Early Spay/Neuter Questions

Population control is the primary reasons why vets recommend spaying and neutering at 6 months old. 

Personally I think all dogs leaving the shelter should be spayed/neutured.  I really do not know outside of growth effects what the other negative consequences may be.  

Ari (not a shelter dog) was spayed early.  We were contractually obligated to spay her by 6 mos. of age, but we ended up doing so at 5 mos. b/c she needed to have abdominal surgery anyway - and the vet agreed if it was safe to proceed with the spay they would (to prevent her having two back to back abdominal surgeries).  To be honest, I would rather take the risk of her being spayed too early than deal with a first heat or male dogs in the neighborhood. 
 

You're going to get all kinds of answers here -- but in many states (not enough altho, IMO) you MUST spay/neuter before a dog is placed thru a shelter/rescue (anything other than a potential breeding situation) and with the advent of laser surgery they can do it at 8 weeks.

I'm one of those adamantlyl FOR early spay/neuter -- remember I do a ton of work with demodex dogs and often poorly bred animals like that can be helped significantly by *stopping* sexual maturation by early spay/neuter because it reduces the drain on the immune system.  I've also talked to vets up at the U of Florida who feel pretty strongly that early spay/neuter *before* the organs have developed can help avoid spay incontinence when the spay is done later in life (just because a spay done "not well" later in life can weaken the musculature of how everything 'hangs together' inside which can then strain the bladder muscles more).

About the only real negative to early spay/neuter is that the anima may grow a bit larger than normal -- because part of the maturation of the sex organs puts out hormones that tell the body *when* to slow down growth.  They don't grow to Godzilla size -- but they may grow a bit beyond breed "standard" -- I but I honestly fail to see where that's any sort of a big deal particularly with rescues (and Callie don't DO 'purbreds' for show *sigh*).

Essentially in my experience the great thing is it lessens a lot of trauma on the dog during an already difficult period in their lives.  The early surgery is literally ONE stitch - a tiny keyhole surgery that they recover from very fast. 

I have seen studies that claim incontinence, taller leaner dogs, etc from early spay neuter. But you have to balance that, against the near zero risk of things like testicular cancer, mammary tumors, pyometra, perenial tumors etc...and since this is relating to SHELTER pets...against a system limited in their ability to FOLLOW UP and ensure spay's or neuters, are done AT ALL.

They have considerably less time, money, manpower to run around after the HUNDREDS of dogs and CATS a given shelter may place in a year, accounting for testicles and ovaries, than your average breeder who may have what 10 pups total in a year, as well as registration paperwork they can withhold.

the most important thing is that the animals in a shelter NOT add back more....period. If adopters are concerned about possible...and it's ONLY possible...incontinence in their bitch or "lankiness" in their dog....and that concern outweighs the importance of saving a LIFE...a shelter animal is likely not for them, anyway. Then they should find a reputable breeder or purebred or private general rescue that shares their views.

Anecdotally...I have in my extended family a near ELEVEN year old bitch who was adopted from a rescue...spayed at 8 weeks of age. She has no health issues and is not incontinent.

The alternative is to NOT adopt out animals "too young" to fix...meaning...no adoptions pre 6 months. Yeah...how's that going to affect their adoption numbers, and the numbers of Wal Mart puppy sales, and Pet Store sales? No win there, is what I say. Shelter animals already have persistant "preconceptions" about them being an iffy bet for a "good dog"....wrongly in many cases...but why add another "check against" shelter pets by never ever having young puppies available for adoption. Can you imagine the numbers of dogs they'd need to put down for space at that point simply because they cannot wait for them to BE old enough to neuter or spay? Sad.

I have often been told by people more knowledgeable than me that in males, muscle mass will be not as developed if neutered young.  It seems that testosterone would certainly affect muscle growth, at least it does in humans. 

rwbeagles

Can you imagine the numbers of dogs they'd need to put down for space at that point simply because they cannot wait for them to BE old enough to neuter or spay? Sad.

It would be staggering, for sure.

BlackLabbie

Do the benefits of early spay and neuter for shelter puppies outweigh the disadvantages of it?

Personally I always s/n right around 6 months and would only consider waiting  if the animal was ill or injured.In the case of a male there are leg lifting and other issues that just don't come about if they are neutered early.

Tena

 I am totally for early spay/neuter for shelters.  One doesn't have to look long or far around here to see that it doesn't happen otherwise.

JackieG

in males, muscle mass will be not as developed if neutered young.

 Although I understand why shelters spay/neuter very young, there was a retrospective study which came out last year that showed that there are health concerns for early spay/neuter, and spaying and neutering at all.

The link is here (sorry, I can not do a fancy link).

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

rwbeagles

I have seen studies that claim incontinence, taller leaner dogs, etc from early spay neuter. But you have to balance that, against the near zero risk of things like testicular cancer, mammary tumors, pyometra, perenial tumors etc...and since this is relating to SHELTER pets...against a system limited in their ability to FOLLOW UP and ensure spay's or neuters, are done AT ALL.

They have considerably less time, money, manpower to run around after the HUNDREDS of dogs and CATS a given shelter may place in a year, accounting for testicles and ovaries, than your average breeder who may have what 10 pups total in a year, as well as registration paperwork they can withhold.

the most important thing is that the animals in a shelter NOT add back more....period. If adopters are concerned about possible...and it's ONLY possible...incontinence in their bitch or "lankiness" in their dog....and that concern outweighs the importance of saving a LIFE...a shelter animal is likely not for them, anyway. Then they should find a reputable breeder or purebred or private general rescue that shares their views.

Anecdotally...I have in my extended family a near ELEVEN year old bitch who was adopted from a rescue...spayed at 8 weeks of age. She has no health issues and is not incontinent.

The alternative is to NOT adopt out animals "too young" to fix...meaning...no adoptions pre 6 months. Yeah...how's that going to affect their adoption numbers, and the numbers of Wal Mart puppy sales, and Pet Store sales? No win there, is what I say. Shelter animals already have persistant "preconceptions" about them being an iffy bet for a "good dog"....wrongly in many cases...but why add another "check against" shelter pets by never ever having young puppies available for adoption. Can you imagine the numbers of dogs they'd need to put down for space at that point simply because they cannot wait for them to BE old enough to neuter or spay? Sad.

I agree Gina.

We believe our Coke was neutered very young, since his mother was taken in by the rescue and Coke was born there.  My assumption, based on the ages of other adoptable puppies from this rescue, is that he was neutered before 14 weeks.  I do not know if this is a direct result or not, but he is a very tall, leggy dog, very bitchy looking dog (ALWAYS mistaken for a female).  Coke's loin and hips are actually taller than his withers.  At the withers he's about 25" tall, but he only weighs 60lbs.  He is just all leg, like his legs never got the message to stop growing.  He has a very pretty gait, but when he's walking it looks almost like his knees are stiff and locked.

Still, I am SO glad he was neutered young.  His first home did not turn out.  He was outside.  Imagine if he hadn't been neutered, knowing the escape artist he can be he could have ran off and made a million Coke babies!

Nikon will not be neutered at all, unless there are problems then he will be fixed at age two.  His breeder prefers that males are left intact, but she is a small hobby breeder so it's possible for her to control who gets male dogs based on whether they are prepared for an intact male.  If the owners want to neuter, they are asked to wait until 18 months.

yep but with his lack of documented history...one can never be sure if he looks just like his littermates, mother, sire, grandsire or would have ended up looking that way no matter what.

eta: btw re the study. From what I read this was not a study done on a control group of dogs with known pedigrees and historys...the same age, and raised, fed, and trained in an exact same manner. To me...the findings are coincidental at best and should be held against just as valid anecodotal to the contrary since it's just as legit IMO.

You would have an Incredible Hulk on your hands...LOL

Instead of the Terminator (or the Govenator), you would have the Bugsinator. 

So sorry, couldn't resist! 

rwbeagles

eta: btw re the study. From what I read this was not a study done on a control group of dogs with known pedigrees and historys...the same age, and raised, fed, and trained in an exact same manner. To me...the findings are coincidental at best and should be held against just as valid anecodotal to the contrary since it's just as legit IMO.

It was a retrospective study, that is, the researcher went through over 50 studies published in peer-reviewed studies and found this information.  Does it answer all the questions? No, but the findings do raise concerns.  I have a female Golden, and in Goldens, Hemangiosarcoma is the biggest killer.  It takes at least 1/4 of all Goldens.  The author found that cardiac hemangio is 5 times more prevelant in spayed females than in intact Goldens and spleenic hemangio is more than 2 times more prevelant in spayed females than in intact females.  My heart-dog Dexy died of hemangio, and I am doing everything I can to prevent hemangio in Selli, including keeping her intact unless she contracts pyometra.  

rwbeagles

yep but with his lack of documented history...one can never be sure if he looks just like his littermates, mother, sire, grandsire or would have ended up looking that way no matter what.

True, which is why I would still fully support the shelters and rescues neutering at 8 weeks.  Acutally ALL of my animals besides Kenya and Nikon were done at that age and no problems besides Coke looking funny (if that's even related).

I do know Coke looks exactly like his brother Manitou!