My intact dog has separation anxiety. Will chemical castration help?

Hello. Neutering may help, but this is a very good time to discuss Dodgers behavior with your vet. She will conduct a through examination of all his body systems & probably recommend bloodwork to rule out any underlying problems. Behavior problems can be addressed with modifying the environment, increased exercise & interactions with the family, training & finally the use of pharmaceuticals. You might want to request a consultation with a board certified veterinary behavior specialist as these things can take time. You are, after all, trying to change a behavior that has been there for quite a while. If your vet does not know of a specialist try here: https://www.avsabonline.org/. Hope Dodger improves soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He is adorable first of all!!! Neutering him would indeed calm him down and it is recommended at this stage anyway. If no improvement is seen 1-2 months after neutering him, I would recommend that you consider dog training for him which would for sure help in this case. Have a great day!

Poor Alf! Studies have shown that neutering does not provide any protective effects against prostate cancer in dogs - in fact, neutered males have a slightly higher incidence of this disease than intact males. So I'm not quite sure about the reasoning for having him castrated, unless what your veterinarian meant was that Alf has prostatic cysts or benign prostatic enlargement - both of these things would be expected to improve with neutering. It would help to know exactly what diagnostics have been done and what the results were in order to give more specific advice - feel free to request a consultation with one of us if you want to upload copies of his lab reports and medical records for us to look at. Otherwise, if you're unsure about your current vet's recommendations, I would suggest going to another local vet for a second opinion, or requesting referral to a specialist for further evaluation.

Hello. I would start with an over the counter anxiety product like Zylkene. I would also start using a dog appeasing pheromone in the home ( room diffuser ) or it comes as a collar. The pheromone can calm an anxious dog without drugs. Adaptil is the name of this product. If this does not help over the course of a couple of weeks, you will need to talk to your vet about possible behavior modification therapy & the use of prescription medications like Trazodone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. There are certain health benefits for neutering dogs. Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and certain testicular tumors can be prevented by neutering dogs. However, dogs can also live happy and normal lives intact. Behavioral problems such as territorial aggression and marking may be reduced by neutering dogs as well. Once neutered, Dante will not behave more like a female, this is a misconception and does not happen. He may become more calm and not as hyper or aggressive once he is neutered and this is due to the reduction in circulating hormones following removal of the testicles. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Yes, neutering may indeed help even though he is not a puppy anymore. As for your question, "is this something we can control?" This article has some great information and tips. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/prevent_urine_marking.html?credit=web_id110528407 I hope thats helpful for you!! Thanks for asking PetCoach!

I'm sorry that Hades has an enlarged prostate! Castration is the most effective treatment of an enlarged prostate, as it rapidly decreases the size of an enlarged prostate gland. Chemical castration is not recommended because estrogens can induce cell changes predisposing the dog to infection and can be associated with significant bone marrow toxicity, specifically irreversible aplastic anemia. Surgical castration is best. I hope this helps!