AgileGSD
Posted : 5/5/2011 8:03:13 AM
georgie4682
Isn't this typical of most, if not all, shelters though? The one I work at spays and neuters all pups at two months of age. No dog leaves our facility without being fixed, unless it is too young/unhealthy and is in foster.
It is very typical (not all shelters do though) but that doesn't mean it is in the dog's best interest. A rescue here took in a male Dal puppy. They did research and found that male Dals absolutely should not be neutered prior to a year old, due to the breed's stone forming issues. This was one single puppy, who could could have easily been placed with an agreement to neuter after a year old. Instead he was neutered at 4 months and was having issues with stone forming shortly after he turned a year old. Early altering was certainly not done for his best interest.
kpwlee
He's had one and yes it could be related but it could also be flat out
genetics. Having hung out on boards focused on orthopedic issues and
CCL issues the vast majority of afflicted dogs are intact, pure bred and
of certain breeds. Interestingly none of the breeds that appear over
represented are ones that we 'think' are contributors (or significant
ones) in his genetics. Not wanting to thread jack but there are much
more significant contributors to CCL injuries than early S/N and yes i
have seen research that says it is a possible factor
That's interesting. I don't think I have never known an intact dog who
had a CCL rupture (and I know LOTS of dogs who have). The majority of
the dogs I have personally know are early alters.
Liesje
There are so many that have it done, I
really believe that with a healthy dog, the risks are marginal (and I
say that as someone with two intact males, I'm not a
you-must-neuter-or-puppies-die person).
Or
it could be that because the issues that are associated with altering tend to happen
years later, it doesn't occur to most people that the health
issue and altering are related. Hypothyroidism is a widespread problem
in dogs and altering increases the risk of it. Hemangiosarcoma is a
major concern in some breeds and the risk of it is increased with
altering. A lot of Rottweilers die from osteasarcoma and early altering increases the risk of it.
"This risk was further studied in Rottweilers, a breed with a relatively high risk of osteosarcoma. This
retrospective cohort study broke the risk down by age at spay/neuter, and found that the elevated risk of
osteosarcoma is associated with spay/neuter of young dogs14. Rottweilers spayed/neutered before one
year of age were 3.8 (males) or 3.1 (females) times more likely to develop osteosarcoma than intact dogs.
Indeed, the combination of breed risk and early spay/neuter meant that Rottweilers spayed/neutered before
one year of age had a 28.4% (males) and 25.1% (females) risk of developing osteosarcoma. These results
are consistent with the earlier multi-breed study13 but have an advantage of assessing risk as a function of
age at neuter. A logical conclusion derived from combining the findings of these two studies is that
spay/neuter of dogs before 1 year of age is associated with a significantly increased risk of osteosarcoma."
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longtermhealtheffectsofspayneuterindogs.pdf
"Hemangiosarcoma is a common cancer in dogs. It is a major cause of death in some breeds, such as
Salukis, French Bulldogs, Irish Water Spaniels, Flat Coated Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Afghan
Hounds, English Setters, Scottish Terriesr, Boston Terriers, Bulldogs, and German Shepherd Dogs24.
In an aged-matched case controlled study, spayed females were found to have a 2.2 times higher risk of
splenic hemangiosarcoma compared to intact females24.
A retrospective study of cardiac hemangiosarcoma risk factors found a >5 times greater risk in spayed
female dogs compared to intact female dogs and a 1.6 times higher risk in neutered male dogs compared to
intact male dogs.25 The authors suggest a protective effect of sex hormones against hemangiosarcoma,
especially in females.
In breeds where hermangiosarcoma is an important cause of death, the increased risk associated with
spay/neuter is likely one that should factor into decisions on whether or when to sterilize a dog."
"Spay/neuter in dogs was found to be correlated with a three fold increased risk of hypothyroidism compared
to intact dogs."
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longtermhealtheffectsofspayneuterindogs.pdf