Neutering Issues

On This Page:

* Early spaying- Good Idea???- This is my first paper on the subject and is in the form of a forum post that I placed on numerous Internet pet forums. I will be adding to this important section as time allows.

* The Negative Aspects of Neutering Your Pet- This is great summary of the currently known medical drawbacks of spaying or neutering our pets that was put together by my good friend, Jeannie Thomason, of Animal Talk Naturally and The Whole Dog. Certainly, we need to control the unwanted pet population but the responsible pet owner needs to understand the ill-effects of dramatically reducing their pet's sex hormones through gonadectomy, especially at the early age that is oftentimes recommended by the staunch advocates of neutering or even their veterinarian. This is very important information that will impact the quality and length your pet's life.

Hi Everyone,

Here is something I posted on another forum that I thought you might be interested in. This is a hot topic...or at least should be.

Get ready. This is gonna be a bit different. (The only problem is that I concentrated on spaying when the poster was talking about neutering her male. I got confused. BUT, all that I wrote applies to BOTH sexes, as progesterone is produced by the testicles and ovaries.)

I hope it helps,

John

*****************

[I][B]Original Post-[/B]

I *think* E. is finally ready to be neutered. But I admit, I'm very nervous about this and keep putting off the phone call. For those of you that don't know, E. has EPI and food allergies. Both seem to be under control now and have been for a few months. E. went from 74 lbs down to 62 lbs. His last weigh in 2 weeks ago was at 68.6 lbs.My vet thinks that E. being underweight is a non-issue. I know this is probably a good time to do this because everything seems to be under control.

But what if I'm wrong? What if there is an underlying issue that I don't know about and putting him under the knife makes it flair up? What if putting him under the knife causes some kind of distress and I lose him? I don't have humping or wandering issues with E.. He's with us at all times and is not off-leash outside of our yard.

Am I being an over-protective worry-wart? Should I wait until he regains all his weight and really be sure he's stable? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.[/I]

*****************

[B]My response-[/B]

Hi T.,

Well, I was just about to hit some golf balls on my day off...'til I saw this post.

Here is the latest news flash for all of you. Get ready 'cause this is going to be a JOLT until you understand it. Then it should make all of the sense in the world to you (except for what you have been told in the past). Ready???

Spaying and neutering can be one of the most detrimental things we can do to the health of the dog (or cat...OR PERSON!!!), especially those who have been fighting chronic illnesses leading up to that surgery. "Say WHAT???" you are all saying.

Let me put it to you this way. When is the biggest (medical)crisis in a woman's life? Menopause, right? Yes, countless women are quiet healthy until they become peri-menopausal or go through menopause, either naturally or surgically. Shortly thereafter, their rate of immune-mediated diseases and cancer skyrocket. It happens all of the time. I hear from MANY of these women because of my Website which covers this VITAL issue. Why does this happen?

Very simply because women have something very special coursing through their veins. It is called [I]progesterone[/I]. (Men do, too, as it is also produced by the testicles!) Progesterone is a POWERFUL anti-inflammatory. It is actually stronger than cortisone, as proven by vets who used Ovaban (progesterone) to treat cats with allergic skin disease when the prednisone stopped working. Hmmmm... Did you get that??? That's VERY important.

SO, what happens when a pet is spayed or neutered??? YES, they are literally THROWN into "menopause", with their progesterone levels suddenly plummeting. And what was that progesterone doing? It was keeping certain occult/subclinical inflammatory conditions under control (allergies, asthma, IBS, and immune-mediated diseases like lupus, rheumatoid disease, MS/peripheral neuropathies, and many more) It is JUST like taking a dog with severe allergies that has been controlled with cortisone off of his medication. What happens (if you have not gotten to the root of his allergies beforehand)? BOOM...he is scratching and pulling his hair out.

BUT, it gets MUCH deeper and more serious than this. Recent veterinary studies (especially in Rotties) have shown that dogs that are spayed have a MUCH higher rate of bone cancer than unspayed dogs or those spayed late in life. Wow! Now it would take waaaay too long to explain this completely but this does make total sense once you understand lectins, viruses and their interaction along with the immune systems control of this process. Progesterone is VITAL in moderating this process. BUT, this hormone is basically, simply buying you time. It is helping to keep this process covered-up until you are overwhelmed by it later IF you do not do something about it before hand.

And it is not like we are not getting warning signs, right? The heartburn, IBS, chronic fatigue, joint pain, migraines, ADHD, insomnia, etc etc etc are ALL warning signs, not bona fide diseases. They are screaming at us that we doing something very wrong, with our diets being the biggest wrong. Whodathunk heartburn (or vomiting in the dog) was a warning sign, eh?

This will turn the spay and neuter ideas upside down. It is already happening as we have learned that the ovaries and testicles are not just for breeding. (Man, are we short-sighted). Yes, it is important to control the stray population. I am not suggesting otherwise. BUT, for the responsible owner to spay their dog too early could be cataclysmic to their health, especially is they do not prepare them properly.

And there IS a way to prepare them (and prevent mammary cancer the RIGHT way). Get them off of the "big 4" (gluten, dairy, SOY, and corn). These foods are not only doing the intestinal harm, but they are providing LOADS and LOADS of estrogens to the dog (and people). Progesterone is the antidote to estrogen and when an individual is spayed or goes through menopause, they are left holding the BIG bag of estrogens, which are inflammatory, neurostimulating and immune suppressive by nature. Again, this cane be CATACLYSMIC to the health of the individual, especially women (and female dogs). Anyone who knows anything about women's health can see the truth in this.

Here's the good news. The ovaries do not produce enough estrogen to set the stage for the virus that causes breast cancer. Now that was a loaded statement. Did you get it all? Yes, VIRUSES cause breast cancer just like other cancers. Put "breast cancer, virus" in your search. You will also read about the upcoming breast cancer vaccine (Hey, just like the cervical cancer vaccine. Whadyaknow?)

And, estrogens ARE a major player in the development of breast cancer because they are inflammatory and immune suppressive, a deadly combo when viruses are around. They "LOVE" that kind of stuff.(but see my new section "Viruses- Friend or Foe".) BUT, the ovaries don't produce enough estrogen to do this harm (that is why you CYCLE...to give the "anti-inflammatory" progesterone time to make the recovery). It is the estrogens that we are CONSUMING on top of what we make that breaks our (and their) back. See that? (You don't hear much about the 6000 men per year afflicted by breast cancer, do you? I had to put to sleep an old male dog last week that I removed a malignant mammary tumor from 8 months ago. Where are [I]those[/I] estrogens coming from???)

So, when we recommend spaying to prevent breast cancer it is like removing their legs so they don't wander out in the street and get hit by a car. See that? We remove the natural source of estrogen so that they can better tolerate the unnatural sources. Talk about pretzel logic!

And it does help prevent mammary cancer...at the EXPENSE of every other immune-mediated disease which run rampant in the absence of progesterone. Now you know why hypothyroidism occurs sooooo early in the dog. I have had spayed females develop it by 8 months of age.

Bottom line? Listen to your intuitions. You are RIGHT to be nervous about this. You may ultimately want or need to spay (neuter) her (him) later. BUT, she (he) MUST be prepared properly and be healthy. She (He) will be healthier longer if left un-neutered.

I hope this helps,

John

PS. Another HUGE source of estrogens are environmental sources, including insecticides. I am sooo glad that we are on the backside of using so many of the old pesticides. We WILL see less breast cancer as a result of eliminating these. Everyone needs to put "environmental estrogens"in their search, especially women at risk to breast cancer, endometriosis/PCOS, and other estrogen-related disorders. YES, pyometra is chronic endometrial hyperplasia and is an ESTROGEN-related disorder, brought on the combination of too much estrogen and not enough progesterone. And like breast cancer, if we eliminate the outside sources of estrogen, we should not see these ugly things happen.

PSS. Here is one of the Rottie/bone cancer studies-

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/11/11/1434

The Negative Aspects of Neutering Your Pet

Written and compiled by Jeannie Thomason of Animal Talk Naturally and The Whole Dog.

I know it is very important for pet owners to spay/neuter their pets, especially if they can not keep them confined to their homes and yard properly (grrrrrrrr) or if they only think in dollar signs (boy are they wrong!) but I have been doing some research lately and have also come upon the following information that I wanted to share with a few of you that I know are responsible dog owners just as food for thought.

Here is the information I have gathered on the ill-effects of desexing through direct observation, substantial anecdotal evidence from reliable sources
(breeders/trainers/veterinarians, and affirmed published medical reports.

Altered Females:

- Increased aggression in altered females. (recent study)
- Increased occurrence of urinary calculi.
- Increased difficulty passing urinary calculi.
- Increased likelihood of vulvar pyoderma (urine scald)
- Increased likelihood of urinary incontinence.
- Increased likelihood of adverse reaction to vaccinations (27-38%).
- Notable decrease of activity/drive. (this is important to those whose animals aren't just pets but are trained to do work too)
- Increased chance of "perpetual puppy syndrome" undesirable urination.
- Inhibited social adjustment if spayed prior to complete cognitive development (usually a good time AFTER sexual maturity).
- Substantial likelihood of appreciable demeanor change after spay (menopausal women know about hormone drop.. it's not fun)
- Increased likelihood of cognitive disorders if spayed before sexual maturity.
- Increased likelihood of, or speeded progress of, degenerative osteological disorders.
- Notable decrease in muscle mass (again, not all dogs are lawn ornaments or carpet speedbumps)
- Generally live 2 (or greater) years shorter than unaltered littermates in controlled studies.

Altered males:

- Increased occurrence of urinary calculi.
- Increased difficulty passing urinary calculi.
- Increased chance of urinary obstruction.
- Increased likelihood of urinary incontinence.
- Increased likelihood of adverse reaction to vaccinations (27-38%).
- Notable decrease in activity/drive. (same as above in female list)
- Increased chance of "perpetual puppy syndrome" undesirable urination.
- Inhibited social adjustment if castrated prior to sexual maturity.
- Substantial likelihood of appreciable demeanor change after castration (same concept as above in female list... reproductive hormones affect more than just reproduction).
- Increased likelihood of cognitive disorders if castrated before complete cognitive development (usually a good time AFTER sexual maturity).
- Notable decrease in muscle mass (yep, same as above)
- Generally live 2 (or greater) years shorter than unaltered littermates in controlled studies

Here is a link to an article on the increased likelihood of adverse reactions:

__http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2005.227.1102?prevSearch=
a_
(http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2005.227.1102?prevSearch=a)
llfield%3A%28Adverse+Events+Diagnosed+Within+3+Days%29_
(_http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2005.227.1102?prevSearch=
all\
field:_
(http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2005.227.1102?prevSearch=allfield:) (Adverse+Event
s+Diagnosed+Within+3+Days))

After reading this, do you feel as though you've been told the whole story about things by your veterinarian? I don't know about you, but to me it certainly doesn't sound as if altered animals are more healthy than their brethren who were left as Nature started them out to be. But that's just me.

Jeannie Thomason

The Whole Dog

The Whole Dog News

************************

My Comment:

Great work, Jeannie! This is an awesome summary of what we have recently come to understand about the drawbacks of neutering, especially when done early (before 14 months). The amazing thing is that the average person, including most breeders and veterinarians, believe just the opposite.

When I was awakened to the importance of this issue (partly driven by studying women's health and the potentially devastating effects of menopause), I started sharing this on Internet pet forums. One woman posted a response asking me what I had been smoking, that "everyone knew neutered pets were healthier".

The sad fact is that is what we think, not what we know. And I used to parrot back this misinformation with the best of them. But the truth here is very different from the common thought, just as the truth concerning the food issues about which I am so passionate is so poorly understood by the masses. But, all of this is changing. Halleluiah!

I hope you enjoyed your time here and got something important from your stay. It is my goal to help all of mankind navigate through the jungle of medical information now available on the Internet and find the truth about the origins of what we call "disease" as well as discover the natural solutions for these conditions.

We do have our health's destiny in our own hands more than we've ever imagined, certainly more than most have ever been told. Think naturally and the answer will come.

Dogtor J

Click here to go to the Site Map to read related articles on Dogtorj.com.

I would like to hear from you.

Feel free to use the form below to send me your comments or testimonials. Please do not use this form to ask medical questions. See the Contact section for instructions on sending DogtorJ an Email inquiry.

Great News!

DogtorJ.com will be getting a major facelift in the very near future. Yes, the time has finally come for this homemade Website to be taken over by someone who actually knows what they are doing. I know that you all join me in looking forward to having the site better organized and more accessible. It'll be prettier, too!

This is taking place for a number of reasons, the most of important of which will be revealed in the upcoming months. Yes, the book is finally in the works but there will be a major awareness project to go along with it.

So, please stay tuned. Anyone who would like to get on my mailing list can do so by simply using the visitor's comment area (like the one above) found at the bottom of each page.

Onward and upward!

Dogtor J