Neuticles

Prosthetic testicular implants for domestic animals

Neuticles are prosthetic testicular implants for neutered dogs and other domestic animals.

Gregg Miller developed the idea for Neuticles after his bloodhound, Buck, was castrated to stop his wandering. Miller, along with a veterinarian, patented the procedure for implanting Neuticles. To sell his idea, Miller established CTI (Canine Testicular Implant) Corporation, Miller won the 2005 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine, a parody of the real Nobel Prize, for the invention of Neuticles. text=While recognizing that responsible pet ownership requires neutering, nonetheless, many pet owners find themselves uncomfortable with such a disfiguring procedure. The permanently altered appearance of their pet serves as a constant reminder of their surgical choice. Comments by strangers who misidentify the gender of the pet may serve to exacerbate this discomfort. |author= |source=US Patent 5868140A

The company states that humans cannot legally get Neuticles; while the materials in them are approved by the FDA, a second approval is required for similar implants in any specific areas of the human body. In 2018 it was reported that Miller has no plans for Neuticles for humans due to the cost and the time needed for FDA approval.

In the UK, the regulatory body for veterinarians, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, states that the use of any form of cosmetic surgery is unethical. The Veterinary Council of New Zealand says "the insertion of neuticles (prosthetic testicles) cannot be justified. This procedure has no benefit to the animal and can be used to conceal genetic defects."