Spay and Neuter

For many years (decades) there has been a very organized push for the spay and neuter of pets that owners have no intention of breeding. While the intent is to reduce the numbers of stray and unwanted animals, I sometimes wonder about the effectiveness of current approaches - and some of the unintended consequences.

Most rescues and shelters now spay/neuter before adopting out any dog (or cat). While that sounds fine, this priority means some dogs are now being spayed/neutered as early as 8 weeks of age - yes you read that right - 8 weeks of age. While I'm not a Vet, I've had Vets tell me that these early spay/neuter procedures are very risky for young animals. Other Vets are seeing growth, development, and other longevity issues associated with this practice.

The standard age for spaying/neutering dogs in this areas seems to be around 6 months of age IME. At this age some Vets feel the surgery carries minimal risk as reproductive tissues are not yet highly vascularized. Other Vets, however, feel that this may be too early for some dogs, especially giant breeds that may benefit from additional hormonal influence during skeletal maturation.

In a video seminar I viewed last year from John Rogerson, he brought up several other interesting points. First, well trained dogs can live happily intact for their entire lifetime without posing any risk to pet over-population. Hormonal influences do not over-ride good training. In many cultures owners have their intact dogs with them throughout a day - these dogs are not ranging, wild, or otherwise unable to function due to a continual drive to procreate.

Also, he pointed out that the proliferation of spay and neutering is most profound among mixed breed dogs or mutts. These dogs account for a vast majority of the dog population, especially those in shelters and rescues. In reality, many mutts would actually provide very good genetic material for the canine gene pool. They often have excellent temperaments, and their mixed genetic make-up can bring additional vigor and health to the table.

While spay and neuter programs have good intentions, they currently aren't ebbing the flow of pet overpopulation. They may also contribute to short and long term health and development issues for some individual dogs, while depleting quality in the gene pool for all dogs.

I AM NOT ADVOCATING ABOLISHING SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAMS, but I am offering some items for consideration as this is not a simple problem with a simple solution. In an ideal world there would be no tough decisions - in this world there are. Could more robust owner and pet education, in conjunction with spay/neuter timing adjusted for the best health of an individual animal, offer additional benefits to dogs in our world?