Vasectomies for Dogs?

[Guardian]

I had a male dog that had a vasectomy and was ok after that, very strong dog and his character never changed, he was like himself a good guardian and protector and good marvelous friend. Than my female dog that I still have had a very dangerous infection and was force to have a vasectomy, hopefully I arrived in time she was taken in time or she would be dead now. She is still crazy and dynamic, in good health, good humor, very active. I regretted that she had a vasectomy because she is pure bred, a Belgian Shepherd and I would have like to have another dog like her from her. But this is not possible anymore. :(

I'm wondering if we're having a language issue here? Female dogs can not have a vasectomy, that is only for male dogs. A female dog can either be spayed, or more rarely, have a tubal ligation.
A male dog can either be neutered, or more rarely have a vasectomy.

 

[Laura]

Yes, our experience has been, mainly, that they don't even notice anything and the change in behavior is subtle and beneficial. They stop marking things (which is a very difficult thing to break) and just become nicer. They also live longer and seem to have fewer health problems.

 

[loreta]

I had a male dog that had a vasectomy and was ok after that, very strong dog and his character never changed, he was like himself a good guardian and protector and good marvelous friend. Than my female dog that I still have had a very dangerous infection and was force to have a vasectomy, hopefully I arrived in time she was taken in time or she would be dead now. She is still crazy and dynamic, in good health, good humor, very active. I regretted that she had a vasectomy because she is pure bred, a Belgian Shepherd and I would have like to have another dog like her from her. But this is not possible anymore. :(

I'm wondering if we're having a language issue here? Female dogs can not have a vasectomy, that is only for male dogs. A female dog can either be spayed, or more rarely, have a tubal ligation.
A male dog can either be neutered, or more rarely have a vasectomy.

oops , yes, I think we have a problem of language, I am sorry. :/

 

[Z...]

One of the main reasons that this convincing worked is because they didn't do the "old-fashioned lop off the whole scrotum" deal. They do a tiny incision and remove just the testicles, then seal off the pipework before closing the incision. It doesn't even look like anything was removed immediately afterwards, due to swelling. In time, things shrink.

This is pretty much the norm these days, I never heard of removing the whole scrotum, old fashioned way was to make the incision through the scrotum and remove testicles from there but this is now considered non appropriate because of high incidence of postoperative complications mostly infections and swelling. Some vets perhaps still do it this way but its quite rare. Postoperative swelling,called seroma because of the serous liquids that fill the scrotum is to be expected in larger and older dogs with big testicles. Sometimes it can exceed the original size of the testicles and cause some concern in the owners who were not warned about this possibility. It may take up to one month for this swelling to shrink.
It never happens in younger dogs which are castrated before they hit puberty - I always advise doing the operation at this age because there is very little complications, very little pain and recovery is super fast. In most of the cases dogs are up and about happily wagging their tails as soon as 30 minutes after the surgery.
There is no evidence sterilization in puppies affects the growth and body development in any way as previously thought. In shelters we neuter puppies and kittens as young as 2 months.

I use to be quite torn about the issue of sterilization and its ethical implications ( for example if we can snatch the strays from the streets and sterilize them against their will then its ok for aliens to do the same to us) , nowadays I am pretty much convinced dogs and especially cats which are neutered lead happier and healthier lives then those who aren't.

Females have more health benefits from sterilization then males - mostly because of breast cancer and pyometra. Earlier in life operation is done less chanche there is for cancer development later in life. On the other hand earlier the bitch is spayed greater are the chances she will develop urinary incontinence and dribbling later in life. I always make sure to inform the owner about this.
In some dogs sterilization can alter the physique and lead to obesity, but in my opinion this can be avoided with 0 carb diets. Cats are much more prone to obesity after sterilization then dogs.

Many vets perpetuate the myth that male dogs often develop testicular cancer, especially in cases where one or both testicles are retained in abdominal cavity. There is very little evidence to support these claims. I think main benefit in male dogs is less focus on territorial and competitive behavior and therefore more relaxed and stress free dog. Main health benefit in male dogs is prevention and regression ( in cases where they already started developing) of perianal gland tumors after the castration.

 

[Possibility of Being]

A new study on golden retriever shows dog neutering can lead to diseases, especially when done too early.

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498

Golden retriever study suggests neutering affects dog health

Neutering, and the age at which a dog is neutered, may affect the animal’s risk for developing certain cancers and joint diseases, according to a new study of golden retrievers by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The study, which examined the health records of 759 golden retrievers, found a surprising doubling of hip dysplasia among male dogs neutered before one year of age. This and other results were published Feb. 13 in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE.

“The study results indicate that dog owners and service-dog trainers should carefully consider when to have their male or female dogs neutered,” said lead investigator Benjamin Hart, a distinguished professor emeritus in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

“It is important to remember, however, that because different dog breeds have different vulnerabilities to various diseases, the effects of early and late neutering also may vary from breed to breed,” he said.

While results of the new study are revealing, Hart said the relationship between neutering and disease-risk remains a complex issue. For example, the increased incidence of joint diseases among early-neutered dogs is likely a combination of the effect of neutering on the young dog’s growth plates as well as the increase in weight on the joints that is commonly seen in neutered dogs.

Dog owners in the United States are overwhelmingly choosing to neuter their dogs, in large part to prevent pet overpopulation or avoid unwanted behaviors. In the U.S., surgical neutering — known as spaying in females — is usually done when the dog is less than one year old.

In Europe, however, neutering is generally avoided by owners and trainers and not promoted by animal health authorities, Hart said.

During the past decade, some studies have indicated that neutering can have several adverse health effects for certain dog breeds. Those studies examined individual diseases using data drawn from one breed or pooled from several breeds.

Against that backdrop, Hart and colleagues launched their study, using a single hospital database. The study was designed to examine the effects of neutering on the risks of several diseases in the same breed, distinguishing between males and females and between early or late neutering and non-neutering.

The researchers chose to focus on the golden retriever because it is one of the most popular breeds in the U.S. and Europe and is vulnerable to various cancers and joint disorders. The breed also is favored for work as a service dog.

The research team reviewed the records of female and male golden retrievers, ranging in age from 1 to 8 years, that had been examined at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for two joint disorders and three cancers: hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumor. The dogs were classified as intact (not neutered), neutered early (before 12 months age), or neutered late (at or after 12 months age).

Joint disorders and cancers are of particular interest because neutering removes the male dog’s testes and the female’s ovaries, interrupting production of certain hormones that play key roles in important body processes such as closure of bone growth plates, and regulation of the estrous cycle in female dogs.

The study revealed that, for all five diseases analyzed, the disease rates were significantly higher in both males and females that were neutered either early or late compared with intact (non-neutered) dogs.

Specifically, early neutering was associated with an increase in the occurrence of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and lymphosarcoma in males and of cranial cruciate ligament tear in females. Late neutering was associated with the subsequent occurrence of mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma in females.

In most areas, the findings of this study were consistent with earlier studies, suggesting similar increases in disease risks. The new study, however, was the first to specifically report an increased risk of late neutering for mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma.

Furthermore, the new study showed a surprising 100 percent increase, or doubling, of the incidence of hip dysplasia among early-neutered males. Earlier studies had reported a 17 percent increase among all neutered dogs compared to all non-neutered dogs, indicating the importance of the new study in making gender and age-of-neutering comparisons.

 

[Guardian]

A new study on golden retriever shows dog neutering can lead to diseases, especially when done too early.

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498

Wow..good to know since my buddy MIGHT have some golden retriever in him?

I've decided that whether I go with a vasectomy or neutering...I'm not doing anything until he's fully grown and his growth plates have completely closed because of all the hormonal issues I've read about.

He is doing real well with Humpy the horse too, he no longer tries to hump people's legs (or the furniture, or the cat, etc) when he gets "excited" to see them..he goes after Humpy instead. Fortunately I have the kind of friends who aren't bothered by him taking out his exuberance on a stuffed animal. Even when his girlfriend (a spayed female boxer) comes over for a visit, and gets him excited, he goes for the stuffed horse instead of her.

Now Humpy the horse is not fairing so well, and is on his third repair. My pup is getting a LOT bigger too, so I've been shopping for a bigger stuffie at the thrift stores.

Somewhere out there, there's a big stuffed elephant just waiting to be...ahhhh "appreciated"

 

[mcb]

A new study on golden retriever shows dog neutering can lead to diseases, especially when done too early.

http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498

The study did not take diet into account, although they did consider weight (which could be loosely related) and did not find it to be a significant factor. I doubt that you can conclude too much from this IF you have dogs that are fed a close-to-natural (i.e. "canine paleo") diet.

My housemate's golden retriever, that I mentioned above, was not neutered and yet he had major hip problems (I think he was around 14 the last time I saw him). His diet was just dreadful, although I did not know it at the time. We can see the effects of the agricultural-era diet in the human archaeological record, from the effects it had on the skeleton. It seems reasonable to me to think that the effects on dogs would at least be similar.

 

[Guardian]

The study did not take diet into account,

Yeah. that's the main problem I've been running into with all these research papers. None of them take diet into account.

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Hi Guardian. We have had great success with the raw meat diet for our 2 four legged friends. Nature`s Logic is the brand name we get from a holistic pet food store. :D

 

[history]

I would just like to add in to the discussion in case anyone is interested that I had a vasectomy performed on a male cat several years ago because I was concerned about co-opting his free will/ reproductive freedom. It did not end well and I feel it should be a lesson to anyone who has similar concerns/ ideals for cats.

As most of you know, outdoor cats roam freely, unlike most domestic, homed dogs who are restrained by leashes or fences. The vasectomy did not change my cats roaming habits and, most crucially, it did not change his fighting behavior for mates and territory. During one particularly nasty fight, he was infected with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), the most horrid of feline diseases (the vaccine is controversial, ineffective and not recommended), and he died a very painful death at a very young age.

My cats death due to a decision I made for him was one of the saddest moments of my life.

 

[Nienna]

Hi history, welcome to the forum.

We encourage new members to tell a little something about themselves and how they found the forum in the Newbies board.

You don't have to say anything personal. If you are uncertain of what to say, read other members newbie posts to give you an idea of what to write. :)

 

[Guardian]

Hi Guardian. We have had great success with the raw meat diet for our 2 four legged friends. Nature`s Logic is the brand name we get from a holistic pet food store. :D

Both my babies are on an all raw meat (with a little raw egg) diet. I buy the best quality human meats I can afford and chop or grind (for the cat) their food myself. It takes about 7-8 hours to cut up and mix about a month's supply for the both of them, and it's WELL worth the effort! Both are the picture of health, their weighs are perfect, and they have a ton of energy.

I just looked at Nature's Logic dry kibble with the idea of storing some in 5 gallon buckets for an emergency, but I don't like the ingredients...too many vegetables and other stuff. I'm not feeding my babies anything I can't pronounce, or have to look up, so for now my backup is still vacuum sealed bags of dehydrated meat strips and tinned fish (for the cat).

_http://www.natureslogic.com/products/dp_dry_chi.html

INGREDIENTS: Chicken Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat, Pumpkin Seed, Yeast Culture, Spray Dried Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Dried Kelp, Cheese Powder, Spray Dried Porcine Plasma, Dried Tomato, Almonds, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Carrot, Dried Apple, White Fish Meal, Egg Shell Meal, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Apricot, Dried Blueberry, Dried Spinach, Dried Broccoli, Dried Cranberry, Parsley, Dried Artichoke, Rosemary, Mixed Tocopherols, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Bifidium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachtium Fermentation Extract
Direct Fed Microbials*:minimum 100,000,000 CFU per pound (in descending amounts, L. acidophilus, L. casei, B. bifidium, E. faecium, B. coagulans)


Enzymes: Protease* (Aspergillus Niger, var) 1559 Tyrosine units liberated/min/kg, Alpha-amylase* (Aspergillus oryzae) 3.98 dextrinized starch units liberated/min/kg, Lipase* (Aspergillus Niger, var) 19.2 µmol fatty acid liberated/min/kg, Cellulase* (Trichoderma Longibrachtium) 82.5 µg Tyrosine liberated/min/k

 

[Guardian]

I would just like to add in to the discussion in case anyone is interested that I had a vasectomy performed on a male cat several years ago because I was concerned about co-opting his free will/ reproductive freedom. It did not end well and I feel it should be a lesson to anyone who has similar concerns/ ideals for cats.

Thank you for the information! This is good to know if I'm ever faced with the choice for a cat. (my rescue kittie was already spayed when I got her)

As Laura pointed out earlier, my pup shows NO signs of wanting to wander, in fact, quite the opposite is true. He doesn't want to be out of my sight at all, if I come inside, he wants inside too. If I'm busy on the 'puter and he has to pottie, he rings the bells hanging on the door knob and I have to stand on the porch until he's done. If I even get up and go into another room...so does he.

Of course this may just be a phase (he's about 7 months old) but for now, he's velcro puppy.

 

[history]

Hi history, welcome to the forum.

We encourage new members to tell a little something about themselves and how they found the forum in the Newbies board.

You don't have to say anything personal. If you are uncertain of what to say, read other members newbie posts to give you an idea of what to write. :)

Thank you, Nienna. I have posted in the newbie thread.

:)

 

[history]

I would just like to add in to the discussion in case anyone is interested that I had a vasectomy performed on a male cat several years ago because I was concerned about co-opting his free will/ reproductive freedom. It did not end well and I feel it should be a lesson to anyone who has similar concerns/ ideals for cats.

Thank you for the information! This is good to know if I'm ever faced with the choice for a cat. (my rescue kittie was already spayed when I got her)

As Laura pointed out earlier, my pup shows NO signs of wanting to wander, in fact, quite the opposite is true. He doesn't want to be out of my sight at all, if I come inside, he wants inside too. If I'm busy on the 'puter and he has to pottie, he rings the bells hanging on the door knob and I have to stand on the porch until he's done. If I even get up and go into another room...so does he.

Of course this may just be a phase (he's about 7 months old) but for now, he's velcro puppy.

Hi Guardian,

Your pup sounds like a very good friend.

There are some disputed health benefits to spaying or neutering (reduced reproductive cancers, for one) but in America where I am originally from, it is done much too early and causes stunted growth patterns and other later in life dis-eases/disorders. Reproductive hormones are needed not just for reproduction but also for proper muscle development and other body systems to function as intended. Removing the body's capacity to produce those hormones before an animal is fully grown is not optimal.

From all the scientific and practical evidence, it does seem that spay/neuter is appropriate in most circumstances but waiting until one year of age again in most circumstances is ideal. Think about a "tom cat" and how their faces are much more lion like than usually any neutered cats face and musculature will be. That bigger and "more masculine" development comes from testosterone and the other hormones that are dramatically reduced by early neuters.

Also, even though your 7 month old pup is a velcro pup now, that may change as he feels more of the need to breed. You may be able to restrict his movements so that he does not breed but he will still have the urge and that can be exhausting for an animal that does not have the opportunity.

I am hopeful that some day we will be able to ask them what they choose for themselves- a possibly much shorter life of complete freedom or a longer life living with us with some significant restrictions.

All the best to you both.