Whether to neuter
our young dogs is a difficult question for many dog owners. I’ve mentioned in this column before that my
father was a veterinarian. We had a
separate kennel just for our sporting dogs, and it was always full of setters
and beagles. Dad never neutered any of
our sporting dogs. He always felt that
if we had a young pup that turned into a field champion, he wanted to make sure
we could enjoy off-spring from that dog.
Before we cover
the health issues of neutering or not neutering, let’s discuss some of the
non-health issues. For males, there is a
desire to wander in an effort to find a female in-season. Many years ago, we had a female Doberman in
the house. During every heat cycle,
completely strange and unknown male dogs would turn-up in the front yard
looking for that female in estrus. And,
many dog owners simply don’t want the mess of a female in heat. The importance of these social issues must be
weighed by each individual dog owner.
More important
than the social issues and inconvenience of an unneutered dog are the health
issues involved. Let’s begin with the
male and the positive health reasons for removing the testes. The number one reason we often hear for
removing the testes is the avoidance of testicular cancer. This may be valid, however, the actual
potential of your dog dying from testicular cancer is very small. Some reports say less than 1%. And, even if testicular cancer develops, the
cure rate is very good.
Let’s weigh this
small positive reason (above) for neutering a male against the negative health
issues. Neutered males have an increased
risk of bone sarcoma (cancer); an increased risk on urinary tumors and an
increased risk of obesity which may cause diabetes, joint issues and skin
disease. There are also some
professionals that feel neutering increases the chance of canine dementia.
Now, let’s look
at the female. First, the positive
reasons for neutering. The number one
health issue an unneutered female canine has is mammary tumors. Mammary tumors
often become cancerous. Plus, uterus and ovary infections are also common. Although uterus and ovary tumors are
possible, the risk is low.
Here are the
negative reasons for neutering a female.
As with males, bone sarcoma is a real threat and is often fatal. There are other cancers such as cancer of the
spleen which is also very dangerous.
And, along with males, the opportunity for obesity, and resulting health
issues, is greater with a neutered female canine.
There are two key
people who should be consulted before making your decision whether to neuter
your dog. They are your trusted
veterinarian and your breeder. Your
veterinarian will brief you on the latest studies and his experience with each
issue. The breeder will know if
neutering has been a positive or negative experience with his line of
dogs. Good luck with a very difficult
decision.
Paul Fuller is host of the Bird Dogs Afield TV program. Paul’s website is www.birddogsafield.com.
