Spaying and Neutering
Altering the sex of dogs to prevent unwanted litters
Deans Creek Doodles requires spaying/neutering between 7-10 months of age in dogs under 50 pounds unless a veterinarian requests in writing a reason that it should be altered at a different age. For example, there are some reasons that a female should go through a heat cycle.
For many years pet owners, veterinarians, humane societies and rescues have opted for early alteration of pets. The reasoning is to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and to do what is “responsible”. Some even alter as early as 8 weeks of age.
Recent research is now leaning toward waiting until a dog’s fully grown and bone plates are closed or to seek out other options such as vasectomies or ovary sparing spaying (OSS).
Research is showing increased risks with “early” spaying and neutering. The risks include an increase in joint disease such as hip dysplasia & cruciate ligament tears, increased risk of certain cancers (the incidence of all cancers in spayed females was 6.5 times higher and 3.6 times higher in neutered males), and an increase in behavior issues (see list below).
In a study of 2500 Vizsla dogs, spayed and altered dogs were found more likely to:
Another study found that neutered dogs were more:
So what can owners do to prevent unwanted litters and help their dogs? They can manage their dog and wait until the dog has reached maturity or opt for an ovary sparing spay or vasectomy.
What veterinarians do these procedures?
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing I only know of one veterinarian in New York State who does this procedure and they are located out towards Rochester.
The more we ask our veterinarians about these alternative options for altering our pups, the more likely they are to start offer these services. I’ve spoken to our own vet about it and he thinks it is a great alternative but does not offer the service.
Check out the below link for the most up to date information regarding vets that do the procedures: https://www.parsemus.org/projects/veterinarian-list/
My sales agreement requires waiting until a dog is fully matured to be altered. You may choose to alter at a younger age but doing so before 6 months in dogs under 50 pounds and under 10 months in larger dogs, voids the orthopedic portion of the sales agreement.
More information on spaying and neutering can be found at these below links:
From AKC: Health Implications in Early Spay and Neuter in Dogs http://www.akcchf.org/news-events/news/health-implications-in-early.html
Partial Spay: https://ivcjournal.com/the-pros-of-partial-spay/
Healthier Procedures for female dog spaying: https://listentoyourhorse.com/new-healthier-procedures-for-female-and-male-dog-spaying/
Early Spay Neuter: 3 reasons to Reconsider https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/three-reasons-to-reconsider-spayneuter/
Early Neutering Poses Health Risks for German Shepherd Dogs, Study Finds https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/early-neutering-poses-health-risks-german-shepherd-dogs-study-finds/
The Spay/Neuter Conundrumhttps://pawsitivevetcare.com/the-spayneuter-conundrum-kelowna-veterinarian-clinic/