I heard on the radio this morning about a dog being the 1st ever in this country to undergo a sex change. Now did i hear correctly, has anybody else heard this story? People never ever cease to amaze me.

I'd like to hope there's something wrong with your ears!!

It's not April 1st is it. I do know of dogs that are neither girls nor boys though. Ooh, the mind boggles.

Yes there was something on Animal Hospital on the subject. Poor old Rolf was quite bemused by it all. !They have both sets of genitals and reproductive organs and can have an op to remove the bits that are the less dominant in the dog.

Lucy

Interesting isn't it!! it's called a "Hermaphrodite". I boarded a cat the same, the owners had her speyed and castrated at the same time!! She stinks like a tom cat though, another funny thing, my friend keeps chickens and one of her layers, started to grow a comb and wattles, now it "cock-a-doodle doos!!
Dawn.

Ah now that's a bit different! I had visions of some wierdo going through their own gender crisis and wanting a cosmetically mutilated dog to match

Lara

I'm sure it wasn't intended but I found your reference to "some wierdo going through their own gender crisis" offensive. People going through genuine gender crisis are not weirdo's but people trapped in the wrong bodies. they need our understaning and support not our insults.

I can only assume that any vet would resex a canine if it has deformaties that make it hermaphrodite which also happens in humans too. Hardly the persons or the dogs fault?

Pam n the boys

You're right - it wasn't intended to come across as insulting to the genuine cases but more to someone who would want to adapt a dog to match. Believe me! such people exist!

I'm with you now lara:) - and I fully accept that there are some strange people out there who will for no genuine medical reason, physical or mental, put themselves under the knife. I would be very worried about any vet who was willing to perform simliar surgery on any animal though.

Pam n the boys

Posted about this yesterday but my message seems to have vanished. Quite a few breeds have a Hermaphrodism problem (it is inherited). No idea what ,if any, terriers it effects. Can't understand the reference on the new item to "1st sex change" if this is what the news item meant - quite a common op. really! Maybe just one of those instances where the media run with an animal story for the laugh value without the facts!
Gwen

I've a hermaphrodite cat, it (i think of it as a he though) had both sets of organs removed(castration & spey) and had to have a uretha created as he didn't have one, the urine was trying to come out of any orifice it could, my brilliant vets operated (only gave him 50/50 chance of survival) 2 years later he's still going strong!!
The News article i'm sure said 1st sex change op, which is why i was so shocked!!

I wonder if this is the story you heard. My local paper this week has a story about a poor Boxer, George, who had a stone stuck in his...Well, after it turned black the vet had no option but to take it off and find other means for him to pee. So George is now Georgina, having been previously castrated. The dog is apparently very happy in it's current state. The vet described the operation as incredibly rare.
LynnT

Ahh - that may explain it then!!!