Pros & Cons of Neutering–Really? there are Cons?
Pros & Cons of Neutering–Really? there are Cons?
Puppies rely on us to make informed decisions. Image Copr. Fernanda Cerioni/Flickr
Yes, actually, there are and that may surprise you. It did me. After all, we’ve heard from animal welfare advocates for years preaching the gospel of spay/neuter. Heck, I preached this myself and for the majority of dogs and cats (ESPECIALLY cats!), “the big fix” is the best thing that ever happens to them.
There’s new evidence, though, that for dogs at least the pros and cons are not so black and white. While the University of Georgia’s sample of 40,139 canine death records from the Veterinary Medical Database from 1984-2004 concluded that neutered dogs could be expected to live a year and a half longer (on average) than intact dogs, other studies point out potential increases in hip dysplasia or cancer. Oy.
So what’s a responsible pet parent to do? One possible solution is a new non-surgical sterilization technique called Zeuterin from Ark Sciences, that renders the boy dogs incapable of fathering puppies but let’s them keep about 50 percent of their testosterone that makes a beneficial health difference especially in certain breeds.
Read my newest article of Zeuterin and Pros/Cons of Neutering here. My best recommendation is to find out everything you can, consult with your vet, and only then make an informed decision. What do you think? Go ahead and comment–let ‘er rip! *s*
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With the girl dogs I'd likely go ahead and neuter before the first cycle, just because that's so protective re: mammary cancer. But it would depend on the breed, too, because as you say it increases HD risk as well as ACL issues so of the breed is already prone that would be an influencing factor. Every dog and owner situation is different so it's good we have choices and good science now to make informed decisions.
Did you know they are now saying that studies are not definitive as to whether spaying before the first heat really protects against mammary cancer? Knock on wood... none of mine have had that problem, regardless of when they were spayed. I also think that urinary incontinence (which was glossed over in the early neutering studies as "not life threatening") is more of a problem than the authors of the study were willing to admit. Many people have put pets down or abandoned them due to urinary problems, but I think many scientists say that this can be taken care of by medications and is better than the risk of having unwanted puppies.
As you say, a balancing game & in a household where I had a mixture of intact & neutered dogs, I might have to rethink it. Not something I would think everyone is willing or able to cope with, so....
No, I didn't know that. I knew it wasn't definitive in cats but in dogs now, too? Hoo boy. You're braver than me, having a mix of intact and whole in the same house!
Rosy is slated to be neutered after her current season is over, but I do it with great reluctance, because she will lose her beautiful coat. I'm doing it for safety reasons, mostly and am in great hopes that all will go well.
Biggest health reasons not to neuter includes hip dysplasia, growth plates close normally (e.g. dog does not get so tall) and other such factors. Biggest reasons to go ahead & neuter include inability to ensure the dog doesn't get pregnant accidentally and health issues.