If you own a male whippet, you know that one of the most important things you need to consider is whether or not to have him neutered. After all, there are some pretty good reasons why you may want to have your whippet neutered. However, because different dog breeds have other physical characteristics, you may be wondering what the best age is for your whippet to get fixed. Luckily for you, we have the answer for that.
The best age to have your whippet neutered is after it has reached puberty or when it is somewhere between 4 to 9 months old. One of the main reasons you need to do it at this age is to prevent any behavioral problems related to its sex as it matures, like habits such as marking its territory or being aggressive.
That said, choosing when you should get your whippet neutered can be just as tricky as knowing whether or not you should even have him neutered at all. These are the exact reasons why we have written this article and why you should read on as we have made a list of some of the things you should expect from getting your whippet neutered.
What to Expect From The Surgery?
For those who are still deciding whether or not to have their male whippets neutered, it is perfectly understandable for you to be wondering what can and will happen during the entire procedure. After all, you are merely a concerned pet parent wanting the best for your pup.
But, first things first, we will not get into the details of what they do during the surgery because of how technical the procedure might be for those who are not familiar with the veterinary field or even anything related to medicine. In that regard, we will try to explain what you should expect from the surgery in the simplest way possible to make sure that you get to understand that your dog will be in safe hands.
So, in case you didn’t know, neutering is the procedure done to male dogs to sterilize them. In other words, neutering prevents unwanted pregnancies in case your male whippet or any other male dog accidentally mates with another female dog.
Moreover, in the most basic sense, what happens during neutering is that your whippet’s testicles will be removed. It’s as simple as that, but this is something that someone should do with the training and expertise to handle the surgery safely and as painless as possible for your dog.
Moving on, one of the many things that different Whippet owners or pet owners, in general, wonder about is whether or not the entire neutering procedure is painless? In that regard, there is no need to worry because your pet will be under general anesthetic throughout the whole procedure, either through injection or inhalation.
This means that your dog will be asleep and will not feel any pain the entire time. Also, there are times when a breathing apparatus will be used to make sure your dog is as safe and well-taken care of as possible throughout the procedure.
The incision that the vet makes depends on the age of your Whippet. Those whose testicles have already dropped will have incisions made in the scrotal sac. However, an incision on the stomach may have to be made for the younger whippets whose testicles have not yet dropped.
Don’t worry about the incision because it is expertly done by a qualified and expertly trained veterinarian.
Once the surgery is done, you should temper your expectations because your whippet will still have surgery wounds that have just been stitched up using skin glue or absorbable surgical staples. In that case, do not try to force plenty of physical activity back into your dog’s daily routine because it will still need some time to recuperate from the surgery. This leads us to our next topic, which is caring for your whippet post-neutering.
How to Care for Your Whippet Post-Neutering
There will be times when your whippet will be healthy enough to be taken home just minutes or hours after the surgery. However, some dogs need to stay in the clinic overnight for the vet to monitor their condition. Whatever the case may be, here are some tips that you need to follow when it comes to caring for your whippet right after surgery.
- Limit physical activity
Even though whippets require exercise, they are not the most active or most playful dogs if you don’t urge them. That said, it would be pretty easy to limit your whippet’s physical activity post-neutering because these dogs don’t mind spending an entire day resting. So, it is on your part to make sure that you don’t urge your whippet to move or play around for about 7 to 10 days after surgery.
- Make sure he eats well
Your whippet needs to keep its strength up during the 7-day recovery period. The best way for it to do so is to make sure that it eats a regular diet. Please don’t limit your whippet’s food, and make sure it eats well enough so that its body will have the fuel to recover. However, don’t try to force your dog to eat if it can’t eat anymore.
- Keep the incision dry
One of the most important things you need to do to help your whippet recover without many problems is to keep its incision dry. This prevents any bacteria from further infecting the wound and possibly causing infections. That said, do not bathe your dog during the entire recovery period. You can even apply ointment on the incision but do so in a gentle way.
- Monitor your whippet frequently
It is best to keep your eyes often on your dog as he is recovering from its surgery. Watch for any swelling, redness, or any other physical indications that there might be something wrong with its incision wound. Also, try to monitor how your dog behaves. It is normal for whippets to be not as lively as some other breeds are but, if you notice yours acting a lot less energetic, it may be in pain.
- Don’t be afraid to call your vet for help
If there are any evident signs that your whippet isn’t feeling well after the surgery, don’t hesitate to call your vet for help or even bring it to the clinic. While rare, there are some cases where whippets don’t recover well from surgery, such as when the conditions for recovery weren’t right for them. So, if there are problems, be ready enough to take the dog to the vet.
Pros of Neutering
For those who are not convinced that neutering is a good idea for your whippet, here are some of the things you should know:
- Neutering reduces the testosterone naturally produced by your whippet’s body. This decreases any habit or behavior related to its sex, such as being too territorial or marking its territory.
- At the same time, reduced testosterone levels will decrease the chances of your whippet developing an aggressive personality.
- Of course, there won’t be any unwanted pregnancies if your whippet tries to mate with a female dog.
- Neutering eliminates testicular cancer because your whippet won’t even have any testicles to begin with.
- Similarly, because it no longer has any testicles, any prostate-related conditions are eliminated as well.
- Roaming around will be decreased because your whippet won’t be fueled by the need to seek a female in heat.
- Some studies show that neutering can actually lengthen the lifespan of your whippet or any dog, in general.
Cons of Neutering
However, there are still some disadvantages to neutering your whippet that you should know about so that you are properly informed before you get your pet neutered:
- It is believed that removing the testicles of your dog can interrupt the production of hormones, which can lead to bone disorders in dogs that are still physically developing.
- Although the studies aren’t clear about this, there is still a chance that your dog will end up gaining weight due to neutering because it won’t be able to properly use up all of its calories since any sex-related behavior and habits are minimized or even eliminated, which can affect the dog’s daily calorie usage.
- There is no guarantee that neutering will eliminate aggressive behavior in your whippet. After all, most dogs develop this behavior because of different conditions other than testosterone-related factors.
- Some desirable behaviors might even disappear. For example, if you want your whippet to be territorial to some extent to protect your property, this behavior might disappear totally after neutering.
- The decrease in testosterone production may lead to weaker muscles in whippets, supposed to be active dogs.
- Surgery is not risk-free, even though trained veterinarians are supposed to minimize any risks as much as possible.
Related Questions
How long will the post-neuter recovery period last?
Most veterinarians would recommend constant monitoring and decreased physical activity for a period of 7 to 10 days post-recovery. However, some whippets may need two weeks to recover fully.
Should I expect changes in my whippet after neutering?
It is normal for your whippet to undergo several physical and behavioral changes after neutering because testosterone production decreased.
Does my dog have to wear a cone after being neutered?
It’s a good idea to have your whippet wear a cone after surgery for about 7 to 14 days to prevent it from trying to touch its incision stitches, as doing so can open its wound.
