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The Negative Aspects of Neutering Your Pet

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* 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.

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=
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http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2005.227.1102?prevSearch=
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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!
 
Dogtor J.

 

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
 
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