To Spay/Neuter or Not

[NicoleLJ]

With Sheena getting spay incontience earlier this year I have been doing some research into it. Sheena was 3yrs old, closer to 4, when she got spayed. She did have one litter. She developed SI after she turned 7. She is not over weight, still very active and is on a very good diet. My vet told me after doing the tests to determine that was the cause, that SI happens in 20% of spayed dogs. WOW. I had never owned a dog that got it but in my many years in rescue and fostering on saw some puppies and adult dogs that developed it. In the course of learning more about it I cam across this link.

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

It is a very indepth pros and cons list to spay/ neutering based on studies of all sorts. I suggest anyone considering spay/neuter read it. This is not to tell you to not do it for you pet. This is just to help you make the most informed decision you can in this area with all the facts.

We are not yet sure if we will spay Luna.

 

[NicoleLJ]

Here are the benifits and risks to the female dog.

4 benifits are:
a. If done before the age of 2.5 it greatly reduces the risk of mammory cancer
b. nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra which effects 23% of intact dogs and kills 1% of intacted dogs
c. reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
d. removes the very small risk (.5%) of uterine, cervical & ovarian tumors

the negative side to spaying a female dog is:
1. If done before a year of age signifcantly increases the risk of bone cancer
2. Increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma and cardiac hemangiosarcoma (this is a comman cancer and a major cause of death in some breeds)
3. triples the risk of hypothyriodism
4. Increases the risk of Obesity
5. Causes urinary spay incontience in 4-20% of dogs
6. increases the risk of persistant or recurring UTI
7. increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis & vaginitis essecially if spayed before puberty
8. increase the small risk of urinary track tumors
9. increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
10. increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccines

They have a seperate list of pros and cons for the males. along with the studies and where they got the info and so on. It is all in the link I provided.

 

[Dekka]

This is posted on EVERY thread where s/n comes up. I have been posting this article for over a year now if someone else doesn't.

I am thrilled you want to help those who might not know. But if you read any thread on s/n you would know this gets posted.all.the.time.

 

[NicoleLJ]

Really? This is the first time I have ever seen it was when I found it on a google search. I had no idea it had been posted so much. Sorry.

 

[Dekka]

Oh its ok... just letting you know its been discussed lots, so if people aren't replying its cause its been done many times.

 

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Barb04]

Nicole, I've actually never read this before. Thanks for posting.

 

[Dekka]

LOL then you too need to read at least one of the discussions on S/N

 

[NicoleLJ]

The reason why I never read any of those threads is because on every other forum I have ever been on they promote spay/neuter all the way. I thought I knew the risks with all my years in fostering and rescue. Every dog I have ever owned was either already s/n from the rescue or I had it done. Same with all the cats. Only one slipped through that the rescue thought was already done.

This kind of decision is huge since there are risks and positive for both sides. I people should know all the facts before making a huge decision like this.

 

[Danefied]

All of our guys are speutered. I'm perfectly capable of keeping intact dogs (and did when we lived overseas), its just our personal preference to sterilize our dogs.

I think personal experience is going to drive your decision as much as anything. I have seen enough really bad cases of pyo that I personally would never keep a pet female intact. And I'm not talking strays coming in with pyo, I'm talking well-cared for dogs with knowledgeable owners who brought them in the second they sensed something was amiss.
Basically - pyometra scares me way more than spay incontinence. Many old dogs develop some degree of incontinence anyway.
20% seems high, but I'd also be interested in any stats on the percentage of intact females who develop pyometra...

I'm also biased because of my background in rescue.

 

[UniquityBelgians]

One way to spay but eliminate chances of incontinence is to remove the ovaries but keep the uterus. The uterus supports the bladder. This is what my vet typically does. She says she never hears of SI issues since doing this. The chances of pyo are slim to none because pyo is generally hormonally based. If you remove the ovaries which produce the hormones, you eliminate the chances of pyo (other than that slim percentage that gets through, which can also happen with a full spay).

 

[corgipower]

Oh its ok... just letting you know its been discussed lots, so if people aren't replying its cause its been done many times.

A few of those discussions have been quite recent even.

The reason why I never read any of those threads is because on every other forum I have ever been on they promote spay/neuter all the way.

And what makes you think we're going to be the same as every other forum? In any sense...speutering, ignoring trolls, banning spammers, staying on topic...we pretty much have our own way here on Chaz...

Many old dogs develop some degree of incontinence anyway.

Yes, but many dogs with spay incontinence aren't old. When incontinence develops at 6 months or a year it can be a bit overwhelming. And many times it does become a serious problem. It impacts the quality of life, it can cause urine burns and secondary infections from those burns, if the dog has accidents when no one is home to clean it up, the dog is now stuck in a mess for however many hours...

20% seems high, but I'd also be interested in any stats on the percentage of intact females who develop pyometra...

I'd like to see those stats as well.