Patch the Jack Russell Terrier needed to be castrated

THIS STORY IS FROM OUR ARCHIVES

As a one year old male dog, Patch is beginning to be strongly influenced by his hormones.  He has matured into a young adult and the testosterone surging through his blood stream is changing the way he behaves.

PATCH’S BEHAVIOUR WAS CHANGING

Patch is usually a well-behaved animal, coming back when called and walking close to Colleen off the leash when they are out together. In recent months, he has begun to be less easily controlled. On one occasion, they were walking together on Bray Seafront when Patch saw a group of dogs on the horizon. He ran off towards them, ignoring Colleen completely when she called him. She was worried sick, because he was headed up towards the road, and she was afraid he might run into traffic. As it was, he eventually came back to her, and there wasn’t a problem, but she learned a lesson that day. Now he’s always on the leash when walking on the seafront.

There was another occasion recently when he caught the scent of a bitch in season. He escaped from the garden (something he has never managed to do before), and he only came back when he was tired of the chase. Again, it was a worrying time for Colleen.

The final straw happened two weeks ago. Patch was outside, in the front garden of the house, while Colleen kept an eye on him from indoors. A greyhound-type dog wandered into the garden from the street. She was much bigger than Patch, but she was in season, and he was obviously interested in her. First of all he just played with her, but then he began to pester her, and suddenly, she decided that she had had enough. She snapped at him, spinning round and grabbing him by the neck before Colleen could do anything to stop her.  Colleen rushed out, and managed to get Patch away from her, and at first, she thought that he had escaped injury. There was no sign of any bleeding, and there were a few tooth marks on his skin, but no other obvious other injury. However over the following week, a large swelling gradually came up on the underside of his neck. It was as if a balloon filled with water was underneath his skin, and it was growing bigger and bigger. Eventually it was the size of a small orange, and Colleen had to bring him to see me.

PATCH WAS BROUGHT TO THE VET

I used a needle to drain the swelling: it was a “haematoma”, which is also known as a blood blister. It may need to be drained a few more times, but  hopefully he will make a full recovery within a few weeks. Patch was very lucky not to have been more seriously injured.

When I discussed the situation with Colleen, I explained that castration was the answer to Patch’s recent issues. The operation removes the male hormones from the circulation, making male dogs less interested in other dogs (especially females). Castrated dogs tend to be better behaved, less easily distracted and more home-loving. There are also positive effects on a dog’s health, reducing the risk of some cancers and other diseases.

Colleen has decided that she’s had enough of the bad effects of her little dog’s testosterone, and she’s decided to have him castrated. He has been booked in at my clinic to have the operation done next Tuesday.

TIPS

• Testosterone causes some male dogs to behave badly
• Castration is the quickest way to solve the problem