Why has the discussion of when (or whether) to spay or neuter your dog become so confusing? Conflicting "evidence" abounds on when the "right time" to schedule this surgery actually is. And then there are the proponents of keeping animals intact (that is, not spaying or neutering) for their lifetimes as that's "what nature intended." I've had numerous clients ask me to weigh in on this topic as they are interested in the potential behavioral consequences of spaying or neutering their dogs at specific ages. I'm going to preface what I say here with the fact that I am not a veterinarian. My opinion (and it is my opinion) is based on my extensive reading on the subject over the years. As with many topics related to animal health, changes have been suggested with regard to the timing of altering pets as researchers have discovered more health consequences associated with early spaying or neutering. The decision as to whether to spay or neuter a pet AND when to do so should be made with your veterinarian, and your veterinarians should be basing their decisions on the latest research related to this topic combined with what they know about the health and behavior of your individual pet.
Now, if you'd like to know what the research shows, I am happy to share that with you so that you can discuss it with your veterinarian. My major professor in graduate school was a veterinarian and a behaviorist by the name of Benjamin Hart. Dr. Hart is still conducting research related to the health and welfare of companion animals and completed a 10 year study that was published last summer on the topic of helping dog owners determine when to alter their pets. Here is the link to the study if you'd prefer to read the whole article yourself:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full
Basically, they looked at 35 dog breeds and how early neutering, defined as before their first birthday, may be associated with an increased risk for joint issues, certain cancers, and urinary incontinence. While previous studies had found links to these diseases in dogs who were altered before a year of age, Ben's study got really breed specific. What he found was that generally speaking, none of these issues were a problem for the vast majority of dogs. There were, however, certain dog breeds for whom these problems were an issue if they were altered before a year of age. For example, with regard to joint issues, those at highest risk if altered before a year of age were larger breed dogs like Labs, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds. Smaller breed dogs like Cavaliers, Corgis, and Pugs did not show an increase in joint issues associated with early altering. Rather surprisingly, a couple of the giant breeds (Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds) didn't show an increased risk for joint issues with early altering at all. Again, this study looked at 35 dog breeds, so going to the study via the link above will let you examine the specific results for your dog breed, or perhaps a similar dog breed, when making your decision with your vet about when to alter your dog.
For decades, the advice given to pet owners with regard to altering their animals reflected a need to decrease the unwanted pet population. Thus, pet owners were told to spay or neuter as young as 4 to 6 months of age, and even earlier for pets entering shelters. Pet overpopulation isn't really as big of an issue anymore here in the U.S., but animals coming into shelters are still being altered before being adopted out and many veterinarians are still advising their clients to spay or neuter at 6 months of age. Given the research by Ben Hart and others, we now know that waiting until a dog is at least a year of age (and in some instances closer to 2 years of age), may be beneficial from a disease prevention standpoint. Meaning, keeping those hormones around in your dog's body serve protective health benefits in the long run. So, if that's the case, why alter your dog at all?
Well, at a certain point, you will reach maximum benefit from leaving your dog intact. So, your aging adult female dog who is left intact will be at a greater risk of mammary cancer which is fatal in 50% of dogs and 90% of cats, according to AAHA, the American Animal Hospital Association. By the same token, neutering your male pet reduces the risk of testicular cancer. There are also behavioral reasons to spay or neuter your pet. Altered pets don't tend to roam or wander off as much, are less vocal (males seeking females in estrus bark and howl, and oftentimes those females in heat yowl, whine, and bark as well), and with respect to male animals, get in fewer fights. There is, obviously, the issue of heat cycles and bleeding which many pet owners find annoying as they have to put pants on their female dogs to curb the mess. It is also true that some male dogs begin marking indoors (lifting their leg and urinating on furniture, doorways, etc.) and some female dogs become more anxious/restless/or moody when in heat. All of these potential behavioral consequences can be controlled by altering those pets.
Keep this in mind too. Not every male dog left intact marks inside the house, wanders off, or gets in fights and not every intact female dog is restless and moody when in heat. These are generalizations and as with any generalization there are plenty of exceptions. I, for one, would not have neutered my collie, Ozzie, before his second birthday if he hadn't started marking in my house! He had some fear-related issues as an adolescent dog and I really wanted to keep those hormones on board to help him cope with his anxiety, but I couldn't put up with the marking, so he was neutered at just over a year of age. Yet, I have a good friend with an intact male dog who never marks, who doesn't plan to neuter him until he's 3ish, or maybe even later if her breeder decides to use him for breeding purposes. Which brings up another issue: What if you have a contract with a breeder to alter your dog at a certain age? If that's the case, and you signed the contract, you'll need to adhere to those guidelines, or show cause (likely with a letter from your veterinarian) that can be given to the breeder to show why you are not following your contractual obligation based on the advice of your veterinarian.
And then, as if all of this wasn't an overwhelming amount of information, there is also the issue of whether to do a conventional spay or neuter, or one of the other options. For example, a full ovariohysterectomy (removal of the ovaries and uterus) has been the norm for spaying a female pet for years. Now, however, there is another procedure called ovariectomy (removal of the ovaries only). This procedure is more common in Europe, still renders the pet infertile, but is associated with less surgical site pain due to a smaller incision, risk of pyometra (an infection of the uterus) is low even though the uterus is still intact, and there is no change in the chances of urinary incontinence between the two spay methods. Whether your female pet should have their ovaries AND uterus removed is something to discuss with your veterinarian as your pet's age and general health must be taken into consideration. Plus, not all veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada are familiar with this alternate form of spaying a female pet.
With regard to neutering your male pet: Neutering, or castration, traditionally involves removal of the testicles. Alternatively, a vasectomy can be performed on a male pet. With a vasectomy, the animal is still considered intact as both testicles are still in place. This means that testosterone will still be affecting your male pet's behavior. So, vasectomy is often chosen for working police dogs, for example, if they want to keep the dog from reproducing, but still want that testosterone in place that many feel contributes to their working drive and performance. Dogs who have had a vasectomy are still at risk for testicular cancer, prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer as they age. From a behavior standpoint, a working dog might need testosterone to be the most effective at his job, but that same hormone could contribute to marking in the house and posturing with other male dogs that pet owners find upsetting. Again, whether a vasectomy would be a better option for your male pet is a conversation to have with your veterinarian. Not all veterinarians feel comfortable doing this procedure and still endorse castration for male pets for multiple health reasons.
And an unfortunate statistic for anyone who shares their home with a female Golden Retriever: The research from multiple studies indicates that spaying Golden Retrievers at any age is associated with an increased risk of one or more cancers (the risk jumps from 5% to 15%). A statistic like that might lead the owner of a female Golden Retriever to opt to wait as long as possible to spay their dog in an effort to cut that cancer risk as much as possible.
There is plenty of misinformation out there as well. If you read somewhere that intact male dogs are more aggressive than neutered male dogs, that simply isn't the case. Aggression can occur in ANY dog and dogs bite whether they've been neutered or not. And the notion that all spayed female animals get fat and lazy? That isn't true either. If your pet is gaining weight, take a look at what you are feeding them and how much exercise they are getting. If they are exercising a lot and not overeating, then speak with your veterinarian about other reasons your pet may be lethargic or gaining weight.
The bottom line is this: Regardless of what breed of dog you have and what the research shows for that breed (please read that article from Ben Hart if you haven't already!), you need to feel comfortable discussing these issues with your veterinarian. You must advocate for your pet, while understanding your veterinarian is trying to do the best that they can for your pet's health as well. You are on the same team trying to insure that your pet's life is a long and healthy one.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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