Interesting article on Health Consequences of Spaying/Neutering or Not...

[Adina P]

This was posted on a different forum and it is an article I hadn't read before.  It does NOT cover the effect on population control, only health risks from the choice to spay/neuter or not.  I thought it brought up some interesting data:

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInD...

What was most interesting was that, from how I read it, there was little positive health benefit from neutering males.  And for females the only real big plus was lower risk of mammary cancer.  Otherwise, from a health standpoint, there seemed little good data to promote spaying/neutering.  And there seemed to be more benefits to keeping dogs intact at least through puberty.

Now, of course there are other ramifications...but the health aspect was interesting.  IF anyone has newer data...feel free to share!

(I have categorized this in the Discussing Doodley Things category because it does affect doodles)

[Camilla and Darwin]

I feel that the behavioral and population benefits of spaying/neutering outweigh the increased chances of health problems. I don't think they are significant enough that it is dangerous to spay/neuter your dog, and I DO feel that behaviorally, it's better for owners to have fixed animals. Especially novice owners. Not to mention population control.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you read through each item and look at the risks vs benefits, this paper is also not really very conclusive in clearly showing that the risks of spay/neuter prior to adolescence outweigh the benefits. Taken item by item, I see a different picture, and one that is far from justified in reaching that assessment.
For example, there is only an infinitesimally higher risk of prostate cancer in males who are neutered vs those who are not, and it also states that this is not significant anyway in light of the fact that prostate cancer is rare in dogs anyway.
However, when you look at mammary cancer, spayed dogs have significantly lower risk than unspayed females, with the risk being lower the fewer estrus cycles the dog experiences.
So I really think you have to look at each item line by line in terms of the overall risk or benefit to your particular breed, and then you have to look at the differences in risk levels between spayed/neutered dogs and intact dogs, i.e. is there much difference at all, either way?
That summary at the beginning of the article is a bit misleading.

[cheryl & oliver]

Karen, I haven't read the article yet, but I will, but just wanted to say that many years agao, we had an Old English Sheepdog that had prostate Ca, and he was not neutered. At that time my vet told us that he might not have had the Prostate cancer if he had been fixed. I have always neutered my dogs, never had a female, but this was one that we had rescued and he was 7 yrs old at the time, so was the vet right? I don't know, but I have always felt that neutering was the right thing to do, or spaying if u have a female. We have always done so. Now as far as age for the surgery, my vet likes 6 mos. He says he does not like early spaying,or neutering too many problems can occur down the road...So Rennie was 7 mos old, and Oliver was that age too. I am going to read the article now....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Cheryl, I agree with you completely. I firmly believe that spaying and neutering dogs is the right thing to do, and the 6-7 month age is what I have always believed in as well, although my dogs were small dogs who were physically mature by that age. I have always heard that spay/neuter helps to prevent many of the sex hormone linked forms of cancer.

[Adina P]

My impression was simply that for male dogs, in terms of health alone, there was virtually no benefit to neutering.
For females, the mammary cancer was a big plus of spaying.

I agree that as public recommendation "Spay or Neuter your Pet" is a very important message and in general all pet owners need to do this and rescues/shelters should either get it done or make it a requirement of adoption.

But I also think it needs to be a choice rather than legally enforced and the choice should be made based on correct info. (Not saying this article is the be all and end all of info on this topic). There are dog owners who ARE capable of controlling an intact dog or bitch...but they are not the novice dog owners typically and at least for the intact dog, obedience training needs to be of top priority. I have a neutered male, but if he were not neutered I'd simply be more careful about where he went. He would NOT go to dog parks, or be off leash except and until I was 100% confident in his off leash obedience. I would put at least as much time into training as I did for Rosco. Not sure I have that time now with a child and likely future children. So I probably wouldn't keep an intact male because I'm not sure I could devote the extra time.

So please don't think I'm advocating the average pet owner STOP spaying/neutering...just sharing an article that piqued my interest and made me think again about this topic. Also, while not common and probably more expensive, there's always the option of vasectomy and tubal ligation or something similar. Would prevent unwanted pregnancy, but not hormone related behaviors.

I have heard snippets of info on the possibility that spaying before puberty could have neurological consequences, though perhaps not huge ones. What can I say, I too wonder if there are some things that the canine mind and body benefits from when it comes to normal hormone production. And the article briefly hinted at the possibility of spay/neuter before puberty might contribute to immune issues. This was not hashed out and not explained in detail and was not one of the big points. So who knows on that one. But this topic is interesting to me and I think more research on this would be awesome.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Adina, there are other things to consider and other reasons to neuter besides the risk of unwanted pregnancy....Socialization is greatly effected by it...Other male dogs whether neutered or not do not generally like other intact males.....Especially dogs that tend to be more dominant...

I happen to have a neutered male that will not tolerate an intact male in his presence and I see it everyday at the dog park with others....Many trainers will agree....

Intact males provoke fighting....

[Adina P]

I consider socialization what one does during puppyhood to ensure one's dog is at ease in this world and feels comfy with diff people, animals, and situations. It sounds like what you are referring to is an adult dog 'being social' with other dogs. But dogs need not go to dog parks or romp, necessarily. There won't be 'fights' between leashed, trained dogs just doing their thing. I've been around leashed, trained, intact dogs and no problems resulted. How will a confined or leashed trained dog spur a fight if the owner is in control?

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

I understand what you are saying but dogs are social pack animals and benefit far more from interaction with their own species than they do from keeping their reproductive parts..And certainly if you read studies conducted by people in the field such as Temple Grandin the emotional well being of any animal can directly effect health.

Why deny a social animal the opportunity to "socialize" with it's own kind just for the sake of keeping them intact?

And there are interactions between leashed and trained dogs that are intact and others that are not all the time...

I'll give you an example: Ellen Kurland our FL Director who also happens to be a professional dog trainer, has a doodle named Oliver.He is one of the most well trained, socialized,respectful male dogs I can think of and he is also be neutered....He also happens to be a dog that will not tolerate intact males.

An intact male was walking on leash across the street from Ellen's home while she was outside also with Oliver on leash. Oliver picked up on that dogs scent long before he came within range of Ellen's home and was insensed beyond reason. So much so that he nearly knocked Ellen off of her feet when he pulled free from her grasp and ran across the street to get at that male dog. A fight immediately insued...

My point is that this is a well trained neutered male who was on leash.They are animals and no amount of training is going to override their instincts ...

No matter how responsible the owner of the intact dog may be and no matter how well trained and respectful their intact animal may be, when on a walk you certainly can't rely on other dog owners to be as responsible nor their animals to be as respectful and well trained...Even when they happen to be there is no denying instincts and nature. There are too many variables when outside of your own backyard.

[Adina P]

I don't think all dogs NEED to 'play' with other dogs.  Some have a higher need for that but others couldn't care less.  Rosco is closer to the 'couldnt care less' camp.  He would like to meet dogs...but then prefers solo play.  Thule is the only dog he really played with regularly...even when other dogs visited.  Now he would rather play alone for the most part--and I know this because I've set up play dates and after 5 minutes he was done.  I agree dogs are social but they CAN get their social kicks from their human family too.
 
As to the trainer whose dog broke free and ended up in a fight...to me all that shows is there was a hole in Oliver's training. That is not a diss. Lots of good trainers find holes in training...things they didn't expect but then realized they didn't train for adequately or missed something. Oliver sounds like he needs to be worked around intact males until he quits reacting to them--IF that is a goal.  I have trainer friends with intact males whose dogs are in control around in-season bitches.  And I can collect stories that show that well trained dogs can be controlled intact or neutered around other intact males.  They may not be candidates for romping together but that's OK.

I agree that the vast majority of dog owners SHOULD neuter/spay. I'm only saying that there is a small minority who can manage intact dogs (and it isn't your average dog owner), but they exist. I wouldn't change Rosco's neuter at all. He had enough monster puppy moments as a neutered male. And I am not sure I have the skills even NOW to have dealt with him as an intact male.

[Dr. Judith P. LaVorgna]

Adina, I agree with you. But, I believe this paper stands at this point as the most definitive compilation of research on spay/neuter to date...as the introductory "speaker" indicates. But the most important part "I think" is the argument now generated between and among Veterinarians regarding Early Spay Neuter...as early as a 2 lb. dog...and some even earlier, regardless of their potential adult size. There is just a teaser or two in the work that leads me to feel this is the direction of studies to come. New technologies, lasers, medical equipment, etc. have surfaced to make this early neutering du jour to some. And, I am thinking this article will give rise to the real question for the majority of companion animals. How early is too early? Or, how early could be too early? What is the best time for this breed and it's males and females to also ensure a long and healthy life as that is possible. It interests me too, and I was actually surprised at so little previous information on the subject prior to 2007. It would be interesting for each of us to casually ask our own Vet his or her opinion...and why...next time we take a fur child in for a visit. The answer might be very interesting...and provocative one way or the other.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack wasn't neutered until he was 14 months old, and if that helped improve his immune system or his general health, God help him if he'd been neutered earlier!
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that intact males are much more dominant, aggressive, and distractible across the board than neutered males. I have simply been around too many of each in my lifetime to believe otherwise. Most dog owners have enough trouble getting neutered males to behave acceptably.
As to the health issues, if you research each of them, you will see that there are too many variables and factors contributing to the development of most of these diseases to come to a conclusion regarding the contribution that age at the time of spay/neuter makes in the equation.
And of course, I know of one man who refuses to spay his dog because it "goes against nature". Well, leaving a dog intact and then preventing him from acting on the natural instincts that "normal hormone production" create strikes me as one of the most unnatural and cruel things you could do a dog. Intact dogs have urges. We're already asking domestic dogs to deny most of their basic instincts; you want to ask them to deny the most basic, driving force of nature, too? How beneficial would that be for the canine mind?

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Brilliant Karen....