Many health issues that veterinarians see in the canine population are the result of early spaying and neutering. These include issues such as diabetes, hip dysplasia, and several types of cancer. The number of these cases could be greatly reduced by lowering the rate of spaying and neutering. Background For many years in the United States, it has been the standard practice by veterinarians and animal shelters to perform the procedure of spaying and neutering canines as soon as possible, many times as young as seven weeks of age.
There is evidence that this practice may be the cause of many adverse health effects on canines that were not previously known. For instance, when compared to the United States, Becker (2013) noted that European countries have a lower rate of altering canines and also show a lower rate of health issues. Health Issues Evidence shows that spaying and neutering canines causes adverse health effects (Zink, 2005). The information gathered below will show that the younger a canine is altered the higher the chances are to develop health issues including cancers, joint disorders, urogenital disorders, vaccine reactions, and diabetes.
These and other disorders are discussed below. Unusual Growth Rates As noted by Zink (2005), when young females are spayed around seven weeks of age, they are more likely to have a delay in their growth plates closing. This will result in an abnormal growth pattern. She also noted that even when veterinarians wait until the female was closer to seven months old, there was still a delay in the closure. The only time that no delay was noted was when the female was left intact until after the growth plates had closed. Cancers Lymphoscarcoma is a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes in a dog.
The first sign of this cancer may be a swollen gland. This cancer travels throughout the body, and if left undetected, it will attack the other organs in the body. There is virtually no survival with this type of cancer. Some attempts to put it in remission are successful, but it often only prolongs the suffering. Although this cancer can occur in both altered and unaltered animals, it has shown a higher rate in altered animals (Washington State University, 2014). Cardiac hemangiosarcoma is cancer of the heart, and spayed females were more likely to develop this type of cancer than intact females.
Similarly, neutered males are more likely to develop cardiac hemangiosarcoma than unaltered males (Zink, 2005). Mast cell tumors is a cancer that can occur anywhere in the body. White, Hohenhaus, Kelsey, & Procter-Grey (2011) note, “A study on cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCT) in several dog breeds, including the Golden Retriever, examined risk factors such as breed, size, and neuter status. Although early versus late neutering was not considered, the results showed a significant increase in frequency of MCT in neutered females; [sic] four times greater than that of intact females”.
Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer in dogs. It presents as a tumor usually on a front limb near the radius or ulna, a location equivalent to the wrist on a human. Treatment options for this disease include removals of the tumor, amputation, or chemotherapy. Some dogs may live up to another year and some for another 2 years, but this cancer will result in death (Washington State University, 2014). Joint Disorders Hip dysplasia is a hip disease caused when the head of the femur does not fit the hip socket properly.
In some cases of hip dysplasia, hip replacement can be performed to relieve some of the pain associated with this disease. Although this disease is often genetic, it also is thought to be 1 / 3 linked to early altering of the canine (Torres de la Riva, G. , Hart, B. L. , Farver, T. B. , Oberbauer, A. M. , McV. Messam, L. L. , Willits, N. , & Hart, L. A. , 2013). Cranial cruciate ligament tears have been diagnosed at a higher rate in altered animals as opposed to their unaltered counterparts.
These cruciate ligament tears can be directly linked to the growth plates not closing properly in animals that have been altered. (Torres de la Riva et al. , 2013). Urogenital Disorders Hormone responsive incontinence is a type of urogenital disorder.
When a canine is altered, it removes the source of hormones that help to maintain muscle control of the urethra, which results in the loss of bladder control in older patients (WebMD, 2014). Urinary tract infections are three to four times more likely to be reoccurring in spayed females than in intact females (Sequin, Vaden, Altier, Stone, & Levine, 2003, p. 1). Vaccine Reactions Reactions to vaccines were more likely to happen to canines that are altered according to a study by Moore, G. , Guptill, L. , Ward, M. , Glickman, N., Faunt, K. , Lewis, H. , &
Glickman, L. (2005), “Risk was 27% to 38% greater for neutered versus sexually intact dogs and 35% to 64% greater for dogs approximately 1 to 3 years old versus 2 to 9 months old” (p. 1). Diabetes A study of spontaneous diabetes mellitus in dogs (Marmor, M. , Willeberg, P. , Glickman, L. T. , Priester, W. A. , Cypess, R. H. , & Hurvitz, A. I. , 1982) found that the “odds ratios by sex adjusted for age and breed indicated significantly (P less than 0. 05) elevated risks for entire females and neutered females compared with that for entire males” (p. 1).
Geriatric Cognitive Impairment Neutered canines are shown to have an increased risk of contracting geriatric cognitive impairment. It is much like Alzheimer’s disease in humans: they become disoriented both indoors and outdoors. They change social interaction with the human family members and their sleep cycle can change. Hart (2001) states that the lack of estrogen causes these impairments. Alternatives to Altering The most obvious solutions for the owners of canines is to keep their dog away from other dogs when they are in heat. There are a few other options to altering them that are not generally known.
Vasectomy A vasectomy on young male dogs leaves the testicles intact, which provides testosterone needed for proper growth. In addition, dogs with vasectomies have lower rates of cancer (Zink, 2005). Hysterectomy The alternative for females is to perform a hysterectomy by taking out the uterus but leaving the ovaries intact, much like the procedure performed on women. This would prevent the female from becoming pregnant, but still allow her body to make the necessary hormones to support growth and reduce cancer. Note that with this procedure, a female will still have her ovaries and still will be at risk for mammary cancers.
Owners should be vigilant in checking for lumps, not allow the female to become overweight so they can easily spot any lumps, and take her to the veterinarian as soon as one is detected for early removal (Zink, 2005). Tubal Ligation A tubal ligation is performed on the female canine in much the same way it is performed on a human. This procedure includes tying the fallopian tubes, but leaves the uterus and ovaries in place. Vetinfo (2012) states, “The procedure is minor, and the recovery is less than 24 hours. The dog will still have heat cycles, but she cannot get pregnant” (p. 1).
Suprelorin Suprelorin acts as a testosterone suppressor in males, but can also suppress hormones in females. It is an implant that is placed under the dogs’ skin just between the shoulder blades. This contraceptive can be effective for up to six months and may also help control aggressive behavior (Vetinfo, 2012). Proposed Solution 2 / 3 If the goal is to reduce the adverse health effects in the canine population, then based on the research presented above, the solution should be to minimize spaying and neutering.
Since this procedure is linked to several health issues such as diabetes, abnormal growth patterns, and cancers, it would be in the best interest of the canine population to minimize this procedure. Recommendations Through outreach to veterinarians during their annual medical conferences, the results of these studies could be shared. By working with veterinary offices and animal shelter, pamphlets could be placed in their lobbies to inform pet owners of their options to this procedure.
By educating pet owners about the side effects and the alternatives to this procedure, they may choose an alternative. With this type of outreach, there should be a lower rate of adverse health effects in canines however, if this outreach is not successful, then the rate of unwanted side effects will be unchanged in the canine population.
References Becker (2013). This “routine” neutering advice may boost your dog’s risk of cancer and joint disease [sic]. Retrieved from http://healthypets. mercola. com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/06/26/ea rly-neutering-effects. aspxCancer in animals (2014). Retrieved from Washington State University http://www. vetmed. wsu. edu/deptsOncology/owners/OSA. aspxCancer in animals (2014).
Retrieved from Washington State University http://www. vetmed. wsu. edu/deptsOncology/owners/lsa. aspxMarmor, M., Willeberg, P. , Glickman, L. T. , Priester, W. A. , Cypess, R. H. , & Hurvitz, A. I. (1982). Epizootiologic patterns of diabetes mellitus in dogs. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 43(3), 465-70. Abstract retrieved from htt p://www. researchgate. net/publication/16126107_Epizootiologic_patterns_of_diabetes_mellitus_in_d ogsMoore, G. , Guptill, L. , Ward, M. , Glickman, N. , Faunt, K. , Lewis, H. , & Glickman, L. (2005).
Adverse events diagnosed within three days of vaccine administration in dogs. Abstract retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/16220670? ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.
PEn trez. Pubmed. Pubmed_ResultsPanel. Pubmed_RVDocSumSequin, M. , Vaden, S. , Altier, C. , Stone, E. , & Levine, J. (2003). Persistent urinary tract infections and reinfections in 100 dogs 1989-1999. PubMed, 17(5), 622-31. Abstract retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/14 529127? ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2. PEntrez. Pubmed. Pubmed_ResultsPanel. Pubmed _RVDocSumTorres de la Riva, G. , Hart, B. L. , Farver, T. B. , Oberbauer, A. M. , McV. Messam, L. L. , Willits, N. , & Hart, L. A. (2013). Neutering dogs: Effects on joint disorders and cancers in golden retrievers [sic]. Plos One.
Retrieved from http://www. plosone. org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10. 1371%2Fjournal. pone. 0055937 Vetinfo (2014) Dog birth control. Retrieved from http://www. vetinfo. com/dog-birth-control. htmlWebMD (2014) [Urinary incontinence and bladder problems in dogs comment] Retrieved from http://pets. webmd. com/dogs/dog-urinary-incontinence- and-bladder-problems#Zink, C. (2005).
Early spay-neuter considerations for the canine athlete: One veterinarian’s opinion [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://www. caninesports. com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/spay_neuter_considerations_2013. pdf POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).