Nico's Story

By Jessica R.

My friend turned to me and said, “Jess, you don’t ever get the dog you want, you get the dog you need.” How true. I did not realize that the adoption of this puppy, Nico, into my home would be the ethical and humane lesson we would all need to learn.

 Within the first few months, Nico contracted mange, had a distemper scare, and turned my house into an apothecary for canines: antibiotics, creams, vaccines, sulfur treatments.  But the full impact of caring for Nico did not hit me until the night he nearly died.  I saw my daughter kneeled over him, praying for his life.  That image made me realize Nico was one of my life lessons: How would I care for Nico in a healthy, responsible way, knowing that my two young children were watching my every move and learning from my choices?

So when the question of neutering came up, I delayed…and delayed and delayed. Why? When I was younger, I performed castration on large animals and on recently delivered pigs. The squeal of the piglet during castration was like the screech of nails on a chalkboard. The sound of it still resonates in my head. I understand that the pig was not sedated and that castration on a domestic animal is performed in a veterinarian’s office.  However, after the difficult path we had walked with Nico to make him healthy, I found myself looking for a better option for his neutering.

I believed that finding an alternative to castration for Nico would also be an educative experience for my children and teach them a lesson in thinking outside the box: although surgical castration was the historical decision, it was also invasive, expensive and required a recovery time. I was interested in an alternative: one that would be cost effective, less traumatic, and keep Nico near the love and care of his family.

Esterilsol was the answer we were searching for.  Nico was neutered at approximately eight months of age. He was able to lie down on a mat next to me and receive an injection into each testicle. He did not flinch and I did not have to pin him down. He was able to stay in the comfort of his family throughout the process. I cannot express the calm we all felt in that moment.  The entire procedure took no more than a couple of minutes and when it was over, Nico rolled over and walk around to be petted.  I received canine ibuprofen to administer two times a day and with that, the procedure was over. Nico was sterilized.  My two kids went to snuggle Nico, hugged him and said, “That’s it? We can go home?” Nico wagged his tail and lay down next to the kids to be pet.

Following the procedure, I noticed Nico laying with his back legs sprawled behind him on the cool floor – perhaps just getting comfortable. Throughout the ride home, and the next morning, Nico rested. I am not sure if he was resting from the injection or from the Benadryl he was given to relax on the car ride to the vet. We were allowed to feed Nico his regular meals, walk him, and treat him as usual. The only restriction he had for the first day was to inhibit running so as to reduce the possibility of swelling. No E-Collar necessary.  And no side effects.

Nico recently had his one-year check up with a new vet who did blood work, examined his body, and gave him a clean bill of health. Nico’s prostate was examined, demonstrating a normal size, which the vet indicated to show the efficacy of the sterilization.

Nico’s vet was curious to know if Nico was exhibiting male behaviors such as humping. Although Nico did, when younger, exhibit those behaviors, he no longer does and only did so up until about 9 months of age. In my own experience, I have had surgically castrated dogs and cats, who continued to display male humping behaviors until their elder years.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have found Esterilsol as an alternative to castration.  It was the smoothest, easiest procedure I have ever experienced -- no barking, no anxiety (for owner or dog) and the recovery time was quite instant. Esterilsol was a lovely experience for us all.  It was painless, effortless and best of all, allowed us to stay with our pet during the entire procedure. Furthermore, the experience was an ethical and humane choice for our family. And it was a lesson for my children: listen to the facts of what is current and present…do not make choices based on experience and procedure just because it has been the only method used in the past.

Today, Nico is a healthy, happy, unaffected male dog who did not miss a beat in his life due to sterilization. His heart and muscles are strong. They allow him to keep up with two kids under 10 while riding their bikes and run hilly terrain with me at an 8 minute mile pace.

My hope is that in reading this story, you will find my experience to be helpful in your own decision to think outside the box and try Esterilsol. My hope is that you will consider a humane alternative to surgical castration, one that will treat your pet with love and maybe even change the outlook of your whole family.