thefollowingarearticlesonthesubject.

YourDogNeedsToBeSpayedOrNeutered Right?
Sharingiscool...

40

1919

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Youneedtoneuteryouranimal,right?Imean,thatsjustbasic:therearetoomanyunplanned pregnancies,toomanyeuthanasiasbecauseofthat,andyouneedtoberesponsibleandjustdo this.Right?

NotBlackandWhite
Whatwasonceaverystockrecommendationtoallmypuppyandkittyownershasevolvedas newresearchfindingshaveemergedoflate.And,infairness,asIvedugmoreintothe

seriousnessoftheoutcomeofneutering,Ihadtoleavethecomfortofonesizefitsall. Damninconvenient,grumblemumblewhycantbiologybemorelikeautomechanics? Mynewerrecommendationgoessomethinglikethisnow: Ifyoucanpreventunplannedpregnancies,(andifyouhaveafemaleanddontmind livingthroughheatcycles)youmaywanttokeepyouranimalintactandnotneuter. EmphasisonifonthepregnancyquestionImnotwantingunplannedpupsorkittiesany morethanthoseonthefrontlinesinsheltersandrescuegroupswhoseewaytoomanyofthem. Oopsisnotanoption. Itsinterestingtonote,however,EverybodyMustGetNeutered!isauniquelyAmericannotion. Probablyborninthelast20years,wouldbemyguess. Europeansdontbuythisidea.ASwedishstudyof461dogsrevealed99%wereintact,not neutered.AHungarianstudyshowed57%intactdogs,andaBritishsurveyfound46%intact dogs.Hmmm.Dotheyknowsomethingwedont?

WhatHappensWhenWeNeuter?
Iliketocallitinstantmenopause.Youknowhowroughlifecanbeinperimenopausalor menopausaltimes,eitherfromyourownexperienceorfromyourmomsorwifes?Imaginethat allbeingcondensedintotheflipofaswitch.Iknowinmymomslife,ahysterectomywasthe beginningofaverysignificantdownwardspiralinherhealthwhenshewasinher50s. Sexhormoneproductionismostlyinthetestesorovaries,thoughasmalleramountisproduced elsewhere,forexampleintheadrenalglands. Whenspayingorcastration(collectivelycalledneutering)takesplace,weshutoffthemajor sourceofthesexhormonestestosterone,estrogen,andprogesterone.Whileneuteringprevents pregnancy,youhavetoevaluatetherisksagainstthebenefitstodecidewherethebalancepoint isforyouandyouranimals.

ClearBenefits

Thegoodthatcomesfromneuteringis: Birthcontrol Cessationofheatorestruscycles Absenceofbehaviorthatgoeswiththesexuallyintactanimal

Birthcontrolisthemainreasonneuteringispushed.Oncethemaleloseshistesticlestothe surgeonsknifeorthefemaleherovariesanduterus,neithercancreateoffspringfromthatpoint forward. Estruscyclesarethoseperiodsoftimewhenthefemaleisinheat,surgingwithsexhormones, andbothattractivetoandreceptivetothemale.Heatscometypicallyeverysixmonthsindogs, seasonallyincats(usuallyspringandfall),throughouttheyearincattle,andseasonallyinearly springinthehorse.Thisallgoesawaywhenafemaleisspayed. Behavioraccompanyingheatcyclescanbebothannoyinganddownrightdangerous.Annoying isthefemalecatwhocomesmmrOOWWWwwwingatallhours,keepingyouupatnightwith herchorusoflust.Worseyetisthetomcatsconstanturgetoleavehisscenteverywherewitha spritzofurineondoorways,furniture,oryourshoes!Intactfemalecatswillalsosoilyourhouse withurinewhilegoingthroughtheirheats. IwasrecentlyvisitingmynetworkchiropractorsfarmwhileherintactDachsundwasjustgoing outofheatandherintactmaleAiredalewasbesidehimselfwithdesire,butlockedupbehind impenetrablefencing.PoorLionheart!HedidntevenrecognizemewhenIcameuptorubhim andsayhello.ItwaslikeIwasntthere,andIwastoldhedmissedeatingforseveraldays,he wassotakenwiththelustyhormoneshewassmellingfromFrieda! Thedangeroussideofbehaviorinthisinstancecomesfromrunningoutintotrafficinhot pursuitofafemaleor,likeLionheart,runningthroughabarbedwirefence,laceratinghispenis, andbleedingfordays!Ouch.Theresdataoutthereonanimalshitbycars:farmoreareintact thanneutered.Andyep,itsusuallytheguys. Anotherdangerismaleaggression,thoughthisislargelyacatissue,andinmyexperience

muchlesslikelyinintactmaledogs.Tomcatsarepronetogettingintoseriousfightswhenthey areintact,andthiscanmakeforwounds,abscesses,anddiseasetransmission,iftheyare woundedbyacatcarryingFeLV,forexample. Allofthisbehavior,theheatcycles,andthepossibilityofpregnancyaregoneonceyouneuter.(I cannotpersonallyimaginelivingwithunneuteredcats,unlessyourelishthescentofcaturine!)

DownsidesandRisks
Whatsbecomeofgreaterinteresttomeoflateareseveralstudiesshowingtheilleffectsof surgicalgonadectomy,orinstanthormonepause. AstudydoneinUCDavisandpublishedinFebruary2013revealedsomestartlinghealth consequencesofneuteredanimals,bothmaleandfemale.Theresearchtracked759Golden Retrievers,andlookedatearlyneuter(lessthanoneyearofage)vslaterneuter(12monthsor older)vsintactdogsandfivecommondiseases: 1. Hipdysplasia(HD),thearthritisofthehipjointcommontodogs 2. Cranialcruciateligament(CCL)damage,thefootballinjuryofdogsknees 3. Hemangiosarcoma(HSA),atypeofcancerthatcanbefatal 4. Lymphosarcoma(LSA),immunesystemcancer,usuallyfatal 5. Mastcelltumors(MCT),yetanothercancerthatcankilldogs Tosummarizetheresearchersfindings: Neuteredanimalsfaredsignificantlyworseinallfivediseases. Earlyneuterofmalesdoubledtherateofhipdysplasiacomparedtointactmales. Noneoftheintactanimalshadcruciateligamentdisease.Zero.Itonlyappearedin theneuteredanimals. EarlyneuteredmaleshadthreetimesmoreLSAthantheintactmales,whilelate neuteredmaleshadnoLSA. ThepercentageofHSAwasfourtimeshigherinlateneuteredfemalesthanin eitherintactorearlyneuteredfemales.

MCTwasabsentinintactfemalesbutpresentinneuteredfemales.Inmales, neuteringstatusmadenodifference.

So,indogsofbothsexes,neuteringhadsignificantilleffectsinthislargestudy,thoughitwasnt uniformacrosstheboard. Theclearestloser:earlyneutering,whichhasalwaysmadeholisticveterinarianscringe.(But, infairnesstohowfactsarentalwaysclearcut[damnthem!],younoticedhowearlyneutered femaleGoldenshadlessHSA?Stillnotagoodreasonforearlyneutering,asyoullseebelow). Heresanearlierstudy(2004)oncranialcruciateligamentinjurythatalsoshowedanincreased prevalenceintheneutereddogs,maleorfemale.1

EarlySpay:NoWay!
Weveknownformanyyearsthatittakesintactsexhormonestogrownaturally,withskeleton andligamentsandtendonsallinharmony.Theproponentsofspayingorcastrationatavery youngage,longbeforematurity,haveignoredthatinfavorofsomedesperategetemwhile wevegotemmentality.

ThisissomewhatakintowhatI callsteerinthechutemedicine. Ohoh.Youregonnadohowmanythingstomeatonce?

Ifyourearancherandyouonlyworkyourcattleinfrequently,duetohandlingstress,manpower, weather,etc.,youtendtodoasmanythingstothatcapturedanimalatthemomenthescaught inyourchuteaspossible.So,steersarecommonlycastrated,branded,vaccinatedformultiple things,eartagged,andflytreatedbeforetheyarereleased.Itsconveniencemedicine,inother words.Wemightnotseehimagainformonths,letsgeterdonenow! So,sheltersandhumanesocietiesgotthebrightideasome20yearsagotostartneuteringdogs andcatswhentheywere8weeksold.Imaginegivingyour9montholddaughterahysterectomy, andyoullcringeappropriately. Andyes,givingvaccinationswhileunderanesthesiaisacommonpractice.Nochanceof struggle.Nevermindthattheimmunesystemandallitsdefensesareasleepaswell.Shesin thechute,letsdothis! CROOKEDANDCRAZY Thisstudyshowedthedisastrouseffectsearlyneuterhadondevelopment,whenitoccurredin eitheroftheagesstudied:7weeksor7months,vsintact.Boneconformationwasdistorted (radiustoulnarlength),genitalsandurinarytractsfailedtodevelopproperly,andbothgroupsof neuteredanimalsweremoreactive,withthe7weekneutergroupjudgedmoreexcitablethan theintactgroup. Wait.What? EverseeanADDdog?Onewhocantstayontask,easilydistracted,overexcitedbymost anything?ThisisnttheonlystudythathintsatbehavioraleffectslikeADDinneuteredanimals. Heresanother,showingevenaggressionfarmoreinneuteredvsintactdogsinalarge populationstudy. Amongthefindings,neutereddogsweremoreaggressive,fearful,excitable,and lesstrainablethanintactdogs. Damn.Andclientsareaskingmeregularlyifkeepingtheirmaledogsintactrisksthembeing aggressive.Thesedatasuggestthecompleteopposite.

Theresearchersabovealsomeasuredbonelengthsandfoundabnormalitiesintheneutered. [Now,infairness,avariablewasnotfactoredinhere,oneIseeassignificantlyimportantin creatingtheexcitable,ADDlikedogswhoregularlygracemypractice:vaccination.Iaskedthe chiefauthorofthelastpaperifvaccinestatuswastakenintoaccount.Itwasnot.]

MoreFuelfortheRiskFire
Anearlierstudyonosteosarcomashowedtwicetheincidenceofthisdeadlybonecancerin neuteredvsintactdogs. Astudyofdogsspanningnearly40yearsandoveramilliondogs(!)confirmedthatfemale hormonesareprotectiveagainstlymphoma,acancerthattakesovertheimmunesystem.Their workinghypothesiscamefromtheobservationthatwomendontgetthisdiseaseuntilafter menopause.Andyes,thatsthestateweinduceimmediatelyafterspaying.Byebye,female hormones. HYPOTHYROIDISMINDOGSHIGHESTRISK:NEUTERING Heresastudyfrom1994of66dogsstudiedoverfiveyears,andtheresearchersfound neuteringwasthemostsignificantriskfactorinthedogsbecominghypothyroid.Vaccines areanother,perDr.JeanDodds. LEAKERS Weveknownformanyyearsthatspayedfemaledogsdevelopurinaryincontinencelaterinlife. Untilitwastakenoffthemarketforsafetyreasons,thestandardtreatmentwasgivingestrogen replacement.Remember,ovariesarethemainestrogenproducers. OBESITY Theneuteredanimalstendtogetobesemoreeasilythantheirintactcohorts.Thishasbeen studiedincatsaswellasdogs.Thishasalsobeencommonlyseeninpracticeovermany generationsofdogs.Istronglysuspectthatthisisduetocarbohydrateladenfoods(i.e.kibble) beingfedtocarnivores,especiallythecat.Youcanhaveabiginfluenceherebymakinggood feedingchoicesinbothspecies.

Beware:RedHerring
YoullhearthisargumentinfavorofspayingthatsbasedonreallifeobservationsbyDr. WhiteCoat: Unspayedfemales(dogs)aremorelikelytogetbreasttumorsthanspayedfemales. Butwait.Idaskyoutoputthisintheonlycontextthatwillshinealightonit:thewildmodel.Look totheclosestcousins,genetically,toverifythis. Areintactwolfbitchessuccumbingtobreastcancer?Coyotes?Dingos?Iseriouslydoubtit.This isadiseaseofmansinterventions,likeeveryotherchronicdiseaseyoucannameindomestic animals. Theseanimalswithbreastcancerwerelikelymultiplyvaccinated,foryearsifnotforlife.They werelikelyfedkibble,averyspeciesinappropriatediet,fulloftoxicbyproducts,preservatives, andstarches.Theymayalsohavebeentreatedwiththeeverpresentfleapesticides.Addinthe riskyheartwormdrugsgivenmonthly,andyoucanimaginespayingwasperhapsonesmall reasonfortheirdisease.Intactwildcanineswholivefreeoftheseinfluenceswouldnotbedying ofbreastcancer. PYOMETRA,REDHERRINGII Youlloftenhearthisargumentforspayingaswell:spayedfemalesdontdeveloppyometra,the infectionoftheuterusthatcanbelifethreatening. Well,thatstrue:onecantgetaninfectioninanabsentorgan.Duh. Butagain,lookatwhatshappeningintherealworld.Dolynxandwolvesdieofpyometraoris thisanothermanmadedisease?Illbetyoucananswerthisyourself.

WhatsaThinkingPetOwnertoDo?
LetsbreakitdowntofourgroupsandIlloffermytakeonthisneuterquestionasaguidelinefor you.Ultimatelyyouhavetoanswerthesequestionsforyourself,inyourlivingsituationtodecide whichwaytogofortheanimalsinyourlife.

1.MALEDOGS:

Thismaybetheeasiestforme,havinggrownupwithonemaledogatatimethroughoutmy youth,noneofwhomwerecastrated.Lookingback,Irealizenowthatwewerecarelesssomeof thetime,lettingourguyouttoeliminateonhisown.TherewereafewtimeswednotseeJake fortherestofthenight,onlytohavehimdraghimselfin,exhausted,thenextmorning.Mydad wouldmakeajokingremarkaboutvisitinggirlfriends,andwemovedonafteralaugh. Thatmeantunplannedforpuppiessomewhere.Notgood.Irresponsible. Noneofourintactmaledogswereaggressiveintheleast.Noneweregiventomountingor undesirablesexualbehavior.N=4(sciencetermforthenumberinthestudy). Q:Canyoupreventyourmaledogfromwanderingtheneighborhood? Goodfencingand/orleashingandsupervisionwhenhesouttoeliminatewouldanswerthat seasonalwanderlust.Wanderinguncontrollednotonlymakespuppies,itcanmakeforauto injuriesordeath. A:Ifyoureconfidentyoucanansweryes,Idrecommendnotcastratingyourmaledog.

2.MALECATS:

Thisonesalsoprettyeasy.Havingseenbeatupintactmalecatsinpractice,withathickneck andascarredface,andknowingthatthey,intheirterritorialimperativeasbreedingmales,were alsomarkingtheirterritory(toinclude,butnotlimitedto,theirownerspersonalthingsandliving

space),theseguysneedtobeneutered.Whenwillcomeinabit,readon. Theonlyexceptionwouldbesomeonewithacarefullyplannedbreedingprogramwhoissetup withacattery.

3.FEMALEDOGS

Thedatahereclearlyshowriskfromremovingtheovaries,whichispartofspaying.So,were backtoacoupleofQsandAs: Q:Areyouconfidentyoucanpreventpregnancyforafewweekstwiceayear? A:Ifyes,Iwouldkeepyourbitchintact,notneutered. Q:Areyoucomfortablewithdiaperingforacoupleweekseverysixmonthstoavoidblood spottingonyourbedorfloors? A:Ifyes,notspayingmaybeappropriateforyou.

TimeOutfortheBigPicture
AnimportantBUTcomesinhere,however.IfyouaimtoraiseyourdogthewayIadvocate,with novaccinationsaftertheinitialcoupleasayoungster,andfeedaspeciesappropriatediet,and avoidthepoisonsfoistedonyouinthenameoffleaandheartwormcontrol,yourelikelytoavoid pyometraandbreastcancer.IfyougofortheDr.WhiteCoatversionofpreventioninstead, yourelikelybetteroffspaying. Likesomuchofbiology,healthandillnessisusuallyacombinationofmanydecisionsyoumake foryouranimals,allrolledtogether.Hence,theneedtoapproachhealthholistically. Haveyoufoundyourholisticvetyet?Orbetteryet,yourhomeopathicvet?
4.FEMALECATS:

Again,withtheexceptionofthoseplannedforabreedingoperation,ifyoudontrelishamorous behaviorseveraltimesayearwithurinemarkingandtheneighborhoodtomshangingaround sprayingurineandfightingoutsideyourdwelling,Idrecommendspayingyouradultcats.

Thedataofilleffectsofneuteringarelargelyfromthedogworld.Catsmayfollowsuit,butwe donttypicallyseebonecancerincats,norHSA,orMCT. LSA,thecanceroftheimmunesystemisnotuncommon,butitsnotbeenstudiedinintactvs neuteredcats,tomyknowledge.Wecansaythereareprotectiveeffectsofhavingonesovaries intactinbothdogsandhumans.

WhentoDotheDeed?
Ifyouvedecidedtoneuter,afterweighingrisksandbenefits,timingiseverything.Growingto maturitywithoneshormonesfullyintactisbest.Imspeakingherenotofsexualmaturity,butthe cessationofgrowthandtheclosureofthebonegrowthplates. Maturitycomesatdifferenttimesindifferentbreeds.Ingeneral,thesmallertheadultweight,the soonermaturitywillsetin.Thatmightbe912monthsintheweebreeds,anduptotwoyears inthebiggerguys,likeDanesandMastiffs.Thisiseventrueincats,withMaineCoonsthought tonotreachfullmaturityuntiltheyaretwoyearsold. Heresthetrick:youwantthehormonesintactuntilgrowthtomaturesizeisfinished,butyou dontwantunplannedforpregnancies,either. Sexualmaturitywillverylikelycomebeforebonegrowthisfinished.Youveheardofteen brides,right?

YouretheChaperone!

Oncemore,wereleftwithmessyoldbiologyto dealwith.Neveronesizefitsall,norsimpleblackandwhitedecisionmaking,livingbeingsare complicated!Theyarewiredbiologicallytoreproduce,youmightsay.Whileitsidealtoletyour femalesfirstheat(ortwoorthree)gobybeforeyouneuter,youalsodontwantthesurpriseof pregnancy!Youhavetobepreparedforitandprotectherfromgettingbred. Doggydiaperscanhelp,butultimately,determinedmalescangetthroughaboutanybarrier exceptone:YOU. Ifyouhaveamale,itseasier:dontlethimwanderunattended.Ifheneedstogooutafteryour bedtime,thateitherneedstobeinawellfencedarea,oryouneedtobetherewithhim,leashing himsohesnotgettingawhiffofbiologyfromthefemaleamileawaythatsetshimonacourse tobreedher. Imseeingmoreunneuteredpetsinmypracticenow,severalofthemupinyears.Ivecureda pyometraortwoandamconfidentanypracticedhomeopathicvetcandothisaswell.IfIwereto shopforadogatthisstageofmylife,itdbeanaturallyraisedintactmale,andIdkeephimthat way.

Willyouchoosetoneuterornot?Andifso,when?Hopefullyyouvenowgotmoreinformationto helpyoumakethesedecisions. 1Slauterbeck,etalCanineOvariohysterectomyandOrchiectomyIncreasesthePrevalenceof ACLInjuryClinicalOrthopaedicsandRelatedResearch429(301):5

AVMACollections:Spay/Neuter

LisaM.Howe,MargaretR.Slater,HarryW.Boothe,H.PhilHobson,JenniferL.Holcom,Angela C.Spann JAmVetMedAssoc2001218:217221.January15,2001.

LongTermHealthRisksandBenefitsAssociatedwithSpay/NeuterinDogs LauraJ.Sanborn,M.S. May14,2007 Precis Atsomepoint,mostofuswithaninterestindogswillhavetoconsiderwhetherornottospay/ neuterour pet.Traditionholdsthatthebenefitsofdoingsoatanearlyageoutweightherisks.Often, traditionholds swayinthedecisionmakingprocessevenaftercountervailingevidencehasaccumulated. MsSanbornhasreviewedtheveterinarymedicalliteratureinanexhaustiveandscholarly treatise, attemptingtounravelthecomplexitiesofthesubject.Morethan50peerreviewedpaperswere examinedto assessthehealthimpactsofspay/neuterinfemaleandmaledogs,respectively.Onecannot

ignorethe findingsofincreasedriskfromosteosarcoma,hemangiosarcoma,hypothyroidism,andother lessfrequently occurringdiseasesassociatedwithneuteringmaledogs.Itwouldbeirresponsibleofthe veterinary professionandthepetowningcommunitytofailtoweightherelativecostsandbenefitsof neuteringonthe animalshealthandwellbeing.Thedecisionforfemalesmaybemorecomplex,further emphasizingthe needforindividualizedveterinarymedicaldecisions,notstandardoperatingproceduresforall patients. Nosweepinggeneralizationsareimpliedinthisreview.Rather,theauthorasksustoconsider allthehealth anddiseaseinformationavailableasindividualanimalsareevaluated.Then,thebest decisionsshouldbe madeaccountingforgender,age,breed,andeventhespecificconditionsunderwhichthe longtermcare, housingandtrainingoftheanimalwilloccur. Thisimportantreviewwillhelpveterinarymedicalcareprovidersaswellaspetownersmake informed decisions.Whocouldaskformore? LarryS.Katz,PhD AssociateProfessorandChair AnimalSciences RutgersUniversity NewBrunswick,NJ08901 INTRODUCTION DogownersinAmericaarefrequentlyadvisedtospay/neutertheirdogsforhealthreasons.A numberof healthbenefitsarecited,yetevidenceisusuallynotcitedtosupporttheallegedhealthbenefits. Whendiscussingthehealthimpactsofspay/neuter,healthrisksareoftennotmentioned.At times,some risksarementioned,butthemostsevererisksusuallyarenot. Thisarticleisanattempttosummarizethelongtermhealthrisksandbenefitsassociatedwith spay/neuter

indogsthatcanbefoundintheveterinarymedicalliterature.Thisarticlewillnotdiscussthe impactof spay/neuteronpopulationcontrol,ortheimpactofspay/neuteronbehavior. Nearlyallofthehealthrisksandbenefitssummarizedinthisarticlearefindingsfrom retrospective epidemiologicalresearchstudiesofdogs,whichexaminepotentialassociationsbylooking backwardsin time.Afewarefromprospectiveresearchstudies,whichexaminepotentialassociationsby lookingforward intime. SUMMARY Anobjectivereadingoftheveterinarymedicalliteraturerevealsacomplexsituationwithrespect tothelongtermhealthrisksandbenefitsassociatedwithspay/neuterindogs.Theevidence showsthatspay/neuter

MargaretheHoenig,DuncanC.Ferguson AmJVetRes200263:634639.May2002.

SpayingandNeutering
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digg SHAREBAR Weneedtobringtolightthetruthsbehindspayingandneuteringyourpets.Thebigpush tospayandneuterourpets,inparticularbeforepuberty,wasbroughtaboutasaresponse totheexplosionofstrayanimalswithouthomes.Thesestraysultimatelyhavetobe euthanizedatshelterssoitwasavaliantefforttoaddressarealproblem.

Thesuggestionthatdogsandcatsshouldbespayedandneuteredovertimehasevolved intothesuggestionthattheyshouldbespayedandneuteredbecauseitishealthier.We atAngryvetdisagree.Thereisalotofevidencetosupportthelogicalclaimthatyourpets mayactuallybehealthierifleftintact. Thinkrationally.Howwouldremovingachildsreproductiveorgansbeforepubertyaffect theirgrowth,maturation,anddevelopment?Pubertyandsexualmaturationisimperative forbone,brainandorgandevelopment.Thesameistrueforyourdogsandcats. Thegotoargumentthatveterinarianstelltheirclientsisthatneuteringeliminates testicularcancerandprostatitis.Spayingeliminatesbreast,ovariananduterinecancer. Whattheydonttellpeopleisthatatleastonestudyshowsthatintactanimalslive LONGER.Spayingandneuteringnotonlypotentiallyshortensthelifespanbutalsohas beencorrelatedwithvariousillnesses.Obesity(sometimesnotevenresponsiveto extremecalorierestriction),osteoarthritis,AnteriorCruciateRupture,diabetes, hypothyroidism,prostaticcancer,hemangiosarcoma,osteosarcoma,urinary incontinence,urinarytractinfection,juvenilevulvaarejustafewconditionsthatareoverly representedinspayedandneuteredpets.Wewilldiscusssomeofthesecorrelations andpublishedfindingsinourblogs. Inouropinionthehealthiestpetisonethatkeepsitsreproductivetract.Thisdoespose challenges.Malecatsmarkandspray.Itcanbeburdensometohaveanonspayed femaledogbleedinginthehouse.Femalecats,whentheyareinheat,willdriveyounuts! Maledogscanbecomedogaggressiveandmarktheirterritoryorthehouse. Thebestcompromise,ifanyofthesethingsistoomuchtodealwith,wouldbeto spayandneuterataminimumofoneyearifnottwoyearsofage.Allowyourpet toreachfullmaturationandreachadulthoodbeforeconsideringsurgery.Wehave seensheltersthatspayandneuterat6weeksofage!Clearly,thisaggressiveasurgery atsuchanearlystageofdevelopmentisnotwarranted. Understandthatthereareoptions.Educateyourselfandtaketheapproachthatbest

suitsyouandyourpet.Usethiswebsite(andothers)asaresourcetoaskandanswer questions.

- See more at: http://www.angryvet.com/spaying-and-neutering/#sthash.R1pM6Gkl.d puf

E f f e c t s

H i g h l i g h o t f s : d i e t L a o r w y , f a h t i g a h n d f a e t n e d r i g e y t s o n f e b d o d t y o w n e

i g h t

e u t e r a e n d d , c o m p o s i t i o n a f t e r g o n a d e c t o m y i n t a c t c a t s N e u t e r e d c a t s

g a i i n n e c d a t m s o r e b o d y f a t

, w e i g h t P e r c e n t a g e g a i n i n b o d y w e i g h t g r e a t e r i n f e m a

l e s

F e e d a r e s t r i c t e d , l o w f a t d i e t t o p r e v e n t o b e s i t y

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 3 8 4 K B )

PatrickG.Nguyen,HenriJ.Dumon,BrigitteS.Siliart,LucileJ.Martin,RenaudSergheraert, VincentC.Biourge AmJVetRes200465:17081713.December2004.

Anesthesia

U H s i e g h o l f i g t h h t e s : a n e s D t r h u e g t i c c o m c b o i mn b a i t n i a o t n i o g n i v o e f n t i l e t a m i n e , z o l a z e I M t o 7 , 5 0 2 f e r a l

p a m , k e t a m i n e , a n d x y l a z i n e

c a t s 7 9 . 5 % r e q u i r e d o n l y

a f o s r i n n g e l u e t e d r o i s n e g f e 0 r . a 3 l 5 % c a o t v s e r a l l

m o r t a l i t y r a t e f o u n d

E a s e o f u s e , l o w m o r t a l i t y r a t e a r

e k e y b e n e f i t s V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 7 3 K B )

LindsayS.Williams,JulieK.Levy,SheilahA.Robertson,AlexisM.Cistola,LisaA.Centonze JAmVetMedAssoc2002220:14911495.May15,2002.

E p i d u r a l a n e s t h e s i a w i t h b u p i v a c a i n e , b u p i v a c a i n e a n d

f e n t a n y l , o r b u p i v a c a i n e a n d s u f e n t a n i l d u r i n g i n t r a v e n o

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o g s

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 1 . 1 M B )

TatianaF.Almeida,DeniseT.Fantoni,SandraMastrocinque,AngelicaC.Tatarunas,VivianeH. Imagawa JAmVetMedAssoc2007230:4551.January1,2007.

C a r d i o r e s p i r a t o r y r e s p o n s e s a n d p l a s m a c o r t

i s o l c o n c e n t r a t i o n s i n d o g s t r e a t e d w i t h m e d e t o m i d i n e b e f

o r e u n d e r g o i n g o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 2 1 7 K B )

JeffC.H.Ko,RonaldE.Mandsager,DouglasN.Lange,StevenM.Fox JAmVetMedAssoc2000217:509514.August15,2000.

R e s u l t

s o f 2 4 h o u r a m b u l a t o r y e l e c t r o c a r d i o g r a p h y i n d o g s u n d e r

g o i n g o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y f o l l o w i n g p r e m e d i c a t i o n w i t h m e d

e t o m i d i n e o r a c e p r o m a z i n e

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F

, 4 . 5 M B )

Dr.MisseAM.Visnen,OutiM.Vainio,MarjaR.Raekallio,HeikkiHietanen,HeikkiV.Huikuri JAmVetMedAssoc2005226:738745.March1,2005.

Painmanagement

B e h a v i o r a l a l

t e r a t i o n s a n d s e v e r i t y o f p a i n i n c a t s r e c o v e r i n g a t h o m e

f o l l o w i n g e l e c t i v e o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y o r c a s t r a t i o n

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 4 0 5 K B )

MisseAM.Visnen,SuviK.Tuomikoski,OutiM.Vainio JAmVetMedAssoc2007231:236242.July15,2007.

E f f e c t s o f p r e o p e r a t i v e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f k e t o p r o f

e n o n a n e s t h e t i c r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d s i g n s o f p o s t o p e r a t i v e

p a i n i n d o g s u n d e r g o i n g e l e c t i v e o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y

V i e w a r t i

c l e ( P D F , 9 6 K B )

KipA.Lemke,CarolineL.Runyon,BarbaraS.Horney JAmVetMedAssoc2002221:12681275.November1,2002.

E f f e c t s o f p r e o p e r a

t i v e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f k e t o p r o f e n o n w h o l e b l o o d p l a t e l e t

a g g r e g a t i o n , b u c c a l m u c o s a l b l e e d i n g t i m e , a n d h e m a t o l o g

i c i n d i c e s i n d o g s u n d e r g o i n g e l e c t i v e o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 8 5 K B )

KipA.Lemke,CarolineL.Runyon,BarbaraS.Horney JAmVetMedAssoc2002220:18181822.June15,2002.

P o s t o p e r a t i v e h y p o x e m i a a n d h y p e r c a r b i a i n h

e a l t h y d o g s u n d e r g o i n g r o u t i n e o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y o r c a s t

r a t i o n a n d r e c e i v i n g b u t o r p h a n o l o r h y d r o m o r p h o n e f o r a n a

l g e s i a

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 1 2 9 K B )

VickiL.Campbell,KennethJ.Drobatz,SandraZ.Perkowski JAmVetMedAssoc2003222:330?336.February1,2003.

C o m p a r i s o n o f o r a l a n d s u b c u t a n e o u s a

d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f b u p r e n o r p h i n e a n d m e l o x i c a m f o r p r e e m p t i

v e a n a l g e s i a i n c a t s u n d e r g o i n g o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y

V i

e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 3 4 8 K B )

AdamD.Gassel,KarenM.Tobias,ChristineM.Egger,BartonW.Rohrbach JAmVetMedAssoc2005227:19371944).December15,2005.

Surgicalrisks

O v a r i a n r e m n a n t s y n d r o m e i n d o g s a n d c a t s : 2 1 c a s e s ( 2 0

0 0 2 0 0 7 )

V i e w a r t

i c l e ( P D F , 3 3 5 K B )

RebeccaL.Ball,StephenJ.Birchard,LaurenR.May,WalterR.Threlfall,GregoryS.Young JAmVetMedAssoc2010236:548553.March1,2010.

M a j o r a b d o m i n a l e

v i s c e r a t i o n i n j u r i e s i n d o g s a n d c a t s : 1 2 c a s e s ( 1 9 9 8 2 0 0

8 )

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 5 6 5 K B )

SaraB.Gower,ChickW.Weisse,DorothyC.Brown JAmVetMedAssoc2009234:15661572.June15,2009.

Alternativemethods

D u r a t i o n , c o m p l i c a t i o n s , s t r e s s

, a n d p a i n o f o p e n o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y v e r s u s a s i m p l e m e t

h o d o f l a p a r o s c o p i c a s s i s t e d o v a r i o h y s t e r e c t o m y i n d o g s

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F

, 1 . 0 M B )

ChadM.Devitt,RayE.Cox,JimJ.Hailey JAmVetMedAssoc2005227:921927.September15,2005.

U s e o f l a p a r o s c o p i c a s s i s t

e d c r y p t o r c h i d e c t o m y i n d o g s a n d c a t s

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 4 8 2 K B )

NathanA.Miller,StephenJ.VanLue,ClarenceA.Rawlings JAmVetMedAssoc2004227:921927.March15,2004.

o m p a r i s o n o f i n t r a t e s t i c u l a r i n j e c t i o n o f z i n c g l u c o n a t e

v e r s u s s u r g i c a l c a s t r a t i o n t o s t e r i l i z e m a l e d o g s

V i e w a r t i c l e ( P D F , 3 2 4 K B )

JulieK.Levy,P.CyndaCrawford,LeslieD.Appel,EmmaL.Clifford AmJVetRes200869:140143.January2008.

Additionalresources

T h e A s s oc iat io n of S h elt er V et er in ar ia n s ve te ri n ar y m e di ca l ca re g ui d eli n e s

fo r s p ay n e ut er pr o gr a m s A n dr e a L. L o o n ey , M ar k W . B o hli n g, P hil ip A. B u s h by , Li s a M. H o w e, Br

e n d a Gr iffi n, Ju lie K. L ev y, S u s a n M. E d dl e st o n e, Ja m e s R. W e e d o n, L e sli e D. A p p el, Y. K ar la Ri g d o n Br e

stl e, N a nc y J. F er g u s o n, D av id J. S w e e n ey , K at hy A. Ty s o n, A dr ia n a H. V o or s, S ar a C. W hit e, C hr ist in e L. W ilf

or d, K ell y A. F ar re ll, El le n P. Je ffe rs o n, Mi ch a el R. M oy er , S a n dr a P. N e w b ur y, M eli s s a A. S ax to n, Ja n et M. S ca rl

ett J A V M A, V ol 2 3 3, N o. 1, Ju ly 1, 2 0 0 8. Vi e w ar tic le (P D F, 3 5 4 K B)