Spaying/Neutering, do the benefits always outweigh the risks? (Not about pet overpopulation but for the dog)?

This is not a controlling pet overpopulation but about the individual dog. So forget for a moment that pet overpopulation is an issue.

I was reading this:

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

And it got me wondering if the benefits of spaying/neutering really do outweigh the risks.

This right here is enough to make me want to do more research or atleast hold out on spaying/neutering until my dog is older:

" The evidence shows that spay/neuter correlates with both positive AND adverse health effects in dogs. It also suggests how much we really do
not yet understand about this subject.
On balance, it appears that no compelling case can be made for neutering most male dogs, especially immature male dogs, in order to prevent future health problems. The number of health problems associated with neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases.

On the positive side, neutering male dogs
• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer
• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)
On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the female dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds.

On the positive side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common
malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female
dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk (0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors
On the negative side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by
a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many
associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs
spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations."

So when do the benefits outweigh the risks and when do the risks outweigh the benefits?

How to know what the best decision for your individual dog is?
ADD: I’ve always had my dogs spayed/neutered by 6 months of age so this is an eye opening question for me

What is better for my dogs health is a bigger concern to me then pet overpopulation at the moment? (A responsible pet owner can keep an intact dog and not have any accidental litters)
All my dogs come from shelters so chances are I won’t face this because they usually come to me spayed/neutered

Good question. The truth is that spaying/neutering isn’t the healthiest thing for dogs. But the truth that tops that one is that about 98% of the population isn’t nearly responsible enough to prevent their intact dogs from breeding. That’s why people on here preach spaying and neutering. Hang out here for a while and read the dozens of questions daily by backyard breeders who haven’t a clue how to do anything breeding related, yet they blithely put their b1tch’s life at risk.

For a responsible dog owner, there’s no reason to spay/neuter. The only dogs I’ve ever owned who’ve been spayed/neutered have been rescues who came that way. I’ve also spayed older b1tches because it does cut down on the chances of cancer and pyometra.

I’ve never neutered any of my males and have also never had an accidental litter.

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We have a 13 year old male whippet who is incontinent and will pee and poop indoors even shortly after coming back from outside. We take him out often, so his accidents are definitely due to incontinence. He’s been to the vet and is on heart meds and diuretics, which make the incontinence worse, but he really needs them. We have tried regular doggie disposable diapers but he hates them and tears them off as quickly as we put it on him. Any suggestions? I’ve heard of people using toddler pull up diapers and cutting a hole for the tail? Has anyone ever tried that? We just feel very bad for the poor dog, we wake up everyday to a feces-smeared bed. He’s otherwise fine, he’s still a happy dog so euthanasia is not in our plans. Thanks for your helpful advice!

Has the vet confirmed incontinence or are you self diagnosing?

It may not actually be that, or there could be medication to improve his condition.
My female poodle has urinary incontinence and she is on a liquid medication that about 90% fixed the problem.

IF you really have been given the all clear by a vet then yes toddlers diapers with a hole cut for the tail work quite well. A friend of mine uses them on her shih tzu, she also had a male show dog who constantly pees in the house… she uses a wide elastic band and a womens sanitary pad over his penis.
They get used to it eventually it just takes time.

urinalysis showed no abnormalities

Have you had your prostate looked at lately – this could be your problem

This summer we are moving and in the fall i will start high school. I was born with nerve damage in my spine and so i can walk but im bad at sports and i can’t control my sphincters. So I have to wear a diaper all the time. I want to keep this a secret at my new school. But can I do this? Is it possible to keep a secret like this in high school?

Yes it is possible. Just don’t tell anyone. I mean it. Don’t. Once you trust that info to someone it will be spread around like wildfire.

I have a problem, I’m a 16 year old male, and for no reason what so ever, I’ve been randomly wetting my pants. It’s been happening pretty frequently for the past 2 weeks. I’ve been hiding it from my mom and dad, but I don’t know how much longer I can hide it. I homeschool, so I don’t have to worry about all the school crap as much. What do I do? Is there some way I can fix it or something? I really want to go back outside without worrying about this stuff, please hurry.
P.S. I hate doctors, so is there a way I can like fix it without doctor?

You need to tell your mum and dad. Sudden incontinence needs to be checked out. It can the result of an infection, problem with the sphincter that keeps the bladder closed. an impingement of the nerve that sends the message to your brain, that you need to go and other things. It needs to be sorted out a s a p. Its probably not serious, but if it is, then hoping it will go away by itself isn’t going to help.

I have an 8 month old puppy.

I noticed on her evening walk today that after she urinated properly, whilst we were walking along she would stop every so often and squat as if going to the toilet again but only tiny drops were showing on the pavement.

I’ve never heard of a bitch that scents just like an un-castrated male would, but it seems a bit like she is scenting or she has a UTI.

Although saying that, I don’t know if the symptoms of a dogs UTI are the same as a human one, I know that when I have a UTI, I sometimes feel like I haven’t completely emptied my bladder even though I have.

She is spayed, she’s been spayed for 2 months and I’ve only just noticed it so I don’t think that it’s the incontinence that can sometimes be a side effect of being spayed (although I realise it could be).

Has anyone else been through this with their dog?

(I will book an appointment for her at the vets if I need to, I just want some opinions)

Some female dogs mark for scent (mine has the route worked out exactly where it needs to be done) but what you’re describing sounds like a UTI or maybe some kind of submissive urination. Was the little puppy sending you Calming Signals at the time: eg. licking her lips, turning her head from you?
Anyway, get the vet to check for UTI you don’t wnat their kidneys to get compromised.

I have/had prostate cancer and had a radical prostatectomy. I now have incontinence and am looking for something better then diapers. I see a system that allows urine to be ported to a storage bag and penis clamps. Any suggestions?

Sorry you got such lame responses. I can’t offer you information, but I do want to tell you to hang in there.
Try a medical forum, where ppl might be a bit more grown up.

I am 33 yrs old male and I went through hemorrhoidectomy and lateral anal sphincterotomy one week ago. I hve no other complications than mild incontinence and mild pain while passing stool. I am currently under medication and taking sitz bath thrice a day.

My question is how long the stitch will take to get dissolved completely and when I’ll be able to resume penile masturbation?

Hey there!!

With whatever you describe, it looks you had hemorrhoids as well as fissure in Ano.. As you are saying that there were no complications and you are taking sitz thrice and everything is fine otherwise then I think it will take atleast another week for you to be able to resume that But I would strongly recommend you to abstain from it for another 2 weeks!!

The reason for this is as you have underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy your pelvic floor will be raw and week.. Let it gain some strenght then you can have that all throughout your life!!

I have a client who believes that there is no treatment for this

What does his doctor have to say about this? I mean, he should be the one your ‘client’ needs to speak to

Does anyone have personal experience with both goodnites and tena brand pullups?

Background: I’m male, 152 lbs and have used goodnites during the daytime with fair success. I have urge-type incontinence which translates to 2-3 ‘mild’ accidents throughout the daytime, and the goodnites have been perfect (male-incontinence shields bunch up and leak). At night, I use the Tena diapers, and have now started considering the pullups for daytime use. They are advertised as close-fitting to the body and basically undetectable (why I like the goodnites); however, I’m wondering about their performance.

Again, the goodnites have worked very well for me, however, the baby-ish designs occasionally get to me; though I’ve accepted this as part of my life (at least for now), I would like to feel abit more ‘adult.’ I have a very supportive GF, but sometimes I’m embarrassed when she sees me in the ‘baby’ diapers, less so in the adult diapers.

Any ’serious’ advice is appreciated.

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