Is it ethical or safe to neuter/spay pets?

[Lay Vegan]

Not sure if this topic has already been discussed, but I recently came across 2 epidemiological studies (published in the journal of veterinary medicine and science and PLOS ONE) which show that spaying and neutering dogs, particularly at a young age, can cause serious negative long-term health effects.

The studies show that neutered dogs have far greater instances of joint problems and cancer. Osteosarcoma, lymphoma, hip dysplasia, and cranial cruciate ligament tear (CCL) were most commonly associated with early neutering. It also appears that the younger a dog is after being neutered, the more likely that he/she will develop these joint problems and specific cancers later in life. There is also little evidence that spaying female dogs decreases their risk in developing mammary cancer.

Granted, the studies were only on larger dog breeds, like German Shepards and Golden Retrievers, so there's no telling how this could affect smaller dog breeds, and certainly not cats. However this does raise the question of whether or not it is ethical to continue pushing the broad sterilization of cats and dogs when research is showing that neutered dogs may be at increased risk of long-term health problems.

Despite this, numerous American nonprofits, like the ASPCA and HSUS, in an effort to control the pet population, push for Americans to spay/neuter their pets at young ages. They often sight some of the benefits as less aggression in male dogs and the absence of the heat cycle in females. Benefits certainly exist, but do they outweigh the risks? Should we perhaps be encouraging owners to wait at least a year before having their pets neutered spayed? What are the ethical implications? Is this practice safe?


What are your thoughts?


Studies referenced:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4096726/
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055937

[brimstoneSalad]

We need to encourage early neutering/spaying because waiting until sexual maturity can often be too late. Either the dog will find a way to breed, get loose, or the owner might change his or her mind.

Yes, it's technically possible to take safety measures and prevent your dog from getting out to mate, or prevent another dog getting in, but for most people that's a considerable risk considering typical competence of pet owners.

It's something of a "white lie" to exaggerate the health benefits of early spaying/neutering and play down the risks to get it done ASAP (it may not even be a lie depending on how it's worded, although the apparent omission can be concerning).

The problem is that telling them that for the dog it's probably best to wait a couple months does very little to prepare owners for the responsibility of doing that and they may assume keeping a dog from mating is easier than it is and overestimate their own commitment and competence at the risk of creating more unwanted animals.

[Lay Vegan]

We need to encourage early neutering/spaying because waiting until sexual maturity can often be too late. Either the dog will find a way to breed, get loose, or the owner might change his or her mind.

Would this be rational? Research is showing our pets are suffering as a result of neutering too soon. Sure, the longer pet owners wait to have their pets sterilized, the less likely they might be to go through with the procedure, but do those risks outweigh the long-term health effects of neutering our pets too soon? Rather than blindly telling pet owners to have their pets neutered ASAP, I think there are many factors to consider, like breed, genetics, and age. Yes, I want the feral pet population to decrease and eventually vanish but perhaps not at the expense of currently living animals. I've heard in Europe, neutering is less commonly practiced in earlier ages, it would be useful if I could see how Europe compares to America in numbers of feral cats and dogs.

Yes, it's technically possible to take safety measures and prevent your dog from getting out to mate, or prevent another dog getting in, but for most people that's a considerable risk considering typical competence of pet owners.

The problem is that telling them that for the dog it's probably best to wait a couple months does very little to prepare owners for the responsibility of doing that and they may assume keeping a dog from mating is easier than it is and overestimate their own commitment and competence at the risk of creating more unwanted animals.

I don't have pets, so it's hard for me to empathize, but it's truly shocking that pet owners aren't competent enough to control their pets for at least one year before having their pets neutered. Especially seeing that it may be better for their health. But as you suggest, most people are not very competent. And there's no doubt that spaying/neutering decreases the amount of unwanted babies. More research is certainly needed to investigate how neutering causes these conditions, and of course, adopting over shopping could help to offset this issue, as most animals in shelters are automatically spayed and neutered. Buying from breeders will definitely increase the number of animals needing to be sterilized. It's all one big mess, lol.

[brimstoneSalad]

do those risks outweigh the long-term health effects of neutering our pets too soon?

I think that has been the implicit consensus. It doesn't seem to be talked about that much, but the quiet culture of neuter and spay ASAP among vets (who certainly do care about animals, even if just about pets) seems to reflect that.

I'd lean on what the professionals recommend, because they probably have more insight on the issue overall.

Yes, I want the feral pet population to decrease and eventually vanish but perhaps not at the expense of currently living animals. I've heard in Europe, neutering is less commonly practiced in earlier ages, it would be useful if I could see how Europe compares to America in numbers of feral cats and dogs.

There's a different culture in Europe, unfortunately too many variables. In many areas there simply isn't a feral problem, possibly because the governments there resolve it before it becomes one?

If we could start from scratch the high degree of caution might not be necessary. Dealing with small populations is much easier.
And we might need some form of dog and cat registration to hold owners accountable for escapes and breeding.

Until the law catches up, or there's another way to resolve the problem, I don't think we should act against the current consensus in neuter/spay culture.

I don't have pets, so it's hard for me to empathize, but it's truly shocking that pet owners aren't competent enough to control their pets for at least one year before having their pets neutered.

A lot of it probably has to do with back-yards in the U.S. It's common for dogs to escape by digging under fences, or chewing through the wood/just breaking planks off.

Wood fences can not reliably hold dogs when they're determined to get out... particularly during mating season.

as most animals in shelters are automatically spayed and neutered. Buying from breeders will definitely increase the number of animals needing to be sterilized. It's all one big mess, lol.

Well that may need to be law, a lot of shelters just ask people adopting the animals to spay/neuter them, due to the expense and because if an animal isn't adopted it has to be euthanized and that investment is lost.

Breeding probably needs to be banned.