evaluated on a regular basis, to make sure that he hasn't had things reconnect (hey, it happens, even in people).
 
#5 ·
I would give some very hard thought to rehoming one of the dogs, as Mel suggested. It's really difficult to raise two puppies without having some of the issues of littermate syndrome develop. It takes a tremendous amount of time if you are going to do it - you essentially need to raise them separately as much as possible. If you decide to keep them both, this is an excellent article on some things to think about: https://nancytanner.com/2018/09/13/top-10-tips-considerations-for-raising-littermates/

If you do keep both, I agree with GK - spay your bitch. The evidence on keeping bitches intact is much more mixed, and, in my experience, it's more of a pain to manage an intact bitch than an intact male. I also agree with Rosemary on the downfalls of the vasectomy.
 
#6 ·
I am fully aware of the littermate syndrome but am not willing to just give up on these two right off the bat. I am a stay-at-home dog mom so I have all ready been able to sperate their crates, work training separately, and spend significant time one on one with each dog. My concerns with rehoming fo to some medical needs that will need long-term monitoring and possible intervention.

As far as spaying the bitch. That was my original plan however. She has been showing signs of developmental issues in her urine stream control. The doctor wants us to hold off on her spay as the hormones can help her with this kind of development. If all goes well she will grow out of the issues then we can talk about surgery.

That is why I am trying to weigh the pros and cons for the male to get a vasectomy at this age as apposed to castrating him and loosing the hormones for his joint and bone development. I have no issues keeping up on sperm evaluations or dealing with intact male behaviors. Plans are already in place to separate them when she is in heat no matter his status.
 
#8 ·
Given this information, in your shoes, if you think you can manage them and wait until his growth plates close, I'd wait and neuter him at 18 months or so. You can get an x-ray to check growth plate closure. This just depends on your ability to manage two intact animals until it's safe to alter one of them.

You need to have a plan in place to keep them separated, but if you're working separately with them and already keeping them separated for sleeping areas, etc to make sure they aren't developing littermate syndrome that might not be as hard for you.
 
#7 ·
What Mel and MC said^^^^. Littermate Syndrome is real and if it occurs in your 2 sibling pups, It can cause serious problems for both the dogs and the owner.

You should research it thoroughly before finalizing a decision to keep 2 littermate.

Here is a pretty decent article on the subject:

https://thebark.com/content/dont-take-two-littermates/

Oh! And welcome to DT from the Pacific NW!

John Lichtwardt
Portland OR
 
#9 ·
If you are not going to rehome one, I'd suggest getting someone to take your boy for the 3 weeks she is in heat - it is a PITA to keep them separate in your home if it isn't set up for that. Let her go through one heat, wait 2-3 months and then spay her. I would NOT waste my money doing a vasectomy - I'd wait between 18months to two years years and then do a regular neuter.
 
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