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Last updated:
December 24, 2008

Interesting Quotes:

"In the last 4-5 years, parvovirus in the US has been the biggest problem for kennels, even in vaccinated dogs."
(Foster-Smith Pet
Catalog, Vol. 03-57)

***

"She was a seven-month-old, gorgeous, taupe-colored devil in dogs clothing. But I loved her."
(Paul Loeb)

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"The diet of our companion animals is deplorable. So many dogs and cats eat out of bags full of poor ingredients, rancid fats and powerful preservatives."
(Don Hamilton, DVM
from Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs)

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Command; he thee obeys most readily.
Strike him; he whines and falls down at thy feet.
Call him; he leaves his game and comes to thee
With wagging tail,
offering his service meek.

If so thou wilt, a collar he will wear;
And when thou wish to take it off again,
Unto thy feet he crouchest down most fair,
As if thy will were all his good and gain.
(J. Molle)

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"The more confidence you have in your dog, the more he will believe in you."
(From: Smarter Than You Think, by Paul Loeb)

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"The housebound dog leads a stressed existence. It cannot express its natural behaviors: stalking, chasing, exploring, investigating."
(From: The Dog's Mind, by Bruce Fogle)

CANINE HEALTH: Early Neutering ??

"Luka," nine months old

"Castration weakens all dogs to some degree." So says Leon F. Whitney, D.V.M. He goes on to explain: "Castration, whether of dogs or bitches, produces marked changes over the normal. The earlier the operation is performed, the more marked are the changes. It is definitely preferable to wait until the dog is sexually mature before having the operation performed."

We at Courageous Caucasians do not neuter our puppies before sending them off to their new home. Yes, there are advantages to spaying and castration, but we recommend that our puppies at least be physically mature before neutering. In CO's, this can be as long as 1-1/2 to 2 years. In fact, early neutering of a puppy from our kennel may result in voiding our Puppy Health Contract.

Many breeders and show dog owners feel that the hormones exist in our animals for a reason, and that their absence has repercussions. They feel that early neutering does not let the animal mature into what he/she might have otherwise become. In one breeder's opinion, "The dog may grow a nice body, but the head is always small and feminine. Bitches who are spayed early can take on a male shape, and the coat is often courser."

Passing through fences is a skill every ranch dog must learn.....

Disadvantages of spaying in females include the menopausal symptoms of discomfort, weight gain/water retention, dandruff, hot spots, looser skin, looking older, incontinence.  Most of the dogs with allergies tend to be those who have been altered compared to whole animals.

.....Except that "Rudi" doesn't just pass through fences.....

There are many breeders and rescue operations and also veterinarians that disagree with this point of view, and I get a lot of "flack" from some of them. But ask yourself a few questions such as:

Women who go through menopause (a secession of female hormone estrogen production) are often worried about arthrosclerosis and other bone problems. What about a young puppy. Don't you think he/she needs their hormones to grow and develop properly?

......He flies through them!

Would you castrate your ten-year-old son?

Would you allow your 8 year-old daughter to have a hysterectomy?

The following excerpt is taken from Little River Labs Web site: (www.littleriverlabs.com ).

Yes, neutering prior to beginning of estrus does reduce risk of mammary cancer in females, but it also significantly increases risk for urinary incontinence in bitches which predisposes these bitches to diethylstilbestrol (DES) dependency (Stocklin-Gautschi et al., J. Reprod. Fertile, Suppl. 57:233-6, 2001 and many other references) -- in some instances, DES is not effective at controlling incontinence and will force some owners to elect euthanasia. Though with lesser risk compared to females, early neutering also increases risk of urethral sphincter incontinence in males (A. Aaron et al., Vet Rec. 139:542-6, 1996).

With regard to cancer, spayed females have a four-times greater risk for developing cardiac hemangiosarcomas (vascular tumors) compared to intact females (neutered males also show a significant increase in risk for these tumors compared to intact males) (Ware and Hysper, J. Vet. Intern. Med. 13:95-103, 1999. Additionally, both neutered males and females have a two-fold greater risk for developing bone tumors (osteosarcoma) compared to intact males and females (Ru et al., Vet J. 156:31-9, 1998.)

Some evidence suggests that early neutering may also predispose to endocrine disorders later in life (Panciera DL. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., 204:761-7, 1994.). Furthermore, there is also an indication that early neutering (because absence of sex hormones delays maturation of osteoclasts and thus results in delayed closing of the growth plates in the long bones) may predispose to increased risk for various orthopedic disorders such as cruciate ligament disease. Also some evidence suggests that there is a correlation between increased time for growth plate closure and incidence of Hip Dysplasia (Todhunter et al. J. Am Vet. Assoc., 1997.).

If one conducted a research of the literature of the detrimental effects on physiological development associated with sex hormone deficiencies during adolescent development in any species other than the dog and cat, one will find a wealth of literature stressing the importance of sex hormones for sound physiological, endocrine and metabolic development. Additionally, if one examines the scientific research that reports the benefits of early neutering in absence of any side-effects in dogs, one will discover that the methodology of these studies are designed in very specific ways to assure that outcome in neutering is presented in a favorable light. This does not mean that the data is biased; this simply means that the comparisons made do not provide for adequate interpretation of long term effects of neutering.

In light of this, though it is understandable for vets/breeders to urge dog owners to neuter their pets early with regard to the greater good (i.e. reducing risk of accidental breeding), the physiological soundness of the individual dog should take precedence over any other issues.

Always on guard

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