Can you band a dog at home? Home neutering with elastic bands is a horrible trend and needs to be stopped! It is not an acceptable practice for dogs, and as per professionals, it is more of a torture than anything else. So, no, you shouldn’t band a dog at home to neuter him.
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According to the Saskatchewan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Home neutering is a dangerous, illegal, and very disturbing fad among so-called pet owners who don’t want to spend a penny on their dog. SPCA also claims that dogs suffer horrible injuries due to banding testicles, and PETA confirms it.
It is certainly common practice in livestock, but it has never been recommended to be practiced on dogs since it can result in pain, injuries, and infection. Daphna Nachminovitch, an SVP at PETA, told the Huffington Post that this behavior is akin to direct torture.
So, should you band a dog at home? The answer is no, and if you still think that the answer is yes, or could be, this article will convince you otherwise by giving you all the right and necessary reasons.
What Is Neutering?
Before understanding whether it is safe to band your dog, it is important to know why people do it. Most people do it to neuter their dog, that is the removal of the reproductive part of a male dog. In female dogs, the process is known as spaying,
The procedure is performed on the dogs via surgery. Legally, you can neuter a male dog only by surgery. However, many people prefer to neuter their pets at home without even consulting their vet – this can be risky for the following reasons
- It can cause infection in the private area of a dog neutered at home
- There can be self-inflicted injuries in the area surrounding testicles
- It can cause a lot of pain to the dog, who might not be able to bear it for a long time
- It is morally and legally wrong to neuter a dog with a band at home
Now that you have an idea about neutering dogs let’s dive further into this article.
At what age should a male dog be neutered?
Most dogs get neutered between 6 to 8 months of age, but it entirely depends on the size and breed of your furry friend. Also, vet recommendations are mostly made based on big dogs. So, you must consider consulting a professional before you decide to neuter your dog.
As per several studies, getting your dog neutered before time can lead to several health issues, including physical and psychological problems, such as cancer, orthopedic discomforts, urinary incontinence, inability to focus, etc.
However, this doesn’t mean that older dogs will not develop these health issues if they are spayed or neutered later. So, it is important to neuter your dog not too early and not too late either.
The big breed dogs, including Golden Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd, etc., should be neutered between 9 to 15 months (males). Amongst the females, the time of spaying should be somewhere between 5 to 12 months. In other words, a female dog should be spayed before her first heat.
Amongst the small breeds like pug and Pomeranian (or any dog below 22 pounds), males can be neutered around six months of age, while females should be spayed before the first heat.
What is Banding a Dog?
For those who don’t know, banding is a form of neutering a dog or other animals, especially big ones. Banding is prominent amongst calves where after a male cow is born, his testicles are banded with the help of a rubber piece.
The piece looks like a band and is put above the testicles. The trouble with banding a dog or any animal is that eventually, they develop several infections, diseases, and other health problems. As a result of these health issues, most animals die.
Can you band a dog at home?
You should never even think of doing this horrible practice on your dog.
The question shouldn’t be, can you band a dog at home. It should be. Why would you want to band your dog at home? Some veterinarians make house calls, offer mobile clinical services, advertise their business on the internet and in your inbox, so why would you want to take the risk of banding your dog at home?
Would you consider castrating your father, brother, or friend at home without the tools and equipment required for the surgical process? Then why should your dog go through it?
So, you can band a dog at home, but you should go ahead and do it in no case. It is morally wrong, illegal in the US, and inhuman to do something this horrible to a breathing being. If you must band your dog at home, you should still let a vet do it through a safe process.
No vet in their sane mind will recommend the banding of a dog or any other animal. It is a highly painful and uncomfortable process that leads to several infections, diseases, and even death of the animal. So, the simple answer is that even if you can band a dog at home, you should never do it.
Should you rubber band a dog’s testicles?
A popular case of a Lab/PitBull mix named Rocky was brought to light via KTVQ, where the dog bled profusely for some time, and the owner couldn’t understand the reason. Only when he was taken to an emergency that the vets realized the cause of the bleeding.
It was because of the banding of the dog’s testicles. They found a rubber band at the time of surgery, which indicated that it was used as a prop to bar the testicles. The dog chewed the testicles to chew the band and thus, hurt himself.
We would again like to remind our readers that banding a dog at home is an illegal practice in the US and should be avoided if you don’t want to pay a hefty penalty followed by your arrest.
Even reading about it can make a person uncomfortable, considering how cruel it can be on your part and painful on the dog’s side. It is torture for a dog or any other animal to have a rubber band on his testicles.
A learned dog owner would know the after-effects of rubber banding a dog’s testicles for neutering or any other reason. It can lead to nasty infections, injuries, and other issues in dogs. For example, he can try to chew the band and might chew his testicles. The area around the testicles can be infected or wounded – it has happened many times before – and will thus require surgery.
It is hence, important to get your dog neutered by a vet, and it is even more important to educate yourself on this matter and sensitize others about the same.
How to Stop Dogs from Urinating in the House?
There are several ways to stop urinary incontinence in dogs. It could also be due to a UTI.
If not trained well, dogs start urinating in the house. Sometimes, they do it to mark their territory. Sometimes, a medical illness such as a urinary tract infection (UTI) can be the reason, especially if your dog is well-trained to do his business in the bathroom or a specified area. In such situations, you should consult a vet.
With the help of the vet, you can choose the following methods to stop your dog from urinating in the house –
- You reduce your pet’s stress level, especially if they have anxiety. Consult your dog’s vet and get them medication to reduce their stress levels.
- Train them diligently to stop the unwanted behavior. Keep a close eye on your dog, and the minute they begin marking, redirect him to go outside to pee. It might take a few days, but eventually, your dog will learn to pee outside or in the designated area.
- You can try a belly band to cover his penis and thus, not allow urination. Please do not confuse it with banding the testicles of a dog. The two are entirely different from each other. The belly band covers the entire waste so that the dog doesn’t feel any pain; it only absorbs the urine to avoid it from coming out on the floor of your house.
A Few Final Words
Remember that belly banding is good for stopping your dog from marking the territory by urinating across the house. Testicle banding with the purpose of neutering at home is not at all recommended or encouraged.
If you are a dog owner, you should understand the torture or pain your dog will have to go through if you decide to go for banding at home. To save a few hundred bucks, you cannot play with your furry friend’s life.
So, educate yourself, and people around you about the pain and discomfort dogs have to go through if you do not choose the legal process of neutering, that is, via surgery. So, consult a good vet or find a good clinic where spaying or neutering is done at a reasonable cost and get the job done on time.
Thank you for reading the article, and we hope with educated readers as yourselves, we would never get to hear another case of banding ever again. Here are some articles on neutering and spaying we feel will be of great help to you: How To Stop Dogs From Mating? And Do Dogs Stay Overnight When Neutered?