[Acooper]

I seen another post at DT that said a dog had a nice coat until they were neutered. Is this common?

Orson's coat is very shiny with no dandruff now, but he is only 8 months old and I do use an oatmeal/baking soda shampoo when he needs a bath (about 2 a month, according to my nose) He eats chicken soup, supplemented with various things like yogurt, cottage cheese, broth, mackeral, salmon......homemade peanut butter dog cookies....etc.
He will be neutered after he turns 1 year, so is the coat a hormone thing, or an age thing?

 

[elly]

I don't know if its common, but that whats happened after Yordi was neutered, cause the hormones worked different, may be a 1000 dogs who got nothing on it, Yordi is getting medicines for it, and they said that with in a month his coat started to heal again, so he gets them a month now, so will see whats happened, by Yordi it have to do with his thyroid gland.

 

[Sooz]

Acooper, first I applaud you for asking this question. I think you will receive contradictory information from both personal opinions and vets, once again leaving you trying to sort through it all to make the best decision for Orson. My own personal understanding of the medical research is that neutering affecting the coat is not common; however when it does happen, it is hormone-related.

 

[waiting]

For two of my dogs the coat was affected only because of the anesthetic as my vet told me it would for a time and not long after it came back just the same. Anesthetic is not the most friendly to human and animal bodies. I always get to the chiropractor after for an adjustment.

 

[brumwolf]

My only male Dobe Max had coat problems after neutering also.

 

[Codysmom]

I never saw Molly or apollo before their spay/neuter and we snipped Cody's bit at 4 months (they had him under to remove a sock so we did a twofer). But we have been adding wheat germ to Molly and Pollo's diet for the last month or so and they are both very shiny and soft - no flakes either

cc

 

[dobebug]

The neutering itself should not have any particular effect on a male--anesthesia will sometimes cause a brief coat problem--but that is more common in the case of injectable anesthesia than with gas anesthesia.

There are, however, a long, long list of things that can and will affect coats that may show up at about the same time and coincidence doesn't necessarily mean that one thing caused the other.

Neutering doesn't affect thyroid production but age will and low thyroid will definitely affects the coat. While you wouldn't generally see a problem with low thyroid production in a very young dog it does happen so if a coat problem is being treated with "medication"--usually a thyroid suppliment after blood tests were done--that is likely to be a permanent thing--and the dog will be on thyroid suppliment for the rest of its life--but there is no evidence to support a theory that neutering caused that sort of problem.

Spaying a bitch will often cure coat problems rather than cause them. Many bitches (and it's much more noticable in coated breeds than in Dobes) when they are no longer going through the heat cycle will not have the periodic coat loss associated with the cycle itself.

And things as simple as bathing in water too hot, bathing too frequently, and insufficient rinsing can cause a multitude of coat problems that are entirely unrelated to neutering.

 

[elly]

I don't say it is common but this is what my vet told me!

THYROID GLAND:
Almost everyone knows, that a castrated dog will become fat in no time! One assumes that this phenomenon is related to a less sufficient working thyroid gland, after being castrated. It has been proven that castration can enlarge the chance of causing less sufficient working of the thyroid gland.


and I really trust her, And he also become very fat, he is on a diet now.They did bloodtests by Yordi and the medicins he gets now its called forthyron, and he must take them the rest of his life and have no side effects

 

[Dobesanddragons]

My castrated dog has never been fat. It depends on amount of exercise, activity level, and other things, and other health issues, not the neuter itself. Just b/c a dog is altered, doesn’t mean it gets becomes fat in no time. Most all of the pet dogs I’ve had have been altered (with the exception of some Dobes as kid and a Dobe I have now) and they didn’t get fat. Another thing to consider is age, some dogs become less active when older, and that has nothing to do with altering or not.

The coat issue is not related to the neuter, in fact, my male's coat looked better than it did before the neuter. lol. But like Dobebug said, there are many things that can throw the coat off or make it look better for that matter. His coat today is still wonderful.

Btw, thyroid DOES and can easily make a dog fat; regardless of amount they eat or exercise. That is a big problem and a very common problem in the Dobe breed, altered or not

 

[Dobesanddragons]

The neutering itself should not have any particular effect on a male--anesthesia will sometimes cause a brief coat problem--but that is more common in the case of injectable anesthesia than with gas anesthesia.

There are, however, a long, long list of things that can and will affect coats that may show up at about the same time and coincidence doesn't necessarily mean that one thing caused the other.

Neutering doesn't affect thyroid production but age will and low thyroid will definitely affects the coat. While you wouldn't generally see a problem with low thyroid production in a very young dog it does happen so if a coat problem is being treated with "medication"--usually a thyroid suppliment after blood tests were done--that is likely to be a permanent thing--and the dog will be on thyroid suppliment for the rest of its life--but there is no evidence to support a theory that neutering caused that sort of problem.

Spaying a bitch will often cure coat problems rather than cause them. Many bitches (and it's much more noticable in coated breeds than in Dobes) when they are no longer going through the heat cycle will not have the periodic coat loss associated with the cycle itself.

And things as simple as bathing in water too hot, bathing too frequently, and insufficient rinsing can cause a multitude of coat problems that are entirely unrelated to neutering.

Good info! I agree

 

[dobebug]

I don't say it is common but this is what my vet told me!

THYROID GLAND:
Almost everyone knows, that a castrated dog will become fat in no time! One assumes that this phenomenon is related to a less sufficient working thyroid gland, after being castrated. It has been proven that castration can enlarge the chance of causing less sufficient working of the thyroid gland.


and I really trust her, And he also become very fat, he is on a diet now.They did bloodtests by Yordi and the medicins he gets now its called forthyron, and he must take them the rest of his life and have no side effects

Elly,

I'd have to see the study(s) that would indicate that castration and a fat dog go hand in hand.

Lack of exercise, overfeeding and thyroid problems can certainly create a fat dog. In fact one of the signs of hypothroidism is a weight gain with no increase in food and no decrease in exercise.

If you go and do searches on neutering and it's relationship to thyroid malfunctions you are going to find that the two do NOT go hand in hand. Hypothyroidism (low thyroid production) is incredibly common in many breeds--Doberman's for one--it can and does occur at any age. I've had dogs become hypothroid as young as 18 months and as old as 7. I have two intact dogs and one neutered dog--none are fat. The oldest of the intact dogs was starting to gain weight and it made me suspicious and even though I would not normally have retested him for thyroid at the time (he'd been tested about 8 months before) the weight gain and a couple of other things suggested thyroid problems. Sure enough--he'll be on a thyroid suppliment for the rest of his life--and as soon as he was getting the suppliment his weight went back down to what I keep him at--without dieting.

You can not make assumptions based on something as senseless as believing that castration will automatically somehow make a dog fat because the thyroid fails to function. I really want to see those studies that "prove" that castration can "enlarge" the chances of a dog developing hypothyroidism.

Trusting vets and understanding what you have been told are often two different things. I could believe that she might have told you the the weight gain was indicative of a thyroid problem but not that the castration caused it.

 

[Acooper]

One small comment about getting fat, our other dog (not a dobe, and not a male) was spayed 7 years ago, everyone said "be careful, she will get fat quick" 7 years have passed and we are still waiting for her to get fat. She eats the same, exercises the same and her weight has increased by 1 lb in 7 years.............so I am ok with that. I was originally worried about his beautiful coat being messed up after neutering...............
While I am interested in knowing if thyroid & being neutered go hand in hand, I guess it is more important to know if it is something that can be fixed/control with little or no discomfort to Orson should the need arise. He has been through enough already.

 

[Lexus]

I have to say, Harley isn't fat, and I don't even have to really watch his diet either to keep him trim, just good food and regular exercise. Non of my past males got overweight after neutering either.

I know SEVERAL neutered males that are fat though But all the owners overfed them and don't exercise them! Including my own mother and FIL! Shame on them! My FIL makes extra food when he makes his dinner to feed to Scooby, unreal!*rolls eyes*

I have yet to see a healthy, regularally exercised dog fed quality food, and of any breed or gender be overweight. But all the people who have altered overweight dogs, blame it on the surgery, but they don't even bother to walk their dogs and feed them crap. Just my observations.

(BTW - I'm not referring to dogs with underlying health problems)

 

[Lexus]

Yeah Acooper, I was told by several people that Lexus will be fat now that I decided to spay her (like a year ago). LOL, I have to watch her diet and exercise so closely b/c she has a tendency to get ribby and boney just like that!

 

[elly]

In Yordi's case, it sure is a matter of his castration, for so far the coat problems thats for shure, and that is where this topic was all about, some one later mentioned the dogs become fat, the thyroid problems with yordi turn out in more problems after his neutering. And thats for shure comes also thru the changes in hormones.

Also their can be said so many things , Castrastration must not be seen as a common thing, which should be normal for a dog, because people say so!

Some people try to make us believe that it is a “routine job”! And that it has to happen on “a young age”, and that it is “good” for a dog, but it isn’t that simple.
Before we have decided to have the dog castrated, we have to consider all “pro’s and against” very carefully. For each dog again. The dog has to deal with surgery and greater changes into the hormone system.

 

[tjmom]

Titus was neutered over a year ago and this did not create problems with his skin. Our last dog, Magnus had a lot of skin problems and he was not neutered. I know that sometimes if Titus gets stressed out it can cause some dandruff but it is only temporary. With our last dog we used Omega fatty acid supplements in his food and it really helped with his skin and coat. We dont use it on Titus because he does not need it.

 

[Acooper]

In Yordi's case, it sure is a matter of his castration, for so far the coat problems thats for shure, and that is where this topic was all about, some one later mentioned the dogs become fat, the thyroid problems with yordi turn out in more problems after his neutering. And thats for shure comes also thru the changes in hormones.

Also their can be said so many things , Castrastration must not be seen as a common thing, which should be normal for a dog, because people say so!

Some people try to make us believe that it is a “routine job”! And that it has to happen on “a young age”, and that it is “good” for a dog, but it isn’t that simple.
Before we have decided to have the dog castrated, we have to consider all “pro’s and against” very carefully. For each dog again. The dog has to deal with surgery and greater changes into the hormone system.

Very agreed here elly, every dog is different in many ways and that is my main reason for asking this question after seeing your post in another thread.........it was on blue dobermans I think.
I am quite sure that I could easily get 5 different answers from 5 different Vets, Sooz said something to that effect in an earlier post.
I just want to be as informed as possible so I can have an intelligent conversation with our vet about it, as with a lot of vets, ours does not deal with dobermans regularly and therefore may not be a font of information on the subject.

Also, may I ask how old Yordi was when he was neutered? thanks

 

[Dobesanddragons]

the thyroid problems with yordi turn out in more problems after his neutering.

How very odd. How often was Yordi's thyroid checked before he was neutered? Was a full panel ran at those times, if he was checked out before the alter? Thyroid problems can really mess with a lot of things by themselves.

Acooper, my main vet is holistic and doesn't see a correlation with poor coat and altering at all. There are lots of reasons for coat issues, but that is not one of them (not counting the dogs that have underlying medical problems). Omega fatty acids can really help the coat on most dogs. As well as certain shampoos and making sure you are bathing them properly, brush them, and other things.
I am glad you are seeking information. Hope this thread helped a little.

 

[elly]

How often was Yordi's thyroid checked before he was neutered

every 2 or 3 months!

The fact is that Yordi's problems getting bigger after neutering if you like it or not, I went even with him to the university of veterinair clinic in Utrecht, more you can't go here in Holland for specialisme, higly trained vets, so I won't doubt their conclusion, with Yordi its proven.

But I never did write that its a common problem, and the question was about the coat cause thats were this thread was about.

There are a lot of different opinions about this topic. In fact different people give their own interpretation to the pro and contra’s. Knowledge, vision, feeling and own interest plays an important role.


I am not against or pro, but I have told what I have seen myself and what is proven after research.

And again

Some people try to make us believe that it is a “routine job”! And that it has to happen on “a young age”, and that it is “good” for a dog, but it isn’t that simple.
Before we have decided to have the dog castrated, we have to consider all “pro’s and against” very carefully. For each dog again. The dog has to deal with surgery and greater changes into the hormone system.

 

[Acooper]

There are a lot of things that go inot it. Because I never trust that a person can keep a dog without making more I usually say neuter as soon as possible,BUT I would never alter one of mine before they have fully grown. For my dobe that may be as old as two. Some people also can nto deal with a female going through heat,or a male when they smell a female going through heat [Bang Head] Its not fun stuff!

If a dog has a genetic pre disposition to have bad joints,bones,urinary problems etc,it is better to let them get all their growth hormone that goes along with the sex hormones. A dog that is fixed before puberty grows diffrently. They are a little taller and their bones(from what I understand the sex hormone should eventually seal off the growth hormone and it doesn't) grow diffrently.

But to the normal pet owner who doens't have a ton of experience I would say to neuter as soon as possible,same with anyone who has had an accidnet in their home. And I don;t care how old a rescue in my house is,they will be fixed during their transistion to their new home.

This is a huge issue with dobes and now labs with the recent study on hip dysplasia. I will try to look for the articles.
This is one I found and the other discussion was on a dobe board you would ahve to join to view but I'll have to look for it.
http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html
This si a great quote form the article" I think it is important, therefore, that we assess each situation individually. If a pet dog is going to live with an intelligent, well-informed family that understands the problem of pet overpopulation and can be trusted to keep their dogs under their control at all times and to not breed them, I do not recommend spaying or neutering before 14 months of age."

The above post was made in the town hall topics under "spaying/neutering", it stands to reason if the information in the above quote is true, then it could also affect the coat as well, just maybe not as often. The more I search, the more I think I will wait longer than 1 year for Orson.

elly, I think you missed my post before D&D's post,

How old was Yordi when he was neutered?