Dog Spay and Neuter: Discussion

[pulletkeeper]

I volunteer part-time at our local kill/animal control facility, I have always had multiple dogs for more than 30 years, and have been formally training dogs for over 10 years. I agree that spay/neuter has nothing to do with nature and everything to do with nurture as far as their behavior is concerned. However, responsibility is the issue. If you do not spay your female dog and it gets loose whether with another one of your intact males or the neighbor's intact male that is irresponsbile on the part of the owner(s). If you have a male dog that gets loose and gets with another one of your intact females or the neighbor's intact female it is still irresponsible. Most, and I say most, people who have a pregnant dog with unwanted puppies will not abort those puppies because it is kind of expensive and kind of dangerous and unless you are planning on keeping every puppy in that litter why would you want the puppies to be born? Have you ever been to an animal control facility? There are plenty of cute, little, cuddly puppies who are waiting for someone to take them home, why would you want a whole litter of them when there are so many out there already? Everytime I walk into that facility I leave wanting to cry (and sometimes I do) because I know which ones will be put to sleep that week and which ones will be adopted only to be returned because "it was cute at the time". People look at pets as physical property that can be pushed to the wayside if it does not suit them at the time (yes, I have proof, all the cute little faces on petfinder will show you the proof too). We are all dedicated "animal people" on this site and generally have the same opinions about wanting to take care of those that we have been placed in charge of whether it be chickens, ducks, dogs, etc. I may be showing my liberal side here but I am gonna take a chance, if I had a daughter and she told me she was having sex and wanted birth control I would make sure she got it because an unwanted pregnancy is just that. JMO

 

[fowltemptress]

I refuse to spay or neuter anything before they reach at least two years of age. The side effects of early spay and neutering practices range from obnoxious to heartbreaking, and the propaganda in favor of it is doing the public a HUGE disservice in not giving people all the facts before blindly encouraging them to bring their young critters in. Also, I never plan to breed my dogs, and my intact male dogs never get the opportunity to add to any population problem. The idea that responsible pet owners who consciously decide to keep their animals intact for various reasons are contributing to the problem simply because they have intact animals is absolutely ludicrous, and I'm not sure why so many organizations insist on lumping those animal owners in with the same group who allows their pets to mate willy nilly throughout the world. Someone in another thread once posted an article, I think, that talked about how countries with laws against altering dogs did not have the population problem we have, and the thought was the problem stemmed from the differences in cultural attitude towards animal ownership and the owners themselves, and had little to do with the owners spaying and neutering their animals. I thought it was interesting.

 

[Dar]

I spay/neuter simply because they are pets.. I do not show.. I am not a breeder.

If have an intact female who is in heat in my situation its asking for a heap load of trouble by inviting unwanted males into my property from neighboring farms, therefore putting my other pets at risk, like my chickens.

I choose my breeders wisely, I will not go to the pet store. and because I do not have a fenced yard (remember country setting) The local SPCA wont let me adopt

to each their own

 

[CoopCrazy]

I have all my animals spayed or nuetured expect my few show dogs that I had.. There are just too many "accidents" with intact pets..and far too many unwanted animals ...

 

[pulletkeeper]

Quote:
fowltemptress, I agree that in some other countries they do not have the problem. I believe I have read the article you are referencing or have a read a similar one. The US is a throw away society and many, not all, look at pets as disposable posessions; That is the sad part. Some countries eat their excess animals, which is terrifying to me, but that is their cultural attitude and they practice what they know. I believe everyone should be given the facts before hand and make an intelligent decision based on all the facts, not just what is available at the time. What is good for some may not be good for all. I just know from all my first-hand experience the amount of animals without homes in the US is overwhelming. I still believe that there should be a "class" or something taught by schools, parents, government, whomever on responsiblity and personal accountability. The more I deal with the public the more I think this is a lacking element in our culture; again, very sad.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I cant remember the age when we got out min pin spayed, but I think she was around 11 months, she did go through her first heat. With our new pup, golden retriever, I plan on waiting till at least 18 months of age, possibly 2 years.

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

http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/spay_neuter_risks_benefits.aspx

With goldens, hermangiosarcoma (spelling?), is a common cancer. 1 in 5 get it. I think that is what out last golden passed away from. Spaying increases the risk of splenic hermangio" by 2.2 and cardiac hermangio" by >5.

I have also read somewhere that each heat cycle the dog has, the risk goes down slighlty.


As long as your a responsible owner, and you take precautions to keep your female when inseason, or intact male dog away from other intact dogs to prevent unwanted pups, I dont see a problem with waiting. If you cant do that, then spaying before the first heat etc, is best. I also believe that no dog should ever be bred without getting their eyes, hips, elbows, and hearts checked and rated by the OFA. Besides that, the dog must be healthy otherwise, have a great temperment, no defects, and great confirmation.

 

[Big Red's Mom]

I spay my dogs...The reason I just say spay is my DH and I have an on going battle about neutering. He says it is a MAN thing. So, I say no male dogs. We agree on that point and have only had females so far. We can't have cats due to allergies. I also do not spay my dogs until 6 months or after. Depending on the dog itself. I live in a county setting also and only have a fence around three sides. I have been tempted to bring home many (MANY) momma dogs wondering the side of the county roads looking for their babies. That just breaks my heart....She is doing what she should...Having and taking care of her babies. The owner and I use that word for lack of another, get ride of the puppies (give away or something kill in terrible ways) then they load up that old momma dog and toss her on the side of the road. All she want is to find her missing babies.

I also agree that we (the US) have become a throw away society. I for one care for any animal I bring home. I think those who get an animal and then the new wears off and it becomes a JOB to take care of it(food and water if the animal is lucky) should just stop getting animals. Oops....Did not mean to get on my soap box. I guess that is my opinion. Just be a responsible pet owner and know that buying them is the smallest cost you will have. Dogs and cats depending on the breed can live from 6 - 16+ years, it is a lifetime commitment.

 

[pulletkeeper]

Big Red's Mom :

I spay my dogs...The reason I just say spay is my DH and I have an on going battle about neutering. He says it is a MAN thing. So, I say no male dogs. We agree on that point and have only had females so far. We can't have cats due to allergies. I also do not spay my dogs until 6 months or after. Depending on the dog itself. I live in a county setting also and only have a fence around three sides. I have been tempted to bring home many (MANY) momma dogs wondering the side of the county roads looking for their babies. That just breaks my heart....She is doing what she should...Having and taking care of her babies. The owner and I use that word for lack of another, get ride of the puppies (give away or something kill in terrible ways) then they load up that old momma dog and toss her on the side of the road. All she want is to find her missing babies.

I also agree that we (the US) have become a throw away society. I for one care for any animal I bring home. I think those who get an animal and then the new wears off and it becomes a JOB to take care of it(food and water if the animal is lucky) should just stop getting animals. Oops....Did not mean to get on my soap box. I guess that is my opinion. Just be a responsible pet owner and know that buying them is the smallest cost you will have. Dogs and cats depending on the breed can live from 6 - 16+ years, it is a lifetime commitment.

Very well put and you are right, the smallest cost is acquiring a dog. We have a "free" stray that now costs us $175/month in Viokase bills (not including the cost of the surgery) because his pancreas quit working.​

 

[bagendhens]

personally i dont like pediatric spay/neuter...
i never suggest it for dogs under 8 months and personally perfer to wait untill a dog or cat is physically mature (over a year for a toy breed and over 2 yrs for larger breeds)
I DO feel that spay/neutering has too many heath benefits to pass up if done at the right age, testicular and prostate issues in males, pyo and mammary cancers in females ect...

BUT i also feel that many people simply arnt responsible enough to wait...
not nessicarily anyone here, but in general...
i knwo of many people whos fmeales got pregnant on their first heat, for many reasons, silent heats, simple lack of knowledge about the heat cycle...plain ole accidents...ect.
i also know way too many people who dont pay attention to where their dogs are during the day...lack of fencing, ALLOWING a dog to roam ect....
so for the average. every day pet owner, spay/neuter at 6-8 months and dont add to the pet overpopulation problem...

but for those who are willing and ABLE to put in the extra effort to keep an unwanted litter from happening...id wait untill physically mature.

personally, we have 1 dog who was neutered at 6 months, he was a puppy mill puppy from a pet store who had tied him up out back to the dumpster because he hadnt sold yet (5 months) and the "breeder" was refusing to take him back because he wasnt "defective" they gave him to us for free...we knew from the start we were never going to breed a dog with an unknown genetic background...(he has turned out to be an amazing dog) its just not worth the risk...

then theres vixie, i showed her to completion and bred her to dodger who was 3 points away at the time.
vixe needed a c-section, common in wowies, but 1 also increases the risk so she was spayed when under for c-section as i wont breed a dog who cannot whelp naturally under normal circumstances...
decided to keep a female from the litter...and didnt want the hassle of dealing with an intact male around his daughter, and there wasnt enough interest in a GOOD chi stud in our area...so he was neutered at 2.

currently i have 1 intact females and an intact male which i show and am hoping to breed.

and the intact chihuahu female who will be spayed soon now shes fully developed.


i think you CAN be a responsible ownere Without spay/neutering your pets BUT i also belive that those who can do this are not your typical every day pet owners.

 

[klf73]

I personally don't like that people don't neuter their males. Some of my friends I spoke to didnt' think it was a problem, and it usually isn't. BUT I just got my girl spayed and she was a show dog. EVERY time she went into heat I had to keep her inside, even though I have a huge kennel with 6ft fencing etc there was ALWAYS a boy that made it to the fence trying to get in. So my poor girl would have to stay in because others were irresponsible. Owners would come looking for their dog "that never gets out" and it really shouldn't be my problem IMO. I never had the same dog come twice but I only had her out for brief periods after the intial problems. I think if you are not breeding to better the breed then the animal should be spayed/neutered period. Dogs aren't people and I am sure they aren't permanently scarred from not being allowed to have babies....nor do they have an image about their manhood

my 2 cents