Reader Question
I have two male papillons, the unaltered one is seven and a half years old and the altered one is eight and a half years old. In the past two years, they have begun to fight violently and it is always the unneutered dog that causes the fight. I started college about a year and a half ago and they only fight around me, so I believe this fighting could be related to me and how they are fighting for my attention. They fight around food, toys, and sometimes without any trigger at all. We have plenty of toys for them and we separate their food for them too, but they still fight. My question is if you know of any doctors giving estrogen pills to dogs to reduce their testosterone level? My grandfather is a doctor and advised us to look into that considering that some male humans who have prostate cancer are given estrogen. I know we could neuter him, but I'm scared to put him under anesthesia as we have a family member whose male papillon died while getting neutered, plus we know other people where the same thing happened as well. I know that it is highly unlikely that the procedure could go wrong, but I know it is still possible. I just don't want to jeopardize the life of my dog. If you have never heard of such a thing as giving estrogen to male dogs, are there any other alternatives we could consider besides neutering? And if we do follow through with neutering him, how does his age play a factor in this?
Answer from Our Team
Fighting between two males in the same home is often about resources, including attention from a favorite person, and intact males are more likely to start fights. Estrogen isn't used for this in dogs, because it can cause serious side effects, including damage to the bone marrow.
There are safer options. Some countries have an implant that temporarily lowers testosterone, which can show whether neutering is likely to help. A veterinary behaviorist can also help with a plan: managing the triggers (feeding apart, picking up toys, separating them when you're busy), training, and in some cases behavior medicine.
Anesthesia risk for a healthy young-adult dog is very low, especially with pre-anesthetic blood tests, monitoring and an experienced team. Ask your vet what precautions they take for small breeds. Fights between small dogs can cause serious injuries, so please keep them apart when you can't supervise.
See dog aggression and neutering dogs.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
