[Andy_1]

Hi all.
I've been volunteering with several rescue organizations but never encountered anything like this so would be interested to hear opinions from experienced owners.

It's regarding a 1y pitbull mix that got adopted by a couple here in Spain and for the first month she was an amazingly loving dog. Very social with humans and indifferent to dogs. However one month after the adoption she got neutered and the following day she changed 180-degrees and attacked the owner while they were playing with toys on their rooftop.
I was called in because the owner couldn't enter the rooftop as she would immediately show signs of protectiveness. She was fine with me for the first 10 mins but suddenly started growling and lunged at me. If it wasn't for the slip-leash, i would have been bitten.
Another trainer got called in but got bitten and she was taken to the vet where they diagnosed it as "post-neutering aggression" due to hormonal imbalances.
It is worthy to mention that they learned that she had puppies just before the adoption (6 weeks before the neutering) which obviously was too early.

Right now she is taken to a shelter where she lives in a dark cage and walks a few minutes a day. Apparently the vet said that she will remain aggressive towards humans and while this condition is very rare but can affect 1 in 100 pit bulls.
I don't know what to believe as it's an unbelievable scenario and ive never heard of this "condition" but neither have i seen such a drastic behavior change.
Ultimately i would like to help her and work with her as I've done with other problematic dogs but i would love to hear others' opinions and if you've ever seen/heard of a similar case.

 

[Toedtoes]

I have never heard of "post neutering aggression" and that it was zeroed in on pitbulls specifically, I would not be comfortable with such a diagnosis.

I suspect more likely, the dog had a reaction to the anesthesia, post op pain, or had emotional issues that were not noticed before.

I would not keep her in a dark cage. That will exacerbate any issues she may have. I would contact a behavioral specialist and have them evaluate her and work with her.

In hindsight, I would say the dog has issues that had not been identified prior to adoption. If the owner had her one month (4 weeks) before neutering and she had given birth two weeks prior to that (6 weeks prior to neutering), there is a definite red flag waving. What happened to those puppies? Did the adopters know about the pregnancy? Why wasn't the dog given time to recover from the pregnancy before being adopted and neutering? Did the rescue spend any time evaluating the dog before adopting her out?

I suspect she is getting a bad rap because of her breed with the vet saying she will always be aggressive with people. While she may never be allowed to be adopted out due to liability issues, I suspect that with positive and consistent training she can rcover from this and be a great dog.

If you want to work with her, I would recommend contacting Best Friends Animal Society in Utah (USA) and ask them for advice. They are the absolute best at this type of thing and have worked extensively with "lost causes". They have rehabilitated many many dogs, including the illegal fighting ring pitbulls owned by Michael Vick.

 

[Lillith]

Can't say I've ever heard of that either, though it's possibly some combination of having puppies and being spayed caused something to go out of whack. Is it possible to get a second opinion from a different vet? I would also do a full medical check including a blood panel and a thyroid check. It could be the spay and the change in behavior are unrelated and it's just a coincidence.

 

[DaySleepers]

I've also never heard of post-spay aggression. I have heard that some young males can become more anxious (and therefore more fear aggressive) after neutering if they're already prone to anxiety or fearfulness. But that has to do with the big drop in testosterone, which a female wouldn't experience nearly as strongly, and isn't breed specific.

I agree with seeking a second veterinary opinion with full bloodwork including thyroid if at all possible. I hope you find an approach that works with her. It's such a hard situation to be in, where you have to balance her quality of life and likelihood of being adopted with the time and resources she'll need. Wishing you and the rescue luck.