Behavior changes after neutering?

[corgimom]

Has anyone had a problem with "negative" behavior changes after neutering. We have an inside dog (so no risk of becoming a daddy) who has always been very tame, calm, lazy, etc. No marking his territory/lifting his leg/etc, so we had no behavior reasons to neuter. We decided to have it done to avoid the risks of testicular cancer so that he could live a longer, healthier life. But he's had two odd changes since we had the procedure done (about a week or two ago).

#1: All of a sudden, he's "hungry mouth". Before, he'd pick at his food all day long and sometimes would barely eat one bowl total, but would sometimes have one and a half (we have been following the "serving suggestion" on the back of the bag, and offered him half the food at each of his two meals, so he was only eating 1/2 to 3/4 of what we offered him). Now all of a sudden, he eats the second we put his bowl down, and today decided to split his food into three meals instead of two because he'd act like he was starving in between his two meals.

#2: He's been urinating more. Today, he asked to go out approximately every 2 hours (except during the night) when he normally would only need to go out a few times a day.

Are these changes normal for a dog that's just been neutered? Is it just the hormonal change that is throwing him off, or is he just weird? And if it is normal, does it go away?

[pihlaja]

Each time I've had an animal fixed, I did notice an increase in appetite/wanting to eat. Usually it fades in time, but if it doesn't, I find that usually a food change is in order, either to a lighter food (if the pet got fat) or a food that may better meet their nutritional needs.

When I first spayed my two cats, they were eating machines. It took a few months, but now their eating is back to normal.

As for the frequent urination, I'm not sure. Maybe someone else here has some advice/insight on that?

[Jade]

I'd think the frequent urination would be due to the inflammation at the scrotum putting some pressure on the bladder, making it feel like he has to go more often. Keep a close eye on it though, and make sure he's successfully urinating each time and not straining to do so or having any blood in the urine. If it doesn't resolve or you notice any of the above, call your vet. They may want to do a urinalysis.