OVERPOPULATION CONCERNS-
A
fertile cat typically produces 1-2 litters a year with an average of 4-6
kittens each litter. A fertile dog comes into heat approximately every 6
months, and can produce two litters a year with an average of 4-6 puppies per
litter.
Each
year in the USA, approximately 7.6 million companion animals (3.9 million dogs
and 3.4 million cats) wind up in shelters. Around 2.7 million shelter pets are
adopted each year, but sadly about the same number are euthanized.
The sad
truth is that there will never be enough homes for all the homeless animals.
The only guaranteed way to not contribute to overpopulation is to spay and
neuter your pets.
 |
| Once you've worked in one or more animal shelters or pounds, you'll realize the sad reality pictured in this photo is the truth. |
BEHAVIORAL BENEFITS-
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When
in heat (a 4-5 day cycle repeated every 3 weeks during breeding season), female cats often yowl and spray indoors. This urine marking increases
with estrus and decreases post spay.
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Neutering
of male cats decreases marking
behavior (urinating in the home) by 78%.
-
Neutering
male cats cuts inter-male aggression
and roaming in half, decreasing the chances of cat fights and hit by car
injuries. Fewer cat fights means less cat abscesses and reduced transmission of
the viral diseases Feline Leukemia and FIV.
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Spaying
or neutering dogs before the age of
social maturity decreases the chances of developing aggression threefold. The
old wives' tale assuring that a female dog is nicer if it has a litter of pups
before being spayed is unfounded, and if the maternal dog becomes overly
protective of her pups, the opposite is true.
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Neutering
male dogs decreases inter-male dog aggression by 60%, urine marking by 50%, and
roaming by 90%. Statistics reveal that as many as 85% of HBC (hit-by-car) dogs
are not neutered.
MEDICAL BENEFITS-
Health benefits to spaying female
dogs and cats:
1) Prevention of pyometra, a
life-threatening infection of the uterus (literally means "pus in the
uterus"). Pet insurance data from Sweden (where many do not spay their
pets) revealed that 23% of intact females developed pyometra. This dangerous
condition often requires emergency surgery to remove the infected uterus. Some
patients do not survive the surgery.
2) Decreased risk of mammary cancer.
In Norway (another country that doesn't promote spaying), 53% of malignant
cancers seen in female dogs are mammary in origin. A high percentage of breast
cancer in pets is malignant—50% in dogs and 90% in cats. Spaying before the
first heat provides the best protection—less than 0.5% chance of breast cancer.
When spayed after 1 heat, there is an 8% chance. When spayed after 2 heats, a
26% chance.
3) Spayed pets also avoid the risks of pregnancy
and giving birth: false pregnancies, dystocia, mastitis, uterine rupture, and life-threatening
post partum hypocalcemia. Small breed dogs with narrow birth canals are
especially at risk of dystocia, particularly those with large head to body
ratios (such as Chihuahuas), risking emergency C-section or death.
4) Spayed dogs have a decreased risk
of developing painful perianal fistulas.
Health Benefits to neutering male
dogs:
1) Testicular tumors are the second
most common tumor in male dogs (second to skin). These tumors can metastasize
or secrete estrogen, which suppresses the bone marrow. Those with undescended
testicle(s) are at even greater risk.
2) Neutered male dogs experience
less prostrate disease including prostatitis or benign hypertrophy where the
continued presence of testosterone enlarges the prostate to the point where it
becomes increasingly difficult and painful for the dog to urinate or defecate.
3) Neutered male dogs have a
decreased risk of developing painful perianal fistulas.
Regarding Male Cats:
The main
benefits of neutering male cats are
behavioral and population control since testicular disease is rare in this
population. Although first thought to be a concern, studies have shown that
early neutering does not increase the risk of male cats developing a urinary
blockage.
The Debate over Spaying and
Neutering:
Regarding
cats, there isn't much debate. The American Association of Feline Practitioners
(AAFP) report that "studies suggest that early neutering is not associated
with serious health problems and does not seem to adversely affect skeletal,
physical, or behavioral development in the cat."
In dogs,
primarily due to a 2013 UC-Davis study in golden retrievers (a breed well known
for increased risk of several cancers, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, and numerous orthopedic problems), there is some debate whether or not spaying and
neutering causes an increase in some diseases.
Spaying
and neutering does decrease the metabolic rate, which will lead to weight gain
(and other associated health problems) if the diet is not adjusted. Spayed
female dogs do have an increased risk of urine incontinence, generally easily
treated with either an estrogen supplement or another medication to improve the
urethral sphincter tone.
Other
diseases that the UC-Davis study suggested are associated with spaying and
neutering are cruciate disease, hip dysplasia, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma,
and hypothyroidism. However, these diseases are still common in the mainly
non-spayed or neutered pet populations in Europe, which makes one question the
full validity of the UC-Davis study.
Dr.
Philip A. Bushby, a professor of humane ethics and animal welfare at the
Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, cautions people
not to ignore a key statement included in the UC-Davis study: “An important
point to make is that the results of this study, being breed-specific (to the
golden retriever, which already has an increased rate of many of the diseases
targeted in the study), with regard to the effects of early and late neutering
cannot be extrapolated to other breeds, or dogs in general.”
Dr.
Bushby also suggests that spaying and neutering is no longer a "one size
fits all" decision. The answers are only simple if the points of interest
are narrowed to one at a time. Regarding overpopulation, the answer is simple:
spay and neuter your pet to avoid more suffering in the homeless pet
population. Regarding many unwanted behaviors, such as urine spraying or
roaming, the answer is again simple: spay and neuter your pets. Regarding the
possibility that early spaying or neutering might affect growth plates and
therefore cause orthopedic problems later in life is a more complex question.
Larger breeds are much more at risk than smaller breeds for many of these issues.
Please
feel free to discuss these issues with our staff. Since this is a complex
issue, different people will choose to do different things, but the choice of
delaying or declining to spay or neuter your pet does increase your
responsibility to ensure you don't add to the already staggering overpopulation
problem. Not spaying or neutering also increases the chances of some diseases
(mammary and testicular cancers, for example), while potentially decreasing the
chances of other diseases.
In
time, the answers may become more clear, or else opinions on the subject will
continue to become more polarized.
Resources
used for this article:
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Websites
of the following organizations - ASPCA, SNAP, SPAYUSA, AAFP
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Johnston,
Shirley D., questions and answers on the effects of surgically neutering dogs
and cats, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol. 198,
1991, pp. 1206 – 1214
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Southwest
Veterinary Symposium 2016 (www.vin.com)
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http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/breaking-down-optimal-spay-neuter-timing-debate
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