Health Effects of Neuter and Spay

[Kurt Gustafson]

A new study suggests waiting may be beneficial to the health of your dog...

 

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10977

 

[Kris and Sawyer]

I had read something about this before...and decided on my own to wait until Sawyer was 6 months old. My vet recommended between 4-6 months anyway, I just did the late side. That being said, I think just like in the human world, you can probably find a study going both ways for just about every topic. (Wine is good, wine is bad, canned tomatoes have antioxidants, canned tomatos cause prostate cancer..etc).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Waiting is not beneficial for female Goldens in terms of cancer risk, though. From the article: 

"However, in female goldens, neutering at any point beyond 6 months elevated the risk of one or more cancers to three to four times the level of non-neutered females."

This is in keeping with the current thinking that it is best to spay a female before the first heat. 

It's really quite a dilemma. The disadvantages to having an intact dog, but particularly an intact male, are significant. I'm not sure I could stand it for a year, lol. Yet if holding off on neutering could greatly reduce your dog's chances of developing cancer or orthopedic conditions, of course you would want to do it. 

I had pretty much already decided that JD is going to be my last big dog, for many reasons unrelated to these. This study pretty much solidifies that decision for me.  

[Kurt Gustafson]

I think the othopedic problems concern me more at this point than the cancer risks as my understanding was they did not survey for all common cancer types; some of which may be reduced by spay/neuter.

For those cancers surveyed, female goldens are doomed to a 3-4x higher rate of cancer no matter when they are spayed. I'd like to see those rates put in perspective with the risk of mammary tumors in intact dogs. I dont think it is in keeping in with spaying before the first heat, it is saying they are doomed no matter what as compared to the same effect in labs. The spay before the first heat was thought to reduce the mammary tumors.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Kurt, 66% of all Golden Retrievers develop cancer at some point. That's been known for a long time, way before this study came out.The Morris Animal Foundation has a Golden Retriever Lifetime Study going on to try to determine why. Some members here have tragically lost their GD's to cancer at very young ages.

So in a sense, any GR or GR mix is "doomed" to a much higher risk of cancer than most other breeds or breed mixes..  

Almost any type of orthopedic problem can be corrected. Cancer can't. Therefore, to me, the cancer risk is much, much more significant and scary than the risk of any type of orthopedic issue. If there were anything I could do to reduce the risk of my dog's getting a fatal disease, I would do it, even at the risk of other problems developing. Everything in life involves risks, you have to weigh them against the benefits, IMO.

[Lynda Kamrath]

This is definitely an interesting topic to me because my goldendoodle died of cancer in February and he was not yet 8 years old.  He did not act old at all and still loved his romps on the beach and running after the bike.  He was neutered very early and my friend who does agility said that it is bad for their bone development but I don't think doodles are very good agility dogs anyway - at least that is what all the agility people say.  A few poodles (and very few) do okay, but not doodles.  So, yes, it is weighing the risks.  I vote for early neuter and definitely spay or neuter all pets.  It is just not worth the trouble of having an intact dog.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are hundreds if not thousands of poodles doing agility all over the country, they excel at it. Many, many poodles with Agility Titles. They are extremely acrobatic, agile dogs. 

From the Poodle Club of America:

Poodles are especially suited for agility with their athletic abilities and boundless enthusiasm for playing with their owners. Any size Poodle can compete, as the height the dog jumps depends on their height at the withers. Training and competing in agility creates a unique bond between a Poodle and their owner, as both gain confidence in their ability to negotiate the courses and obstacles. 

Google "Poodles in Agility" and you will be impressed by the many, many photos and videos of poodles participating in the sport. 

http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/all-about-poodles/activities-for...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Please dont tell my dog going on 6 years old and  still wants to jump 6 feet or more into the air that he is not agile.  He dances, spins, jumps, leaps...  It truly is amazing what he can do if we let him. We dont let him often. Even a healthy dog, with great bones, can injure themselves. 

It is hard to keep him down.

 BTW, I did wait on neutering him. I tried to wait out the year.  By 9 months I was so ready...... beyond what you can imagine.  UGH.  Peeing on human legs ( tall strangers with thick legs was the preferance)    So, for us, 8 months, 3 weeks gave us a healthy dog with good bone structure, and a heck of a lot of stamina.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And JD, who was intact until he was 14 months old and the shelter to which he was relinquished neutered him, has horrible skeletal structure, which has resulted in a ruptured lumbar disc, osteoarthritis, and foot injuries. 

While neutering may have an effect on orthopedic issues, I still firmly believe that the most important factor is the structural soundness of the parents, which is not something most doodle breeders even consider when choosing breeding dogs. And certainly most buyers don't look at it, focusing instead on color and coat, which are completely superfluous issues. I don' t think most prospective doodle owners even know what a structurally sound poodle even looks like, or most doodle breeders either, for that matter. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Finnegan was neutered at 7 weeks - a common practice in Australian Labradoodles, sadly. He was diagnosed with HD at around 18 months. His diagnosis was confirmed by our vet, the University of Pennsylvania and OFA review.  All have said that this is an increased risk with early spay neutering. Finn's case as originally diagnosed was mild, but now that he's 4, I'm seeing increased episodes of pain, and it breaks my heart.  He still loves to run and play like a puppy but he needs pain medication more often.  The actual cause of his HD can't be determined but I KNOW if I had a choice, I'd wait!  On our first vet visit, my vet said I should wait as close to a year as I could "stand," but at least until about 8 months.  Finn is a medium sized doodle at 50 lbs. When I told him FInn was already neutered, he just shook his head.

Keeping an intact male is difficult but put me firmly in the camp of those for neutering but at an appropriate age.  Although having a pup that's been early neutered is very convenient for many reasons, I would NEVER purchase another pup neutered too young.  

[F, Calla & Luca]

Both my ALDs were neutered/spayed young. Luca probably was 9-10 weeks and Calla about 4 months. To date they have no issues at six and five years. I think waited longer may have been preferable but I had no choice back then or so I thought.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I didn't think I had a choice either, but I've since found a few good ALD breeders who would work out an agreement with me if I wanted to get a second doodle.  They are out there, but it's still not easy, and you have to be ready to prove you're acting in the best interest of the dog - not trying to get into the BYB business.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It comes down to good breeders knowing how to screen for good clients. It's not a problem for the best purebred breeders and it shouldn't be for doodle breeders either, if they care enough about their dogs to go to a little extra trouble and time, follow up and keep track of their dogs (which would be tough to do if you are mass-producing puppies), and not just sell a puppy to anyone who can write a check.