early sterilization program (ESP) - Page 1

Dear all, I would be grateful for your inital impressions of this article as something provided at a obedience training class to advocate the neutering of dogs from as early as 6 months. I do not wish to open up the whole debate bigtime - just opinions on this article. I have my own opinions but don't wish to bias responses initally. Thanks. PS Sorry, don't see how the hyperlink works on this board anymore. http://www.danesonline.com/earlyspayneuter.htm

The articles seem thoughtful, & provides what appears to be an educated & well studied opinion. For people seeking pets, & for those supplying pets to the general populace, it seems an intelligent argument for the procedure. I, personally, prefer animals responsibly owned left intact unless their health needs point to neutering. But I do not like stray or abandoned animals either, & I witnessed the feral cat population in Hawai'i just explode while I was living there in the late eighties.....incredibly sad. Neutering kittens & pups in infancy might help.
jackie harris

I've heard storie and claims that some puppies are sterilized just after or few weeks after birth against reproduction bcos of their poor quality. I don't believe this could work, given that sexual maturity starts from 6 months, but if this and the earlier suggestion or opinion is held, then there would be no pet quality dogs. However, given that some societies suffer stray or abandoned dogs, it should be done in such societies, especially since legislation has failed to address this problem.

Spying and neutering is generally detrimental to the wellfare of the dog.
This is from my "AlpineK9 Manual".
15.NEUTERING
Monorchid
Monorchid is a dog with one undescended testicle. I would not neuter such dog. Why would you? I would instruct the vet in no uncertain terms just to remove the undescended testicle in order to prevent cancer in the area of undescended testicle. If he refuses to do that then I would go to different vet.
Neutering (especially in young age) will most likely disable the dog from to develop his temperament and a bone structure as a "male". Dog in most cases develops weight problem which is hormonal and will not get better even if you starve him and run him 10 mils a day. Dog looses some or all drive to work and to protect. Thus if you are buying such dog for protection I'd say spaying an neutering is counterproductive. Such dog may die prematurely of heart attack or stroke. Neutered dog may also develop aggression to females and females may be aggressive to such male since sexual dimorphism is not present.
Spaying females leads in 80%+- females to estrogen deficiency and subsequently a thyroid problem. Dog feels miserable as you can imagine, loses drive to do anything, gains water , gets fat and may die prematurely of heart attack. Such dog may also develop an aggression towards males due to loss of sexual dimorphism.

I am offering to say that neutering (or spaying) a healthy dog has no virtue what so ever if you are responsible dog owner. Except that it pays for vets mortgage ....that is.
Here are medical facts from this article but below the link is the skinny.
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
On balance, it appears that no compelling case can be made for neutering most male dogs, especially
immature male dogs, in order to prevent future health problems. The number of health problems associated
with neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases.

On the positive side, neutering male dogs
• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer
• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)

On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a
common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may
exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the
odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the female dog and the
relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds.

On the positive side, spaying female dogs

• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common
malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female
dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk (0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

On the negative side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a
common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by
a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many
associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs

spayed before puberty

• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

One thing is clear – much of the spay/neuter information that is available to the public is unbalanced and
contains claims that are exaggerated or unsupported by evidence. Rather than helping to educate pet owners, much of it has contributed to common misunderstandings about the health risks and benefits
associated of spay/neuter in dogs.
The traditional spay/neuter age of six months as well as the modern practice of pediatric spay/neuter appear
to predispose dogs to health risks that could otherwise be avoided by waiting until the dog is physically
mature, or perhaps in the case of many male dogs, foregoing it altogether unless medically necessary.

The balance of long-term health risks and benefits of spay/neuter will vary from one dog to the next. Breed,
age, and gender are variables that must be taken into consideration in conjunction with non-medical factors
for each individual dog. Across-the-board recommendations for all pet dogs do not appear to be
supportable from findings in the veterinary medical literature.

Prager Hans
http://www.alpinek9.com

Thank you all for your replies, they concur with my views. I feel the article is written from a population control and animal welfare point of view, and makes sense in this regard. However I do believe that reponsible petowners should not be misled into thinking it is necessary without being in possession of a lot more information than is presented here. Prager, you cited exactly the article I had thought of as a more balanced argument and which highlights the health issues associated with neutering/spaying for dogs and bitches. Personally I just don't see why I should neuter my GSD. From what I know, even if he had great aggression/behaviour problems, the effects of neutering would be negligible. I would rather work with any dog I have and focus on training, than alter him/her. Again, thanks for your thoughtful replies.

First I wish to express thanks for all the good information to be found here. I enjoy coming here. I practically never post, but I think I have just a bit to add to this.

The article posted by Prager is absolutely valid. The ETS article is also. There is another facet to the picture however. I am a vet tech, my husband is the vet, we own our own hospital in the US. We see many different breeds and mixes and rescues come in, and they all have an owner attached. Most of the owners are not educated or informed about dogs in genera or on their breed of dog and most have little clue as to how to train or handle thier dog. Often they have no way to contain this dog at home.  Intact males in the hands of this type of owner is a problem waiting to happen. Intact females in the hands of this type owner is a litter of puppies waiting to happen. For this reason we support and recommend spay and neuter of pet dogs at around 5-6 months of age.

And that's exactly how and why this early spay/neuter campaign got started!

Totally clueless owners! 

And that's exactly why I get tired of being told in the trainig classes I join for obedience that I should neuter. Don't assume all owners are clueless, however admirable the principle, and don't try to sway people towards this as some sort of universal panacea without gauging the owner's level of experience, dedication to training, and ability to act responsibly with a dog.