On balance, it appears that no compelling case can be made for neutering most male dogs to prevent future health problems, especially immature male dogs. In early-neutered dogs, the incidence of CCL was 5.1 percent in males and 7.7 percent in females, suggesting that neutering prior to sexual maturity significantly increases a dog’s risk of developing CCL disease. Then word got out. Spaying your female pet prevents heat cycles and eliminates yowling, crying, erratic behavior, and bloody vaginal discharge. I'm not opposed to spaying and neutering. And yes, no matter what you've been told, study after study has shown that spayed and neutered dogs and cats weigh more when fed the same amount of calories as intact animals. There is some evidence that removing the influence of estrogen or testosterone may lead to other health problems. Recent research by Purdue University suggests that female dogs (and, interestingly, female humans) live longer if they keep their ovaries. 42 Spain CV, Scarlett JM, Houpt KA. But is any of that a valid reason for what I can only call the deliberate spreading of false and misleading information? J of Reproduction and Fertility Supplment 57, 439-443. These are the best shows we saw in 2020 on Hulu, Netflix and HBO, Bay Area stargazers surprised to see 'moon halo' Saturday night, California Disney employee brags about getting COVID-19 vaccine early, hospital says leftover doses were given to non-frontline health care workers. You can call it spaying or neutering or de-sexing. The traditional spay/neuter age of six months as well as the modern practice of pediatric spay/neuter appear to predispose dogs to health risks that could otherwise be avoided by waiting until the dog is physically mature, or perhaps in the case of many male dogs, foregoing it altogether unless medically necessary. BPH is linked to other problems of the prostate gland, including infections, abscesses, and cysts, which can sometimes have serious consequences. When discussing the health impacts of spay/neuter, health risks are often not mentioned. If we can't have honest conversations about the health consequences of spaying and neutering, people won't be on the alert for signs their sterilized pet is gaining weight, because they'll have been told that, "spaying and neutering won't make your pet fat.". 31 McGreevy PD, Thomson PC, Pride C, Fawcett A, Grassi T, Jones B. JAVMA Vol 227, No 7, Oct 1, 2005. Adv Vet Sci Comp Med 14:309-354, 1970, 22 Hayes A, Harvey H J: Treatment of metastatic granulosa cell tumor in a dog. 27 Panciera DL. Since the testicles are removed with neutering, castration removes any risk of testicular cancer (assuming the castration is done before cancer develops). Vet Comparative Oncology. Spay/neuter before 5 ½ months of age is associated with a 70% increased aged-adjusted risk of hip dysplasia compared to dogs spayed/neutered after 5 ½ months of age, though there were some indications that the former may have had a lower severity manifestation of the disease42. 47 Johnston SD, Kamolpatana K, Root-Kustritz MV, Johnston GR, Prostatic disorders in the dog. 20 Dorn CR and Schneider R. Inbreeding and canine mammary cancer. Hypothyroidism in dogs causes obesity, lethargy, hair loss, and reproductive abnormalities.27. J Natl Cancer Inst. Neutered males also have a greater chance of getting prostate cancer and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. 1996 November; 37(11): 672–678. 19 Feinleib M: Breast cancer and artificial menopause: A cohort study. Am J Vet Res. Spay/neuter in dogs was found to be correlated with a three fold increased risk of hypothyroidism compared to intact dogs. This may partially explain the conflicting results. Int J Cancer 1976 Oct 15;18(4):482-7, 13 Ru G, Terracini B, Glickman LT. (1998) Host-related risk factors for canine osteosarcoma. 30 Edney AT, Smith PM. Combined with the incidence of pyometra, this suggests that about 1% of intact female dogs will die from pyometra. In 2013, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine published a study revealing that neutered golden retrievers are seemingly at a higher risk of joint disorders and cancers compared to sexually intact dogs of the same breed. Does neutering have any negative effect … Dana Scott is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Dogs Naturally Magazine and CEO of Four Leaf Rover, a high end natural supplement company. Vet Rec 1990: 127: 347-350. 1 Burrow R, Batchelor D, Cripps P. Complications observed during and after ovariohysterectomy of 142 bitches at a veterinary teaching hospital. Neutering your male dog -- a gonadectomy -- reduces his level of the male hormone testosterone, so you may see differences in any hormone-related physical and behavioral attributes; specific growth effects include a larger size due to growth plates remaining open longer, and in some cases, obesity. The investigators discuss possible cause-and-effect mechanisms for this finding, including the roles that sex hormones play in body’s ability to mount an immune response to vaccination.34. Endogenous gonadal hormone exposure and bone sarcoma risk. Spay/neuter is associated with a two fold increased risk of cranial cruciate ligament rupture51. In:Theilen GH, Madewell BR, eds. Small Anim Endocrinol 1999; 9: 8. Effect of gonadectomy on subsequent development of age-related cognitive impairment in dogs. 50 Salmeri KR, Bloomberg MS, Scruggs SL, Shille V. Gonadectomy in immature dogs: Effects on skeletal, physical, and behavioral development, JAVMA, Vol 198, No. And for large breed dogs, it may be recommended to wait until they’re finished growing before performing the surgery. On the positive side, spaying female dogs, On the negative side, spaying female dogs. The university has now followed that research effort up with a study comparing the long-term health effects of neutering in golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers. 26. 4 Pollari FL, Bonnett BN. At one veterinary teaching hospital where complications were tracked, the rates of intraoperative, postoperative and total complications were 6.3%, 14.1% and 20.6%, respectively as a result of spaying female dogs1. The number of health problems associated with neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases. Is that true? J Am Vet Med Assoc. So this risk is unlikely to weigh heavily on spay/neuter decisions. A dog who is NOT spayed is also called intact. Why is it so hard to have a factual conversation about the medical risks of spaying and neutering pets? Vet Rec. Uterine/cervical tumors are rare in dogs, constituting just 0.3% of tumors in dogs21. Breed, age, and gender are variables that must be taken into consideration in conjunction with non-medical factors for each individual dog. They won't get testicular, uterine or ovarian cancer or infections, and they'll have a greatly reduced chance of getting mammary cancer. Airedales, Beagles, and Scottish Terriers are at elevated risk for urinary tract cancer while German Shepherds have a lower than average risk23. Bacterial population and histologic changes in dogs with perianal fistula. Read the advice in dog and cat magazines or the Web sites of animal welfare organizations, and you'll be assured that not only are there no adverse effects of spaying and neutering, … An age-matched retrospective study found that spay/neuter dogs were two times more likely to develop lower urinary tract tumors (bladder or urethra) compared to intact dogs23. Dana has been a raw feeding, natural rearing breeder since the 90's and is a sought after speaker and outspoken advocate for natural health care for dogs and people. Geriatric cognitive impairment includes disorientation in the house or outdoors, changes in social interactions with human family members, loss of house training, and changes in the sleep-wake cycle55. I also know that there's someone out there who's going to read this column and say, "Hell, Martha, spaying and neutering will make our dog get cancer. Spaying and neutering limits pet overpopulation. Good reasons to spay your female dog. 37 Arnold S, Arnold P, Hubler M, Casal M, and Rüsch P. Urinary Incontinence in spayed bitches: prevalence and breed disposition. Spaying will remove the risk of ovarian tumors, but the risk is only 0.5%22. Here are the SF restaurants that permanently closed in December, Another Warriors starter reportedly out for season, The controversial Calif. law that could ruin Christmas for Santas. Most people are trying to do the best they can for their pets and their families, and they simply need factual information on which to base their health care decisions. J Am Vet Med Assoc. But how do you do that when you're having it beaten into your brain that spaying and neutering does not, cannot, will not make your dog or cat fat or have any other adverse effects? Sign up for the Dogs Naturally Newsletter and get over 200 FREE Health Plans and Guides in 2020. It is a common cause of death in medium/large, large, and giant breeds. Mol Cell Endocrinol. One would predict that estrogens would have a similar protective role in the sexually intact female dogs; unfortunately too few sexually intact female dogs were available for inclusion in the present study to test the hypothesis”55. 2003 Mar; 1 (1): 48. They may not be aware that some risks of spaying and neutering can be decreased by delaying the surgery until a dog or cat is a little older, while others are breed-related, which can affect which breed of dog a person adopts in the first place. 622–631. Unearthed footage of San Francisco's Market Street in the 60s looks like a different city, Marco Rubio accuses Fauci of lying about masks, coronavirus, herd immunity during anti-lockdown online rant, These are the notable San Francisco restaurants that permanently closed in December. Although this summary specifically analyzes the effects of spaying and neutering on a dog’s risk to develop osteosarcoma, the study also conducts other in depth case studies pertaining to other prevalent diseases. Across-the-board recommendations for all pet dogs do not appear to be supportable from findings in the veterinary medical literature. Fifteen cases of prostatic carcinoma in the dog. The investigators state “This finding is in line with current research on the neuro-protective roles of testosterone and estrogen at the cellular level and the role of estrogen in preventing Alzheimer’s disease in human females. 9 Theilen GH, Madewell BR. Urinary incontinence is common in spayed female dogs, which can occur soon after spay surgery or after a delay of up to several years. Clinical findings and control of thyroid hormone secretion and metabolism. In the early 1900’s, early neutering was the norm and it was not until much later that questions were raised about the negative side effects of such a procedure. Owing to changes in metabolism, spay/neuter dogs are more likely to be overweight or obese than intact dogs. Long Term health risks. It also suggests how much we really do not yet understand about this subject. Yes, I know there are millions of homeless pets in this country. Adverse reactions were 30% more likely in spayed females than intact females, and 27% more likely in neutered males than intact males34. J Reprod Fertil Suppl. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1985: 187: 605-611. The authors of this paper cite the differences between policies in the U.S. that promote early age spay/neuter and other developed countries where intact pets are the norm, but fails to mention the much stricter regulations surrounding pet ownership and breeding that are in effect … 39 Richter KP, Ling V. Clinical response and urethral pressure profile changes after phenypropanolamine in dogs with primary sphincter incompetence. Urinary incontinence in dogs and cats. With more weight, the joints experience increased pressure, which can exacerbate the animals’ condition. Being obese and/or overweight is associated with a host of health problems in dogs. In breeds where hermangiosarcoma is an important cause of death, the increased risk associated with spay/neuter is likely one that should factor into decisions on whether or when to sterilize a dog. Read on to find out why. The early neutering of dogs is not without it’s side effects or critics, and I’m certainly one of them. The discovery of the effects of neutering on hip dysplasia is not the worst news, however. Since the growth plates in various bones close at different times, spay/neuter that is done after some growth plates have closed but before other growth plates have closed might result in a dog with unnatural proportions, possibly impacting performance and long term durability of the joints. Read the advice in dog and cat magazines or the Web sites of animal welfare organizations, and you'll be assured that not only are there no adverse effects of spaying and neutering, but opting for the surgery will make your pets healthier and better behaved. More importantly, there is a risk of increase in dominance aggression towards family members.” In the fact, early neutering can lead to both positive and bad health effects … 2002 Nov 29;197(1-2):251-5. Neutering will prevent BPH. 131, 259-263. Meanwhile, spayed female and neutered male dogs have a significantly greater incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries than intact dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1988 Sep; 193(6):706-12. The effects of neutering are largely dependent on your dog’s individual personality, physiology … Most importantly, the benefit to society of preventing unwanted litters of puppies and kittens is huge. This needs to be put in perspective. Veterinarians, in fact, have one of the highest levels of trust of any profession. 50-60% of mammary tumors are malignant, for which there is a significant risk of metastasis16. This article is an attempt to summarize the long-term health risks and benefits associated with spay/neuter in dogs that can be found in the veterinary medical literature. There is evidence for an increased risk of prostate cancer in at least one breed (Bouviers)5, though very little data so far to guide us in regards to other breeds. You can't get cancer or an infection in an organ that you no longer possess, so it's accurate to say that your dog or cat won't get ovarian, uterine or testicular cancer or infections. Canine testicular tumors: epidemiologic features of 410 dogs. As you might expect, the relative health costs and benefits of routine neutering on the health of individual animals have become a topic of controversy. J Vet Intern Med 1992 May; 6(3):145-53, 24 Prymak C, McKee LJ, Goldschmidt MH, Glickman LT. Epidemiologic, clinical, pathologic, and prognostic characteristics of splenic hemangiosarcoma and splenic hematoma in dogs: 217 cases (1985). 17 MacEwen EG, Patnaik AK, Harvey HJ Estrogen receptors in canine mammary tumors. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 208, 1882-1886, 3 Dorn AS, Swist RA. If you lie to people, they'll stop believing what you tell them. Compend Contin Pract Vet 1990: 12: 689-701. Cancer Res 34:2859-2868, 1974. I read that spaying and neutering can have negative effects on my pet’s health. 2, 2006. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds. 2005 Feb;66(2):307-12. A few are from prospective research studies, which examine potential associations by looking forward in time. 43 Verstegen-Onclin K, Verstegen J. Non-reproductive Effects of Spaying and Neutering: Effects on the Urogenital System. The high cure rate of testicular tumors combined with their frequency suggests that fewer than 1% of intact male dogs will die of testicular cancer. Both studies found that neutered male dogs have a four times higher risk of prostate cancer than intact dogs. Furthermore, the GRs who were treated for testicular tumors had a 90.9% cure rate. Indeed, the combination of breed risk and early spay/neuter meant that Rottweilers spayed/neutered before one year of age had a 28.4% (males) and 25.1% (females) risk of developing osteosarcoma. Yes, I want to get emails from Dogs Naturally. Much of the spay/neuter information available to the public asserts that neutering will reduce or eliminate the risk that male dogs develop prostate cancer. In the same studies, no association was found between spaying and the risk of diabetes. It's time to start thinking about spaying or neutering your cat. An objective reading of the veterinary medical literature reveals a complex situation with respect to the long- term health risks and benefits associated with spay/neuter in dogs. Spayed and neutered pets like Ozzy need more exercise and less food to maintain their pre-sterilized body weights. A logical conclusion derived from combining the findings of these two studies is that spay/neuter of dogs before 1 year of age is associated with a significantly increased risk of osteosarcoma. Microchip-associated Fibrosarcoma in a Cat, Retaining Ovaries May Be A Key To Prolonged Life In Women And Dogs. 16 Ferguson HR; Vet Clinics of N Amer: Small Animal Practice; Vol 15, No 3, May 1985. A retrospective study of cardiac hemangiosarcoma risk factors found a >5 times greater risk in spayed female dogs compared to intact female dogs and a 1.6 times higher risk in neutered male dogs compared to intact male dogs.25 The authors suggest a protective effect of sex hormones against hemangiosarcoma, especially in females. Most cases of BPH cause no problems, but in some cases the dog will have difficulty defecating or urinating. 1998. For female dogs, the situation is more complex. Perhaps this is associated with the increased risk of obesity30. 38 Thrusfield MV 1985 Association between urinary incontinence and spaying in bitches Vet Rec 116 695. Spayed females were found to have an increased risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, vaginitis, and UTIs.43, The risk is higher still for female dogs spayed before puberty.43. 4, No. I read it on the Internet!". .Vet Rec. Based on their results, the researchers suggest a cause-and-effect relationship: “this suggests that castration does not initiate the development of prostatic carcinoma in the dog, but does favor tumor progression”5 and also “Our study found that most canine prostate cancers are of ductal/urothelial origin….The relatively low incidence of prostate cancer in intact dogs may suggest that testicular hormones are in fact protective against ductal/urothelial prostatic carcinoma, or may have indirect effects on cancer development by changing the environment in the prostate.”6. Sci Jul 2;60-61:405-415. . Spaying and neutering influences behavior by eliminating the female and male sex hormones released by ovaries and testicles. Pyometra can usually be treated surgically or medically, but 4% of pyometra cases led to death44. Furthermore, most people will choose to sterilize their family pets because managing intact dogs and cats is often messy and inconvenient, and our increasingly urbanized and over-scheduled lives only make it more of a hassle. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in many (not all) cases. Cheating caring dog and cat owners out of truthful medical information because we're worried about what that guy is going to do not only doesn't make any sense, it simply hurts the pets of good owners. Let's face it, the guy who refuses to remove his dog's equipment because he thinks it will make his own shrivel up and fall off is not being moved by facts and a rational decision-making process. Some data indicate that neutering doubles the risk of diabetes in male dogs, but other data showed no significant change in diabetes risk with neutering33. The balance of long-term health risks and benefits of spay/neuter will vary from one dog to the next. The balance of long-term health risks and benefits of spay/neuter will vary from one dog to the next. JAVMA 2004;224:380-387. Bay Area casino planned 4000-person party. The incidence rate in various studies is 4-20% 35,36,37 for spayed females compared to only 0.3% in intact females38. The societal benefits of mass spay/neuter -- the prevention of unwanted puppies and kittens, and ending the killing of pets in shelters -- are seen as so overwhelming that the slightest suggestion of a medical downside to sterilization is met with an avalanche of hostility. 5 Teske E, Naan EC, van Dijk EM, van Garderen E, Schalken JA. Cardiac Tumors in Dogs: 1982-1995. 5 pp. Some of those things are true. An exception might be bilateral or unilateral cryptorchids, as testicles that are retained in the abdomen are 13.6 times more likely to develop tumors than descended testicles12 and it is also more difficult to detect tumors in undescended testicles by routine physical examination. eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer, reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders, may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive), if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is, increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6, increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment, triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems, quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer, doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers, increases the risk of orthopedic disorders, increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations, if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common malignant tumors in female dogs, nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs, removes the very small risk (≤0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors, increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of >5; this is, increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems, causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs, increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4, increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs spayed before puberty, doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors. Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Non-Surgical Contraceptive Methods for … Spayed females have a greater incidence of urinary incontinence. In a breed health survey study of Airedales, spay/neuter dogs were significantly more likely to suffer hip dysplasia as well as “any musculoskeletal disorder”, compared to intact dogs52, however possible confounding factors were not controlled for, such as the possibility that some dogs might have been spayed/neutered because they had hip dysplasia or other musculoskeletal disorders. Tumors of the genital system. For their sakes, and those of their pets, we have to stop fearing the truth and reacting angrily when we hear it. These studies did not utilize control populations, rendering these results at best difficult to interpret. Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life. All three terms refer to a hysterectomy – removing the ovaries and uterus so your female no longer comes into heat and cannot have puppies. Promoting spay/neuter has evidently become so important that it trumps everything else, including the truth. While spaying will remove the risk of reproductive tract tumors, it is unlikely that surgery can be justified to prevent the risks of uterine, cervical, and ovarian cancers as the risks are so low. It sounds so great it almost makes you want to rush right out and get spayed or neutered yourself. It would rank higher still if more female GRs had been kept intact up to 30 months of age. Urinary incontinence is so strongly linked to spaying that it is commonly called “spay incontinence” and is caused by urethral sphincter incompetence39, though the biological mechanism is unknown. When we adopt from a humane … These tumors are nearly always malignant, but are infrequent, accounting for less than 1% of canine tumors. Given the poor prognosis of osteosarcoma and its frequency in many breeds, spay/neuter of immature dogs in the medium/large, large, and giant breeds is apparently associated with a significant and elevated risk of death due to osteosarcoma. In summary, spaying female dogs significantly reduces the risk of mammary cancer (a common cancer), and the fewer estrus cycles experienced at least up to 30 months of age, the lower the risk will be. 33 Marmor M, Willeberg P, Glickman LT, Priester WA, Cypess RH, Hurvitz AI. They won't take precautions to protect their spayed or neutered pets from avoidable risks such as cruciate ligament injuries. To find a holistic or homeopathic vet near you or to find one who will do phone consultations, visit The Academy Of Veterinary Homeopathy. Neutered or spayed animals have a tendency to gain weight more easily as their metabolisms are impacted. A number of health benefits are cited, yet evidence is usually not cited to support the alleged health benefits. In summary, though it may be the most common reason why many advocate neutering young male dogs, the risk from life threatening testicular cancer is sufficiently low that neutering most male dogs to prevent it is difficult to justify. 35 Thrusfield MV, Holt PE, Muirhead RH. These include an increased incidence of some cancers, including osteosarcoma, a painful and usually fatal bone cancer, in neutered male dogs. Neutered male dogs and spayed female dogs are at increased risk of progressing from mild to severe geriatric cognitive impairment compared to intact male dogs55. before the animal is sexually mature) is not a new one. Does it justify the anger and opposition that meets me and anyone else who openly discusses the medical risks to spaying and neutering? The incidence of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH, enlarged prostate) increases with age in intact male dogs, and occurs in more than 80% of intact male dogs older than the age of 5 years47. On the negative side, neutering male dogs • if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a … Canine hypothyroidism. Incidence, risk factors, and heritability estimates of hind limb lameness caused by hip dysplasia in a birth cohort of boxers. The lifetime risk of hypothyroidism in breed health surveys was found to be 1 in 4 in Golden Retrievers10, 1 in 3 in Akitas28, and 1 in 13 in Great Danes29. Wien.Tierarztl.Mschr. California now has the worst COVID-19 spread in US, Calif. Disney employee brags about jumping line, getting vaccine. The number of health problems associated with neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases. 2005 May 28;156(22):695-702. Neutering, or spaying, your cat is a vital part of being a responsible owner. 2nd ed.Lea and Febinger, 1987:583–600. Non-reproductive effects of spaying and neutering on behavior in dogs. 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