You’ve probably heard that spaying or neutering your dog is absolutely necessary. The arguments in favor of spaying and neutering dogs are compelling, including reducing overpopulation, minimizing health problems, and combating behavioral problems. However, as many people are beginning to realize, not all treatments are suitable for all dogs.
Before you make an irreversible decision for your dog, you should know about some of the side effects that spaying or neutering can have on your dog. Once you have all the information for and against this procedure, you can decide what is best for your dog.
10 reasons why you shouldn’t spay or neuter your dog
1. May cause weight gain
Spaying or neutering your dog will lower its hormone levels. These hormones often affect a dog’s metabolic rate, and when these hormones are reduced, so is the dog’s metabolism. This leads to a decrease in energy.
If you overfeed your dog or don’t get enough exercise, it’s very likely that your dog will gain weight. In fact, spayed or neutered pets can be nearly twice as likely to suffer from obesity. Additionally, your dog may have an increased appetite after surgery and may be more likely to gain weight.
2. Ligament rupture may be more likely
Ligament tears are painful and difficult injuries to recover from. If your dog tears a ligament in his foot, he may not be able to walk for a month or more after surgery.
Spaying or neutering your dog can increase the risk of this type of injury. According to Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, spayed females are most at risk for ligament tears, followed by spayed males.1 Intact male dogs are at the lowest risk.
3. May increase the chance of hip dysplasia
Spaying or neutering your dog too early increases the risk of developing hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is a complication that causes loosening and displacement of the hip joint. This causes pain and dysfunction, including limping, lameness, hopping, difficulty moving, and awkward sitting.
One study found that dogs that were neutered before the age of one were twice as likely to suffer from hip dysplasia.2
Certain breeds of dogs, such as large dogs, are at a higher risk of developing hip dysplasia. If your dog falls into one of these high-risk breeds, you may want to reconsider spaying or neutering your dog.
4. May cause urinary incontinence
A risk associated with spaying/neutering is urinary incontinence. This means we may need to expect more urinary incidents in the home than before. It has been shown that early sterilization in women may increase the likelihood of urinary incontinence.
5. Your dog may develop hypothyroidism
Because spaying/neutering removes your dog’s gonads, your dog’s endocrine organs may also be affected.
According to Cornell University’s Richard P. Riney Center for Canine Health, hypothyroidism may be more prevalent in spayed females and neutered males.3 This is a condition in which dogs do not produce enough thyroid hormone. Clinical symptoms associated with hypothyroidism include weight gain, lethargy, and chronic infections.
6. May increase the chance of developing cancer
This may sound scary, but having your dog spayed or neutered can increase their chances of developing certain cancers. Spaying or neutering your dog can reduce certain types of cancers related to the reproductive system. However, the same procedure may increase your risk of developing other cancers. For example, spayed female dogs are five times more likely to develop heart cancer.
7. May be more likely to suffer from anxiety
According to research, Neutering may be associated with increased fear and anxiety levels in dogs. Common fear behaviors in dogs include unwanted urination or defecation, panting, pacing, destruction, and excessive vocalization.
8. Your dog may develop pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. This can cause serious problems such as loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, lethargy, dehydration, and even irreversible damage to your dog’s digestive system. According to research According to a paper published by the American Veterinary Medical Association, being spayed or neutered is one of the factors that increases the chance of pancreatitis in dogs.
9. Aggression problems can get worse
It is often said that neutering helps quell aggressive behavior, but in recent years there has been some contradictory evidence to the contrary. Some studies have shown that neutering male dogs too early can increase aggression.
Aggression is a serious problem. More than 1 million people are bitten by dogs each year. The number is probably even higher due to the number of unreported cases.
10. May affect your dog’s lifespan
It’s scary to think that spaying or neutering can have a negative effect on your dog’s lifespan, but there is some evidence to support the idea. a study An experiment on Rottweilers found that females who were spayed during the first four years of life had a shorter life expectancy. On the other hand, neutered dogs are more likely to live longer compared to dogs whose fertility is intact.
Alternatives to spaying/neutering
After reading about some of the possible side effects of spaying/neutering, you may be hesitant to have your dog undergo this procedure, even if you don’t want your dog to reproduce. Thankfully, there are alternatives to spaying/neutering.
Ovariectomy is an alternative to sterilization. In spaying, the ovaries and uterus are removed, but in ovariectomy, only the ovaries are removed. Vasectomy, on the other hand, is an alternative to castration. These options allow you to neuter your dog with minimal impact on hormone production.
conclusion
Which surgery is best for your dog: spay/neuter or ovariectomy/vasectomy? The truth is, it’s unclear at this point which procedure is best for your dog. While spay/neuter may work well for some dogs, others may need an alternative. Ultimately, your veterinarian will help you decide which surgery is best for your pet.
Featured image credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A, Shutterstock
