Now you can make an informed decision.  Pets happen.

 

 

19)  My vet says he does not recommend that I spay or neuter a dog until it is 4-6 months of age.  Why do you spay/neuter so young?

Bottom line: your vet does not want to do the spay/neuter early or is afraid to because the organs to be removed are very small, and it is a little more difficult to do the surgery.  Waiting until the dog is older means larger organs and an easier job for him/her.  There is nothing scientific behind their reluctance to spay/neuter at a very young age.

 

The arguments for early-age spay/neuter:

* Overpopulation and the resulting neglect, suffering, euthanasia -- early-age spay/neuter completely eliminates the possibility of unwanted litters.

* It avoids heat cycles completely: unwelcome 'visitors' fighting on the lawn, females howling and yowling!

* Neutered males are less likely to roam and fight, thus preventing injuries, spread of disease, and costly veterinary expenses.  It has been estimated that 80% of dogs killed by cars and 80% of Feline AIDS cases are unneutered males.

* Better-behaved pets -- neutered pets rarely spray mark, roam and fight.  85% of bites involve unneutered dogs.

* Healthier pets -- neutered males don't have the testicular cancer or prostate problems common in intact dogs. Females spayed before their first heat cycle have 96% less breast cancer. Their risk of uterine infection is dramatically decreased, not to mention the many complications associated with pregnancy, whelping or raising a litter.

* It's safe -- the mortality rate is lower than that of the standard 6-9 month sterilization procedure.

* It's less traumatic for the pet -- young animals heal faster and are lower surgical risks than older animals who may be obese, in heat, pregnant, or ill. Young animals generally wake up faster after anesthesia.

Many humane shelters across the country now endorse spaying and neutering at the time of adoption. If yours didn't, then please ask your vet to perform a pediatric or early-age spay/neuter (also sometimes called juvenile or prepubertal spay/neuter) on your new pet.  They should be able to address any questions or concerns you may have.  For more information, you may also visit http://www.spayusa.org.

No conclusive controlled studies have ever been done to determine the best age to neuter dogs and cats.  On the other hand, current research does show that spaying before the first heat prevents the development of mammary gland tumors.  Since females can go into heat as young as four months of age, they should be spayed before then to receive that protection.  Early-age, or pediatric, neutering is currently performed on animals who are six to eight weeks of age and who weigh at least two pounds.

From the outset, veterinarians expressed concern about the long- and short-term safety of operating on such young animals.  Short-term safety was documented in 1993 when doctors at Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston published protocols for safe surgery and anesthesia in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  Other studies have since confirmed their conclusions, and in December 2000, JAVMA reported that researchers at Texas A & M University found no increase in physical or behavioral problems in cats for at least three years postoperatively.  Veterinarians have been safely performing the surgeries for shelters since the 1980s, adding to the growing body of supportive anecdotal information.

There is a lot of documentation to support spaying/neutering at a young age.  It would appear that we are just ahead of our time.  Some studies seem to link incontinence with early spaying.  Many vets read only PART of the study and ignore the evidence.

Since the publication of this article in 2001, additional studies were conducted by Spain and Scarlett at Cornell University, which established the long-term safety of pediatric neutering.  Thousands of animals were looked at for the study, some of them 11 years after neutering—and the only major concern was that female puppies may be more likely to experience urinary incontinence if spayed before three months of age.

Continuing Controversy

Unfortunately, despite the new studies, the controversy continues—and many veterinarians are still very hesitant to try pediatric neutering.  Concerns about obesity, stunted growth, underdevelopment of secondary sex characteristics, behavioral problems and increased incidence of both lower urinary tract disease and urinary incontinence have been addressed in the veterinary literature and found to be unwarranted.  Any differences that have been found appear to have no clinical significance, or occur regardless of the age at neutering.

The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association are just two professional organizations that support pediatric neutering.  Veterinarians at the ASPCA have been neutering all shelter animals who weigh at least two pounds before adoption.  Yet despite the research, testimonials, anecdotal information and endorsements, the controversy continues.

Ironically, veterinarians who perform pediatric surgery insist that it is faster and less stressful to the animal than surgery at the conventional age.  There is less body fat to contend with, bleeding is minimal and the patients are awake much sooner after surgery.  They can be fed a small meal and sent home the same day.  No special surgical equipment is needed.  If the procedure is performed when the last vaccination is given at three to four months of age, owner compliance is increased.  Most vwas deciding to try something different.  The best part is that everyone benefits.  Veterinarians who at first were reluctant to try pediatric neutering now find that they prefer it—the hardest part was deciding to try something different.  The best part is that everyone benefits.

The Controversy is Over: Prepubertal Neutering is the Surgery of Choice [an excerpt]

By Jeff Young, DVM

The ideal age for neutering our companion animal friends is 8-16 weeks.  Prepubertal neutering has been ‘controversial’ for years. Because of this controversy, a lot of academic research, independent studies and anecdotal evidence has accumulated.

The University of Florida conducted the first truly controlled study in 1991 comparing neutering at 7 weeks vs. 7 months of age. Texas A&M and the University of Florida have looked at urethral diameters in prepubertal vs. conventionally neutered animals.

The University of Colorado has provided very useful anesthetic protocols and the University of Minnesota has reviewed the literature extensively with regard to prepubertal neutering.

The nineties produced a lot of data with which to move forward. Just as the scientific literature has grown, so has the anecdotal information coming from humane societies, private veterinary practices, spay/neuter clinics and owners of pets neutered prepubertally.

The veterinary profession has for decades made 6-8 months the recommended age for neutering. There is no scientific reason for this age selection; it has simply become a ‘tradition.’ The conservative nature of the veterinary profession has made change hard. We must demand from any veterinarian we support, that they embrace prepubertal neutering as the standard. We must be willing to educate our veterinary friends and boycott those who are We do have years of anecdotal evidence that these prepube animals are leaner,lankier, and live longer healthier lives.

With regard to urinary incontinence, the literature is in conflict and inconclusive.  Studies place incontinence from 4% to 20% of neutered female dogs and 0.4 to 8% in unaltered female dogs.  What is clear is that large breed dogs are more commonly affected than small breed dogs.  Many factors including breed, thyroid level, allergies and level of obesity have not been fully evaluated.  Blaming urinary incontinence on lack of estrogen is not logical or fully supported by research.  Why is it that pregnant bitches don’t have increased rates of incontinence, given they have extremely low estrogen?  It is possible that obesity (controllable) and hypothyroidism (treatable) may prove to be primary factors in urinary incontinence.  At this time it is clear that prepubertally neutered females actually have a lower incidence of incontinence than those neutered at the ‘traditional’ age.  Also, the overall benefits of neutering are much greater than the alternative.  Their own national organization (AVMA) has endorsed the practice of prepubertal neutering since 1993.

Prepubertal dogs never develop ovarian or uterine tumors, get pyometra or go into heat.  Mammary cancer (the #1 cancer in female dogs) is almost eliminated with prepubertal neutering.  Testicular cancer is the #2 cancer in male dogs and a full 60% of unaltered dogs over the age of 5 develop prostate problems.  Perianal tumors are the most common tumor in male dogs and are directly correlated with testosterone.  The research, literature and anecdotal evidence are quite clear.  Prepubertal neutering has many more positive benefits than negative.  Prepubertal neutering must become a major tool in the fight against companion animal overpopulation.  Prepubertal animals are just healthier, happier pets that will make any adoption program more successful.