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Sad but true. Lots of people who can barely take care of themselves, and who cannot afford proper pet care, are nonetheless breeding away. Lot of so called designer breeds are coming from such sources are are poorer bred versions of the highly popular breeds. Interestingly, reputable breeders will make you sign a contract you will spay / neuter within X months, if the purchase is not for setting up breeding / is a pet purchase.
Many reputable breeders of large breeds are now suggesting to not spay/neuter until the pup is mature and growth plates closed. Many even demand it in their contract.
And I think that's where I started to get a creepy "non-vac" vibe from the author. MOST dogs eat kibble, MOST dogs are probably over vaccinated, MOST dogs are treated with flea and tick killer (and heartworm preventatives)...and many are probably neutered. But I would find it just as likely that neutering is MUCH less likely to be the cause of the problems.
I agree that most vaccinations are given at a "one size fits all" approach. I agree that neutering is also suggested at those schedules. I also agree that as an owner, I choose to vaccinate my dogs less. I also don't generally use flea or tick solutions (because my dog really is an indoor dog), and, given some of this view on neutering, I might wait to neuter a pup (should I ever get one of those again).
Jumpindogs, you go on to note that you take a very holistic approach to the care of your dogs. That's great and it's what works for you...but I would venture to say that MOST owners take a much more mainstream view of pet life. My dog is a part of my family and I love him no less because I feed him kibble and rely very much on 'western' veterinary medicine.
I have no problem with the shared info and would change my suggestions about neutering to be something along the lines of - "talk to your vet about the risks (both short term and long term) of neutering before scheduling that for your pup". For an older rescue dog, I would not hesitate to have them neutered. My boy was about 18 mos when he got snipped.
Not sure why a "non-vac" vibe would be "creepy" but I think I get what you are saying. The author definitely writes from a holistic viewpoint. That doesn't mean he disregards traditional medicine but it might flavor his perspective.
BTW, I did not write that I take a "very holistic approach". I wrote "I tend combo holistic/traditional". I mention this because I try hard to write exactly what I mean so it is frustrating when people misinterpret what I write. I hope you don't consider me "very holistic" and thus assume that I am one of those types who feels that people who feed kibble and rely on Western medicine love their dogs less. I am not.
My very early decision to stop annual vaccinations in favor of periodic titering had very little to do with holistic and everything to do with my science brain well versed in immunohematology and curious as to why we don't annually vaccinate people. Lest anyone misinterpret what I wrote, I do initially vaccinate my puppies/dogs and believe that vaccinations save lives.
As someone who has worked professionally with dogs my entire life, I have seen first-hand, over and over and over and infinitum, the horrible health consequences of early spay and neuters.
I'm not even going to debate it here. K9 professionals with years of experience know the truth via real-life experience following thousands of dogs over their lifespans... not just regurgitating group-think and blog fluff pieces on the internet written by questionable random people.
I could write a book, so I wont even debate the issue...
Yup. Early spay/neuters totally suck for the dogs.
Obviously the people who came up with that harebrained idea considered dogs lab animals to experiment on. Pathetic and sad.
I've had an 'oops' bred with my dogs. They were two GSP's unrelated so no biggie. They all turned out to be great pups and good hunters. That was 01/01/2014 at 1:00a.m.- never forget the birth date of those little guys!
Why is everyone talking about this like it is all or nothing? I have a 4 month old male Labrador. I am looking at my options. If he makes it threw training he will become my service dog and I will probably train him for agility. I want the benefits of testosterone especially to protect his Cranial Cruciate Ligaments. I am worried about other dogs' aggression towards an intact male. I am undecided on how I am going to sterilize him but he will be sterile before he turns 2 years old.
Neutering is not the only way to prevent oops puppies. Dogs can get vasectomies. It is more common in Europe but there are some vets in the US who have learned to do it. Unfortunately US vet school do not teach vasectomies. The surgery is less invasive (no cutting blood vessels or removing parts) and preserves the testosterone. The other option I know of was already mentioned in a very brief post zinc castration. A single injection into each testicle causes scars to form blocking the passage of sperm. No surgery and only a 30-50% drop in testosterone production. These options do leave the testicles so it is possible there could be testicular cancer but very few dogs die of testicular cancer because it is easily caught with regular exams and rarely spreads. Some people will object to leaving testosterone because of male behaviors. I view this as a training issue. My last service dog was neutered at 11 months. I never had trouble with male behaviors but now that he is retired and living with the training destroyer (my father) he marks everything outside, pulls on walks following the trail of girls in heat and protects his girlfriend (my parents' spayed terrier) from male dogs.
In case you are wondering I am female and I do not like the look of dogs with balls but my dog's health comes before my esthetic preferences.
For female dogs there is the option of an ovary sparing spay. She will still go through heats attracting male but there is no bloody discharge and no risk of pregnancy. There is a low risk of a stump pyometra if the vet misses some of the uterus. There is still a risk of false pregnancies which can be annoying.
I am not saying pet owners should not get traditional spay/neuters. I am saying there are other options out there for people who are looking.
Why is everyone talking about this like it is all or nothing? I have a 4 month old male Labrador. I am looking at my options. If he makes it threw training he will become my service dog and I will probably train him for agility. I want the benefits of testosterone especially to protect his Cranial Cruciate Ligaments. I am worried about other dogs' aggression towards an intact male. I am undecided on how I am going to sterilize him but he will be sterile before he turns 2 years old.
Neutering is not the only way to prevent oops puppies. Dogs can get vasectomies. It is more common in Europe but there are some vets in the US who have learned to do it. Unfortunately US vet school do not teach vasectomies. The surgery is less invasive (no cutting blood vessels or removing parts) and preserves the testosterone. The other option I know of was already mentioned in a very brief post zinc castration. A single injection into each testicle causes scars to form blocking the passage of sperm. No surgery and only a 30-50% drop in testosterone production. These options do leave the testicles so it is possible there could be testicular cancer but very few dogs die of testicular cancer because it is easily caught with regular exams and rarely spreads. Some people will object to leaving testosterone because of male behaviors. I view this as a training issue. My last service dog was neutered at 11 months. I never had trouble with male behaviors but now that he is retired and living with the training destroyer (my father) he marks everything outside, pulls on walks following the trail of girls in heat and protects his girlfriend (my parents' spayed terrier) from male dogs.
In case you are wondering I am female and I do not like the look of dogs with balls but my dog's health comes before my esthetic preferences.
Thanks for the great post.
I looked into ovary sparing spay and vasectomy (snip)...we have only one veterinarian in the entire southern half of my state who does them. She is likely the only vet in our state who does but that's just a guess. They quoted me ballpark figures for a 25-30 pound dog of $700 for the OSS and $450 for the snip. I should've asked their cost for a routine spay and neuter to get a comparison. Darn.
Our state's vet school does not teach nor perform small animal OSS and snip...just as you explained...so the typical advantage of living close to a vet school doesn't apply. Interesting, though, that they do perform the procedures in their large animal practice.
I very much like this website since the owner provides accurate pros and cons of most breeds. It's a great place to begin researching dog breeds. But tonight I discovered that she also presents a really good analysis of the spay/neuter issue.
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