Neutered male dogs cannot impregnate female dogs, removing worry about unwanted puppies or inbreeding between family members!

Surgical castration eliminates the risk of testicular cancers (tumours) and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

It will reduce hormone-driven behaviours, such as chasing bitches in heat and urine marking. Some behaviours can start off being driven by hormones (such as humping cushions!) but become learned. Therefore, neutering may not fully resolve these issues without behavioural training.

Neutered males have a slightly increased risk of bladder and prostate tumours than entire males.

Aggression towards other dogs is a very complex issue, usually driven by poor socialisation. However, fear-aggressive male dogs may be worse after neutering. Neutering fearful dogs could also worsen other fearful behaviours.

Rottweilers have a particularly high risk of developing bone tumours compared to all other breeds of dogs, and the risk is even higher in Rottweilers neutered at any age.

Surgical neutering involves permanently neutering a dog by removing their testicles.

A small implant can also be used to chemically neuter a dog to achieve temporary sterilisation through testosterone suppression. This can be very useful where you need short-term population control or would like to ensure a dog’s behaviour is not changed by neutering.

ALL DOGS: Male dogs can be neutered from 6months old. For nervous dogs, we recommend  waiting until they are more mentally mature at 12months or older.

LARGE AND GIANT BREEDS: Neutering large and giant breeds of dogs before 1year of age can increase the risk of orthopaedic conditions, such as joint and ligament damage. Giant breeds (e.g. Great Danes and Rottweilers) may benefit from waiting until they are over 18-24months.

Neutered animals need less calories than entire animals, and so can be prone to weight gain if their food and exercise is not adjusted after neutering.

We recommend neutering cats between 5 and 6months old just as they reach sexual maturity to be sure no accidental pregnancies occur. However, all cats are different, and some can become sexually mature much earlier or later than this, especially some oriental breeds.

For cats at risk of “getting caught” such as those in multi-cat households or for escape artists, cats of both sexes can be neutered from 12weeks (3months) old and this has not been associated with any health problems later in life.