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To spay or not to spay- that is the question?
Such a grey area. We all want to do what is right for our dogs. So many people ask me when the best time to spay or neuter their dog is, or even if it’s worth it.
It’s a discussion I have talked about with all sorts of doggie people too. So many different opinions.
Some say spay early and you avoid unwanted consequences. Some say spaying to late causes issues later in life. Some say keeping a dog intact could cause cancers in the future?
Besides the horrible fact of overcrowded shelters and such, and only thinking about the overall health of the individual dog and their life, what are your guys opinions??
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15 Replies
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I always say talk to your vet. I know when i was first a dog momma many years ago, it was 6 months. Now more research is being done and vets are waiting later I think. I did not neuter my Berner until 3- researching all the benefits and of course being a responsible owner he didn’t mingle with females. I think this is the new rule for me personally, I will wait as long as possible. I hear so many people talk about this and want advice.
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@pawsup , I agree about needing to refer medical-related questions to the proper person, which is the veterinarian. But there’s plenty of reading a pet parent can do in advance, so they’re better equipped to ask questions and explore options with their vet.
Here’s just one of many such studies:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full-
@virginiad This is such a great article, I am definitely keeping for reference! Thank you for sharing!
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You’re welcome, @pawsup !
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I agree with @pawsup very interesting study! Lots of good information. Thank you for sharing.
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Another great topic @mtnwolfpup !
I agree that this is a personal decision that should be made after careful thought and research, including speaking with veterinary providers whom you trust. I think it’s going to be a different answer for every family and individual dog.
Here’s another article that talks about a 10-yr longitundinal study by UC Davis Vet School. I found out that neutering my male golden increased his chances of a certain cancer enormously – and in fact, he died from it. So, I’m not willing to “neuter them all” any more, and I certainly will avoid telling clients what they should do, other than to research it for themselves. Not every dog owner is able to handle intact animals, either – nor should they. That’s a whole ‘nuther story.
The age-old recommendations just don’t aren’t justified any more, but there are some considerations that have to be made, especially in areas where there truly is an overpopulation of unwanted dogs (which is not as common as it once was – and why dogs are being transported from one area to another).
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I am sorry to hear about your Golden ???? my vet said that’s why my Razzie ( picture above) got such violent cancer when she got older because she was spayed at 3. Though I often think that a lot of it had to do with genetics. Maybe she would have been healthier if she remained intact.
I will have to read that article too. I agree it should be a decision that each owner gets to make with their vet.
There are so many people I wish wouldn’t have intact dogs but then there are many dogs I think would have been better off intact.
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Thanks, Sofia – I’m so sorry to hear about your golden girl. Goldens in general have so much cancer. Heartbreaking to be sure. Thanks for your kindness. Good luck with your research. You are asking great questions.
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Great question and points made here. I found the booklet by Puppy Culture on this topic to be very interesting. One of the key ideas is that there is research on different breeds which shows that the answer to the risk/reward question can change depending on your dog’s genetics. This is worth a read for anyone considering whether or not to spay/neuter.
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@david thank you so much for the resource. I will definitely take a look!
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This looks like a wonderful resource, David – and this excerpt had me giggling!
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“You know who you are”. If that isn’t the truth. Ha!
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This topic use to be such a standard answer but since being exposed to behavior modification clients my mind has exploded! The talk to your vet is clearly step one and depending on the vet and dog the next reference would be to a behaviorist. Adolescent dogs spurs soooo many behavioral shifts that can take months to years to work through depending on the severity. Spay/neuter in that critical time can lock in a fearful, reactive dog. I compare this thought process to what Catch taught me about the critical socialization period… waiting to socialize your dog after it’s fully vaccinated; the percentage of behavioral euthanasia and surrendered dogs as a result vs the risk of parvo and other illnesses.
Just thought provoking contributions here. I personally say this is very much a case by case decision; there is no black and white answer ???? great great topic that heavily interacts with the dog training world in this evolving dog world!
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