Bandit’s Chemical Castration
Say goodbye to the nuts (kinda)!
On Friday, Bandit had his chemical castration, and I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about our considerations, why we chose it and what we did to make things less stressful for him – huge thanks to Jessica and Ellie at Corner House Vets for allowing us to film and being generally amazing as usual!
What is a chemical castration and how does it differ from neutering?
Chemical castration involves using a hormonal implant (commonly Suprelorin) placed under the skin, which slowly releases hormones that suppress certain signals, which in turn means the testes stop producing sperm and testosterone drops to very low levels.
Features of chemical castration include:
Non-surgical in most cases: no full operation, often no general anaesthetic needed, though sometimes mild sedation or local anaesthetic are used for the implant placement.
Temporary / Reversible: you choose an implant with a given duration (commonly 6 months or 12 months), and once it wears off, hormone production comes back unless you choose to re-implant.
Onset and Duration: testosterone levels drop over a few weeks after the implant - typically 5-6.
In comparison, Surgical neutering (removal of the testicles) is:
Permanent
Requires full surgery under general anaesthetic, a recovery period, and post-op care.
After the testicles are removed, there is no return to fertility or testosterone production (once they come off, they’re not going back on!)
Of course there are many pros and cons to each, just as there are to the question of whether you should neuter your dog at all, but as this post is mostly focusing on Bandit and his experience these are things I plan to address in another post.
The Timing
One of the most important considerations I had with Bandit was making sure we waited until he was physically mature, to ensure he had the benefit of those all important growth hormones for as long as possible. This is because neutering too early, or while a dog is still growing, can increase the risk of joint issues for dogs later in life (especially larger breeds).
Why I chose Chemical Castration for Bandit
So, considering scientific evidence along with Bandit’s own situation, here’s why this option felt right for us:
Giving him a break from his hormones so that the rest of his brain can ‘catch up’ with the training we’ve been working hard on - especially around things like impulse control and interactions with other dogs - without the distractions that come with sexual maturity and the trickiness of testosterone driven behaviours, for that final push through the last part of adolescence (especially now he’s physically fully grown).
Hoping to reduce risk-taking behaviours and reduce conflicts with other dogs, especially male-male conflict and territoriality, not just from Bandit himself but directed towards him by other male dogs because of his testosterone, especially as we’ve seen an increase in aggression directed towards him from other male dogs as he’s matured - something that could create more fear and uncertainty around other dogs for him, if not addressed.
Being able to see whether behaviour improves with lowered testosterone before potentially committing to surgical castrating - essentially giving it a test drive!
How We Prepared For It
Even though the chemical castration is less invasive, we still wanted this to be as stress-free for Bandit as possible, especially as the needle required to place the implant was quite large, so it was important to put some training in ahead of time and set out a plan we could then communicate to our vet. With this in mind, we focused on:
Muzzle training - while Bandit doesn’t have a bite history, it’s important to remember that all dogs are capable of biting when scared or in pain. Because of the size of the needle I wanted to prioritise safety for the vet staff involved, just in case he did have a negative reaction. We’d already made good progress with muzzle training, so this was just topping that up.
Positive experiences at the vets - we’ve always done our best to make sure vet visits in the past have been seen as something fun and mostly pleasant, with high value treats, calm handling, lots of fuss and good relationships with the staff. Having a ‘bank’ of positive experiences means that when we then have the odd unpleasant experience (where pain or something requiring more trust is involved) we still have a good chance of getting through it successfully, and hopefully without tainting the experience for him for next time he needs a visit.
Tolerance to restraint - Getting him used to being held, touched, gathering his shoulders or the area where the implant will go, so that the actual procedure is familiar and less scary. While the aim was not to need much restraint at all, I still had a gentle hand ready on his collar just in case he moved or jumped at the wrong time - which could in turn cause him injury or more pain. (Just to note here, while it looks like he’s being held quite firmly in the video, this is mostly due to the position of my hand and how feverishly he’s trying to get to the cheese through his muzzle.)
A good distraction - now, my original plan was to train and proof a cued behaviour (a chin rest on my hand) for him to hold position and stay still with while the procedure happened, but I quickly realised I didn’t have enough time in the run up to the appointment to get this behaviour perfected to the level I’d need for it to be successful (but we’re still working on it for future visits). So instead I went to plan b, which was the good ol’ squeezy cheese! This was a very high value reward for him, and licking can be very calming for dogs, so giving him something amazing to focus on really helped to not only keep him still and distracted, but meant the experience was still overall a positive one.
What Happened During The Appointment & Procedure:
Now this may vary from vet to vet, so this is mostly an account of our appointment, rather than how every appointment may go. We’re very lucky to work with some incredibly forward thinking and behaviourally knowledgable vet staff, who were happy for us to go ahead with our plan and further helped to make the experience as stress free as possible.
Initial Chat - Jessica, our wonderful vet, started with an initial chat to make sure we understood the procedure and any risks involved, as well as how the implant worked.
Clinical Exam - Once it was confirmed that we were happy to proceed, she gave Bandit a thorough check over, to ensure he was in good health without any obvious concerns.
The Procedure Itself - While usually dogs are taken into the back rooms to have the implant put in, we requested to keep Bandit in the consult room with us so that I could use the plan I’d come up with (muzzle, squeezy cheese, minimal restraint) to help make the experience as stress free as possible. While I know he would have been in good hands, I was also considering that the separation from us and different environment, on top of the implant itself, may have been detrimental to the stress-free experience we were trying to achieve. Thankfully the team were happy to try it in the consult room with us there, so while the vet staff were getting the bits they needed together, I did some warm up practice with Bandit and his muzzle. When Jessica returned, we popped the muzzle on and she started by shaving off a small patch of fur at the back of Bandit’s neck and cleaning the newly exposed skin where the needle was to go in. With that done, the skin was then prepped with a cold numbing spray and in went the needle. After making sure the implant was where it was meant to be, we finished up and took the muzzle off. As you’ll see from the video it was all done in a flash and Bandit barely batted an eyelash.
After the procedure - with the implant in we were pretty much done. Bandit enjoyed a fuss from the vet staff and while Kristian paid I took him back out to the car where he got more fuss (and more cheese). We drove home, gave him some decompression time separately from Kyber and once happy that there was no tension between them, they were allowed back into the same space together, curled up and went to sleep.
What To Expect Now & Things To Monitor
Since this is an experiment in some ways, there are open questions I’ll be keeping in mind, over the next few months:
If after the implant wears off behaviour has significantly improved, I’ll weigh up potentially surgically neutering for permanence, or continuing with the implants longer-term.
If behaviour doesn’t improve, or if there are side effects, I’ll evaluate whether continuing with implants is worth it.
I’ll be keeping an eye on his physical health as well as his weight, as many dogs can experience an increase in appetite alongside a decrease in how much energy they expend, due to lowered testosterone.
As testosterone can often mask some fearfulness or anxiety (by acting as a ‘bolster’), I’ll also be keeping an eye out for any increased fear based or anxious behaviours/responses, along with any new triggers or uncertainties, which may need some additional behavioural management.
So to wrap this super long post up:
Chemical castration isn’t a ‘magic fix’ but it is a very useful way of seeing how your dog responds to the reduction in testosterone. For Bandit, right now, it offers a middle path: giving him the chance to solidify his training, seeing how he behaves without testosterone pushing him in certain directions, all while preserving our options should things not work out how we hope.
If you’re considering something similar:
Talk to a vet who stays current with the latest research.
Consider your dog’s breed, size, temperament and physical maturity.
Combine it with good training, early socialisation and behaviour work, as lowering testosterone can potentially help certain behaviours, but it doesn’t solve all behaviour issues by itself.
And of course, get in touch if you’d like to help your dog prepare for the procedure - or any kind of vet visit, to make things as stress free as possible!
