I want to talk about a touchy subject. Spay and Neutering your pet. Society says we humans are such irresponsible people, that we must absolutely spay and neuter our pets as soon as possible. For years I bought into this theory. I mean, I do rescue. I’ve seen some pretty sad animals who were abused in kennel environments. I feared my own dogs would end up in such a place, so I placed in my contracts the dog must be spayed or neutered around 6 months of age. As the years progressed and as continued to educate myself on the subject, I bumped up the age. I realized (as many Veterinarians are seeing) the dogs who were spayed and neutered the earliest, seemed to be the least healthy. My own dogs, who were kept intact, had few health problems, but dogs related or puppies I placed as pets would have hip / joint issues, cancer, or other problems. This was across breeds to include the Shiba Inu’s and English Setters that I was involved with in the 90’s.
Last year a study was released about Golden Retrievers titled: “Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers” by
Look at the two graphs below. In the study, they found that male Golden’s who were neutered before one year of age had a much higher rate of Hip Dysplasia and lymphosarcoma. Females had a much higher rate of cranial cruciate ligament tears and lymphosarcoma.
Figure 1. Percentages and number of cases over the total sample size for each neutering status group; intact and neutered early or late for male Golden Retrievers (1–8 years old) diagnosed with hip dysplasia (HD), cranial cruciate ligament tear (CCL), lymphosarcoma (LSA), hemangiosarcoma (HSA), and/or mast cell tumor (MCT) at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of the University of California, Davis, from 2000–2009.
For HD and LSA, the differences between early-neutered and intact or late-neutered groups were statistically significant (K-M), as were differences for CCL between intact and early-neutered groups.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055937.g001
Figure 2. Percentages and number of cases over the total sample size for each neutering status group; intact and neutered early or late for female Golden Retrievers (1–8 years old) diagnosed with hip dysplasia (HD), cranial cruciate ligament tear (CCL), lymphosarcoma (LSA), hemangiosarcoma (HSA), and/or (MCT) at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of the University of California, Davis, from 2000–2009.
For CCL the difference between intact and early-neutered was statistically significant (K-M). For HSA, the differences between early and late-neutered and intact and late-neutered groups were statistically significant (RR), as were differences for MCT between early and late-neutered groups. A similar statistical comparison for late neutering and intact groups was not possible for MCT because there were 0 cases in the intact group.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055937.g002FULL ARTICLE CAN BE SEEN HERE: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0055937
In just about every instance, the intact dogs were less effected than either the altered groups (young and older). When I read the article, it resonated with my own ideas. With relation to hip problems, if you neutered before the growth plate closes, of course you are likely to have growth abnormalities! Males growth plates close later than females, so they would obviously have more issues.
Please take a few minutes and listen to a video by Dr Becker, a Veterinarian. It is 25 minutes long, but if you at least get to the halfway point, you will hear her citing research and why she is now a big advocate of no or late sterilization.
Because of the Golden Retriever article and several others I have read over the last few years, I have changed my contract. It now reads that you are no longer required to spay or neuter your pet, but if you decide to do it to wait until at least one year of age. Do I think it makes a male easier to live with? Sometimes… it depends on the male. Do I think the vast majority of you could handle an intact male? Yes I do. BUT if you find your dog acting inappropriate, by all means neuter! It will absolutely take the edge off. All I ask is that you wait until the growth plates are closed. For the health of your dog, please consider waiting. With females it is more about the hassle and mess than personality changes. Yes, they get a bit grumpy, but it is only for a couple weeks. My girls wear panties and I really do not feel it is much hassle. My dogs are not left unattended in the yard, so there is never a risk of accidental pregnancy. We as a country need to stop taking on the guilt the animal rights activist are feeding us. We need to understand WE ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. We are responsible adults. We can control our pets!
My dream is for every pet owner to start thinking about what is best for their dog instead of what is easy. I’ve been slowly changing over the years and I think I am heading the right direction. Think about these few things:
- Is it easy to toss kibble at your dog every day? Sure. Is it the best diet for your dog? Would you eat a meal replacement bar for every meal during your entire life? I would hope not. There is no way kibble has everything your dog needs in a diet and likely the number one cause of IBD in animals today.
- Is it easier to just let the vet fill your dog full of vaccinations every time you visit? Yes? Do we vaccinate our kids every year? NO and neither should we do our pets!!!
- When you take your dog to the vet each year for their checkup, does your vet do blood work? No? WHY NOT?? What is a yearly health check good for without any blood work?? Instead they just shoot them up with an unnecessary vaccination. You would be outraged if your doctor did that to you, now wouldn’t you.
- Is it easier to just spay or neuter your pet? Sure. Is that worth their long term health? N0? Again, you wouldn’t do it to yourself.
Stop thinking of your pet as some strange creature and treat them as you would be treated. They are not much different than us humans.
Have a fun and safe HALLOWEEN!
~Becky