Comments from respected Ridgeback breeders and dog experts . . .

Pros and Cons of Early Spay and Neuter

by Doreen Kent

Spaying and neutering is an unnatural act - especially when done prior to physical maturity. It is a com-promise of the endocrine system.  Once changed, there are reactions.  The procedure of spay/neuter prior to puberty came about as a result of over-population of dogs and cats.  Humane organizations became overwhelmed with an abundance of unwanted animals.  To lessen the heartbreak and expense of euthanization and to help reduce crowding in already overcrowded shelters, early spaying and neutering was recommended PRIOR to first season in a female and interest/ability to copulate in a male.

The root cause of early spay/neuter was solely attributed to overpopulation.  It had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with health reasons - whether it was good/bad for the animal to have this procedure done at an early age.  Early spay/neuter procedures are a snap for veterinarians.  Snip/stitch - over and done with.   Short-term benefits are evident, but not so long-term.

I AM a supporter of spay/neuter - but not before a dog/bitch has reached physical maturity. Personally?  I will not spay a bitch prior to three months AFTER completion the first heat; OR a male prior to 12 months of age - preferably 18 months of age if the male is not exhibiting any signs of sexual aggression or combativeness with other males.

In large breed dogs, it is not unusual for a female to have what is referred to as a “juvenile vulva”.  The anatomy of many large breed puppies is that the vulva is covered with a flap of skin or the vulva is recessed.  Most often, these puppies and young bitches suffer from recurring rounds of vaginitis and urinary tract infections due to droplets of urine remaining in the flap/fold of skin which produces bacteria which backs up into the vaginal/urinary tract causing infection.  This fold/recession usually goes away after the first heat cycle.  The vulva matures and drops, and the problem of the flap/recession is resolved.  Spaying prior to the maturation of the vulva freezes the bitch’s anatomy in time, and you could be dealing with vaginal/urinary tract infections for the rest of the bitch’s life.

Early neutering of males?  Let me quote just one case study:

G. Ru, B. Terracini, LT. Glickman

Vet J 1998 Jul; 156 (1) : 31-0

Host related risk factors for canine osteosarcoma

ABSTRACT:  A case controlled study using the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB) was conducted to test the hypothesis that increasing height and weight are important risk factors for osteosarcoma in dogs.  The role of other host factors was also explored.  The cases comprised 3062 purebred dogs with histologically or radiographically confirmed osteosarcoma Admitted to 24 veterinary teaching hospitals in the United States and Canada Between 1980 and 1994.  The controls were 3959 purebred dogs with other diagnoses obtained randomly by frequency matching to case for institution and year of diagnosis.  The risk of osteosarcoma rose with increasing age, increasing body weight, increasing standard weight and increasing standard height.

Compared with the GSD breed, the highest risk of osteosarcoma was found for large and giant breeds, while small breeds had reduced risks.  A stronger and more consistent association of osteosarcoma was seen with increasing height rather than increasing weight.

Further case studies showing the down side of neutering males when they are too young:

• Growth plate closure delayed when neutered prior to 7 weeks of age; lesser effect when neutered prior to 7 months of age; no effect when neutered after achieving full height.
• More likely to develop lower urinary tract neoplasm.
• Increases risk of developing cardiac hemangiosarcoma by factor of 1.6; this is a common cancer in medium to large breeds and has a poor prognosis.
• Significantly elevated risk of diabetes.
• Three times greater risk of hypothyroidism (low FT3 which responds to TSH).
• Increases the risk of geriatric cognitive impairment.
• Triples the risk of obesity and the many health issues associated with overweight dogs.
• 3.8 times greater risk of osteosarcomas when neutered prior to maturity.
• Increased risk of orthopedic disorders.
• Increased risk of adverse reactions to vaccines.

Further case studies show the following adverse effects of early spaying of females (prior to 7 mos. of age):

• Growth plate closure delayed when bitch is spayed less than 7 week; lesser effect when neutered less than 7 months; no effect when spayed after achieving full height.
• Vulvar development less mature when neutered prior to 7 months.
• Increases risk of chronic or recurring vaginal and urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4.
• Causes urinary incontinence in 4-20% of bitches.
• 2 times more likely to be obese.
• Triples risk of developing hypothyroidism.
• Significantly shorter vagina.
• Distance from cranial pubic bone and internal urethral orifice is shorter.
• More likely to develop lower urinary tract neoplasm.
• Increased risk of cranial cruciate ligament injury.
• High risk of hypothyroid (low FT3 which responds to TSH).
• Increased risk of cardiac tumors, hemangiosarcomas, thyroid carcinoma.
• Decreased smooth muscle mass and connective tissue.
• Increased risk of acute fatal pancreatitis.
• Increased osteoblasts in bone.
• Increases the risk of orthopedic disorders.
• Increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccines.

There are some positive sides of spay/neuter:

• Decreased risk of mammary tumors if bitch was thin, and 9-12 months of age prior to spaying.
• No risk of pyometra infection in spayed bitches.
• No risk of false pregnancy syndrome in spayed bitches
• Less likely to develop perianal fistula in spayed bitches.
• Lowest risk of leukemia in neutered males
• Reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders in males.
• No risk of testicular cancer.  No change in risk to prostatic carcinoma (nontesticular androgen implicated)

Any physically mature Ridgeback dog/bitch that will not be used for breeding will benefit from neutering/spaying.  Any dog/bitch that has been used for breeding should be neutered/spayed by the age of 7 years as it will greatly reduce the risk of cancers that result after this age.  Sperm can be collected from males for future breedings.  To breed a bitch past 7 years of age compromises her health and longevity.  Breeding these older bitches should not be done without a thorough health work-up and advice from your veterinarian.

Before making a decision to spay/neuter your Ridgeback puppy at an age prior to one year, please investigate all sides of the debate; discuss the pros and cons thoroughly - first with your breeder and then with your veterinarian.  A great resource for researching this subject is VETMED.  You can subscribe to their archival information by going to:  http://www.listserv.iupui/edu/archives/vetmed.html

Doreen Kent – Relion Ridgebacks - http://home.earthlink.net/~relionkent/

(used with permission)

Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete

by Chris Zink

There are a number of studies that suggest that those of us with canine athletes should be carefully considering our current recommendations to spay or neuter all dogs at 6 months of age or earlier.  A study by Salmeri et al in 1991 (Salmeri et al JAVMA 1991;198:1193-1203) found that bitches spayed at 7 weeks were significantly taller than those spayed at 7 months, who were significantly taller than those not spayed (or presumably spayed after the growth plates had closed).  The sex hormones close the growth plates, so the bones of dogs or bitches neutered or spayed before puberty continue to grow.

This growth frequently results in a dog that does not have the same body proportions as he/she was genetically meant to.   For example, if the femur is normal length at 8 months when a dog gets spayed or neutered, but the tibia, which normally stops growing at 12 to 14 months of age continues to grow, then an abnormal angle may develop at the stifle. In addition, with the extra growth, the lower leg below the stifle becomes heavier (because it is longer), causing increased stresses on the cranial cruciate ligament.  This is confirmed by a recent study showing that spayed and neutered dogs have a higher incidence of CCL rupture (Slauterbeck JR, Pankratz K, Xu KT, Bozeman SC, Hardy DM.  Canine ovariohysterectomy and orchiectomy increases the prevalence of ACL injury.  Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2004 Dec;(429):301-5).

In addition, a study in 2004 in JAVMA (Spain et al. JAVMA 2004;224:380-387) showed that dogs spayed or neutered before 5 1/2 months had a significantly higher incidence of hip dysplasia than dogs spayed or neutered after 5 1/2 months of age.  If I were a breeder, I would be very concerned about this, because it would mean that I might be making incorrect breeding decisions if I were considering the hip status of pups I sold that were spayed or neutered early.  Interestingly, this same author also identified an increased incidence of sexual behaviors in males and females that were neutered early.

A number of studies have shown that there is an increase in the incidence of female urinary incontinence in dogs spayed early. This problem is an inconvenience, and not usually life-threatening, but nonetheless one that requires the dog to be medicated for life.

There is the concern that there is an increased risk of mammary cancer if a dog has a heat cycle.  But it is my observation that fewer canine athletes develop mammary cancer as compared to the number that damage their cranial cruciate ligaments.  In addition, only about 50% of mammary cancers are malignant, and those that are malignant don't metastasize very often, particularly in these days when there is early identification and removal of lumps found on our dogs.

In addition, when considering cancer, there is another study of 3218 dogs that showed that dogs that were neutered before a year of age had a significantly increased chance of developing bone cancer (Cooley DM, Beranek BC, Schlittler DL, Glickman NW, Glickman LT, Waters D, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2002 Nov; 11(11):1434-40), a cancer that is much more life-threatening than mammary cancer, and which affects both genders.

Finally, in another study, unneutered males were significantly less likely than neutered males to suffer cognitive impairment when they were older (Hart BL. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2001 Jul 1;219(1):51-6).  Females were not evaluated in that study.

For these reasons, I have significant concerns with spaying or neutering dogs before puberty, particularly for the canine athlete.  And frankly, if something is more healthy for the canine athlete, would we not also want that for pet dogs as well?  I think it is important, therefore, that we assess each situation individually.  If a pet dog is going to live with an intelligent, well-informed family that understands the problem of pet overpopulation and can be trusted to keep their dogs under their control at all times and to not breed them, I do not recommend spaying or neutering before 14 months of age.

Chris Zink - http://www.caninesports.com

(used with permission)