# Long Term Health Effects of Spay and Neuter in Dogs



## Silence (Dec 30, 2010)

Not specifically about pits but about dogs in general. They have the mandatory spay/neuter law for this area. As I do plan on getting my dogs spayed/neutered, I don`t want to do it before sexual maturation. Found an article about the positive and negative sides of spaying/neutering a dog in general and before sexual maturity.

INTRODUCTION
Dog owners in America are frequently advised to spay/neuter their dogs for health reasons. A number of health benefits are cited, yet evidence is usually not cited to support the alleged health benefits.
When discussing the health impacts of spay/neuter, health risks are often not mentioned. At times, some risks are mentioned, but the most severe risks usually are not.
This article is an attempt to summarize the long-term health risks and benefits associated with spay/neuter in dogs that can be found in the veterinary medical literature. 
This article will not discuss the impact of spay/neuter on population control, or the impact of spay/neuter on behavior.
Nearly all of the health risks and benefits summarized in this article are findings from retrospective epidemiological research studies of dogs, which examine potential associations by looking backwards in time. A few are from prospective research studies, which examine potential associations by looking forward in time.

SUMMARY
An objective reading of the veterinary medical literature reveals a complex situation with respect to the longterm health risks and benefits associated with spay/neuter in dogs. The evidence shows that spay/neuter correlates with both positive AND adverse health effects in dogs. It also suggests how much we really do not yet understand about this subject.
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.

[Continuance of 12 page article in link]



> http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf


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## Padlock (Nov 19, 2010)

the spay and neutering train is a money machine.
nature is never wrong...nature over nurture, nature 
ALWAYS
WINS!

people should spay and neuter their children if
it's such a healthy proposition. get the point?
I'll bet alot of you also get flu shots too.
smh

great post silence! maybe the neuter happy fur mommies will
second guess said practice as I've stated all along.


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## fishinrob (Apr 14, 2010)

I can only go by what I've experienced. 1989 Adba female not fixed, mass found in stomach, dead at 6(1995). ADBA female same blood purchased in 1996, fixed before first heat, STILL live but has cancer. ADBA female purchased in 1998 fixed at a year old lived 12 years and died from cancer in her neck.Her neck was always hurting because of too much springpole work. I loved watching her hang and shake as much as she loved it, but she damaged her neck twice. Odd that's where her cancer showed up.
To sum it up, my two fixed dogs lived 12 and 15 years old and the non fixed 6. The results are too small to be 100% conclusive but I feel it helped in life span.


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## Padlock (Nov 19, 2010)

well then you should do a conclusive study to ascertain
facts instead of mere speculation. also, as you've stated they
were females. my plight/gripe is with neutering males.

and to add to your personal experience, i also had a spayed female
who died of a large cancerous mass in here abdomen at 5 yrs of age.
and an intact male who also died of cancer in his neck at the age of 10
the cause was due to him being overtly aggressive on his chain and hitting 
the end so hard it caused scarring on his larynx from the constant hard impacts.
both were apbt's


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## Lex's Guardian (Aug 8, 2009)

Great post indeed!


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

I think the feed has a lot to do with it too and genetics. You cannot generalize and go by simple experiences. I would love to see a study of intact dogs eating crap feeds like purina or pedigree against a few eating raw and quality kibbles.

I gotta tell you all those colorants, preservatives and chemicals could be the cause of why so many dogs die of cancer too. Some of these cheap kibbles like purina come in colors, I would have to guess and say none of that is good for dogs.


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## Padlock (Nov 19, 2010)

i agree, old roy kills more dogs than stuffed toys.


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## Aireal (Jul 2, 2010)

Padlock said:


> i agree, old roy kills more dogs than stuffed toys.


AMEN :clap:


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

Padlock said:


> i agree, old roy kills more dogs than stuffed toys.


Hahah :rofl:


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## rob32 (Sep 22, 2010)

i would only get my dogs fixed if i felt like i couldnt control them well enough to prevent an accidental breeding. however, if i felt my control over my dogs was that bad i probably shouldnt have one anyway.


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

rob32 said:


> i would only get my dogs fixed if i felt like i couldnt control them well enough to prevent an accidental breeding. however, if i felt my control over my dogs was that bad i probably shouldnt have one anyway.


:goodpost::clap: well said!


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## MISSAPBT (May 10, 2009)

Dam, i needed this post when i was getting of the dangerous dog act for Stage.


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## Elvisfink (Oct 13, 2008)

You'll get quite a few different viewpoints on this one. Here's a good reads on the long term affect of Spay & Neutering.

Spaying the Canine Athlete


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## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

I have neutered all my males for the past 13 yrs my males before that were all intact.
I've had males with cancer in the brain as young as 2 yrs old put to sleep intact, lympho sarcoma 10 yr old raw fed neutered, another with Testicular Cancer at 4 yrs old unalterted raw fed, and female with Mammary Carinoma at age 6 but they think she had it for a while before diagnosed unaltered ... 

I just think its genetics not caused by altering.

Never had any obesity problems lol ...


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

I got Kane neutered at 7 months for multiple reasons, one of which, I admit, was because that's just "how things are done" for my family. I'm used to spaying/neutering my pets when they're younger and have never had a problem with it or know of anyone who has. I also wanted the odds stacked on my side in terms of being able to physically control Kane as he got older without all those hormones raging in him -- although every dog is different and Bernie is a great example of being intact and well-mannered. 

That being said after reading a lot of the stuff on here, and with my vet acknowledging that the veterinary world is slow to adopt different ways of doing things and so it was really up to me on whether to neuter him so young, I'll def. think twice about neutering dogs early. I'll probs always spay females early though just so I don't have to deal with them going through heat.

SO YOU GUYS HAVE CONVERTED ME OKAY? HAPPY?

lol. :rofl:

As far as the food thing, reading up on this website also helped me choose a better food for Kane. I've just recently been thinking about switching him to Orijen.


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## American_Pit13 (Apr 23, 2007)

Unfortunately the average person can not properly contain their animals much less keep them controlled and safe from breeding. 

Where is all the information on the long term effects of 6 month old dogs having puppies and what happens to litter after litter of puppies born to people that where to lazy to spay/neuter there dogs?

I am in no way one of those "OMG ALL ANIMALS NEED TO BE ALTERED" type people, but I do think altering your dog much out ways having a litter or litters creating 5-20+ puppies all going to do the same. Same for cats......

I have one neutered dog. An Intact male and 7 intact females ( 6 just came out of heat). However just becasue I can keep my dogs separate doesn't mean others can. I don't agree with mandatory spay/neuter or altering younger than 6 months, but I see exactly why this laws happen and are pushed. 

If more people responsibly spay/neutered to begin with it would not be pushed at every pets owner.


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## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

Good post Holly ... I sometimes laugh at the blame game on altering to cause this that and the other when there are people with dogs who have been altered and not have those problems. To me its all genetics ... 

Like a woman I know with lung cancer ... never smoked in her life neither did her mother, and no one smokes in her home ... its cancer an unexplainable monster which I hate dearly......


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## NorCalTim (Mar 26, 2007)

I do not have the research behind it, however I believe (from my readings) "fixing" (ironic word isn't it) may increase the chance of some cancers and decrease others.

I had a 1 yr old male sold on contract so I could use him as a sire. The man who bought him flew over his 3 kids (along with himself) to get the dog of his dreams (that is ex wife would not let him own). He was to be fixes at 2 yrs of age (after the hormones have helped him grow - larger dogs need the hormones in growth - supposedly it is not as important for small dogs and cats).

He was "fixed" at 1 yr of age (with out my knowledge) because he was to dominate .

He died on the operating table. 

It fixed his dominate issues alright. The owner (who is a lawyer! he is not a very nice person) said he broke our contract and fixed the dog because he peed on someone (in my opinion he peed on someone telling a jerk to stay away from the children). The dog needed more training. Fixing does not create a new dog (sometimes it creates a dead one). 


Example2

Bird Dog. She is a super APBT (my friends). Fixed later in life she now can not hold her poop or pee well at all. Now she has to be an outside dog. WAY, WAY, WAY MORE PROTECTIVE.

Example 3

Duchess
My friends Staffy became way DA and somewhat of a nut case after being fixed. If she saw an unaltered female, LOOK OUT.

Some people ask if a dog has to be "fixed" before they get a pup from me. No way! Breeding rights on the other hand is a whole different story.


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## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

Point being we have ALL had different experiences with unaltered and altered caninines... no story or case nor dog the same.....


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

YOu guys know Carla from Florida she runs a deep pack lol several APBT, staffy (2), JRT(1), Patterdale (1), Min Pin (2), Akita none of the dogs are fixed and none of them have any issues. 

If you are willing to put the time in the training of the dog the you will have a good dog no matter what. 

Bernie is intact, he was just playing with my wife's male dogs today they are all intact. He has never peed in my house or anyone's home that I brought him too.


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## Aireal (Jul 2, 2010)

DueceAddicTed said:


> Point being we have ALL had different experiences with unaltered and altered caninines... no story or case nor dog the same.....


:goodpost::goodpost::goodpost::goodpost:


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

I don't spay or neuter my dogs for my own reasons. I am also responsible enough not to allow unplanned breedings to occur and keep my dogs properly contained. I know the world is full of idiots though it's a shame how irresponsible pet owner's ruin it for the rest of us. Unfortunately with the over breeding of animals in the population spay/neuter is the best way to go especially for dogs of unknown origin that should be mandatory that mutts be spayed/neutered.


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## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

Not everybody alters because they are irresponsible, its a preference for some.

Like myself 23 years with these dogs and never an oops litter ... but it became my choice 13 yrs ago after working more hands on with a few vets, techs and volunteers at some shelters ....


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## Silence (Dec 30, 2010)

The article is not my personal opinion lol I just stumbled on it after the city tried to push the mandatory spay/neuter by the age of 4 months. All of my dogs in the past have been in tact and I`ve never had an accidental breeding. I am not too thrilled about the law, but with my dog fanciers permit I no longer fall under that category XD

My mom`s in to German Shepherds (AKC) and a funny thing about one of my previous bitches (R.I.P) was no matter how many GSD studs my mom would try and pair her with, she would never mate with them. Every time her heat came around she would be seen with this neutered border collie. That was the only dog she ever let mount her. Was weird lol.

[[This site is what made me switch my dog food too. They`re on Blue Buffalo Wilderness formula, which I must say has been working well for them. They look fantastic and their fur is softer than ever.]]


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## pitbullmamanatl (Jun 1, 2010)

Padlock said:


> i agree, old roy kills more dogs than stuffed toys.


Word!!!!!!!!


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

I posted a thread on "spay or wait until maturity" to get some opinions from others with the pit bull breed. I didn't realize this thread existed. Anyways, growing up with mostly GSD's and the occassional mutt years ago neutering was never an option back in the days. I grew up with a grandfather who just didn't believe in it and he always had males. When my mom and dad got our own dogs at our "own" home we had a pit bull/lab mix that was neutered at 7 months and lived until almost 12. I had a shepard/husky that was neutered at 9 months and lived just shy of his 12th birthday as well. Both died from cancers. One had it in the abdomen and became incontinent, he had to wear a belly band the last year of his life. I was a professional groomer for over ten years and a vet tech for about 2 years. I saw mammory cancer on intact bitches alot and testicular cancer on intact males here and there. I think regardless of neutering or spaying your animal will eventually die of a cancer at some point or another as sad as it sounds. Some breeds are now more prone to different types of cancers ex: Labs and Goldens. I think alot of the cancers dogs get today are caused by enviromental elements as well as all the crap in low quality foods. My last male was PTS at the age of 5 due to being overly aggressive with strangers and DA. He was a 70lb Austrailian Cattle dog (un-neutered) He was socialized with lots of people and dogs as a pup and turned into a beast at about 18 months. I will always regret not neutering him. I feel as though had he been fixed at 6 months he may have been a different dog. Anyways, that is a big long story that I won't get into right now because it upsets me. Personally I think spaying and neutering should be a personal choice however, with pit bulls in particular alot of owners seem to never fix this breed and that is why we have the over flow of pits in shelters. Some owners may have the best intentions of having and intact bitch or dog but "accidents happen" is said for a reason no matter how responsible we are.


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