How to Ruin Your Dogs Life
Ruining A Dog’s Life By Making One Bad Decision
Very little research has been done until recently on the long-term effects of neutering our dogs, especially when they are immature. Fortunately, peer recognised research and concerns are now being raised by leading veterinary experts all across the World. The problem is the veterinary profession appear not to be acting on this knowledge. Our dogs will continue to suffer until they do.
Dogs and Humans: Human health care and its advances can be in part credited to the fact that we use dogs in medical research.
The fact that I disagree with this practice is not relevant to this discussion and is there for clarification only
This article covers the effect on a dog’s Endocrine System through neutering. Neutering is the generic term for spaying and castration. The endocrine system is a network of glands in your body that make the hormones that help your cells talk to each other.
They are also responsible for almost every cell, organ, and function in your body, I think it is pertinent to say they are not optional extras. Other effects of neutering are also apparent through recent science and can be sourced in my other articles on this subject available at the bottom of this page. (1) Further Reading. What is factually correct is that many vital breakthroughs in modern medicines can be directly attributable to the similarity of the biological and physiological makeup of both humans and canines.
Given that information, then why are we actively participating and promoting a procedure that would be illegal and immoral if it were performed on humans in most parts of the World? Unless there was a serious medical requirement, we would never arbitrarily neuter humans. We would never spay the child, in the picture above, but think nothing of neutering the pups in the same picture. The RSPCA and some breeders mainly of Australian Labradoodles and Minidoodlea in the UK are spaying and castrating litters of pups at six weeks of age.
Petition: At the bottom of this page, I have created a petition and would really appreciate it if you could sign and share it so that we can stop this barbaric practice. This procedure is known to be seriously injurious both mentally and physically to humans, therefore, the same can be said about dogs, and current research backs this up.
I have covered in full elsewhere the other problems neutering causes which include behaviour, aggression, bone and joint disease, plus reduced confidence and anxiety. It is the main reason many dogs have interdog aggression, reactivity, and aggression to humans. Yet we appear to accept and believe it is in our pet’s best interest to automatically spay and castrate. We trust the Veterinary profession. In this case, I believe that trust is sorely misplaced.
These operations are performed daily without any peer-reviewed scientific research proving that it is in the dog’s best interests. Why don’t we contrast the same procedure that is performed on humans given the known similarities between dogs and human diseases?
The dog offers a natural model for human conditions and diseases. We can, therefore, see the mistakes we made with humans from eunuchs to ovariohysterectomy (OHE).
Sterilisation of Humans: This is routinely performed on humans, yet this sterilisation, except for medical emergencies such as ovarian or testicular cancer, does not include removing three vital hormones that are required to reach both physical and mental maturity. I believe along with many other experts, including professors in veterinary medicine, that neutering is one of the main reasons our dogs are dying 11% earlier than they were 10 years ago. See (2) Kennel Club Research Longevity.
It seems clear neutering not only shortens the lives of our dogs but reduces their ability to enjoy their lives in health and happiness. A review of the most current research with respect to human and canine ageing and longevity confirms the legitimacy of comparing dogs and humans and verifies that neutering normally shortens our dogs’ lives. (3) Spaying and Longevity
When we spay and castrate our dog we remove or reduce three critical hormones, Oestrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone. These are commonly known as Sex Hormones.
Oestrogen: An extremely powerful female sex hormone that regulates many aspects of our life. This hormone plays a vital role in mental and physical health.
There are oestrogen receptors in bones, the brain, blood vessels, and the central nervous system. It affects so many different parts of the body and is also vitally important to mood and well-being. It also keeps bones strong and healthy.
Progesterone: This is one of the female sex hormones also produced by the ovaries, also in the adrenal glands in male dogs. It aids immunity and can reduce inflammation and swelling; it also helps regulate the thyroid gland and keeps blood-clotting levels at normal value. It has also been linked to forming social bonds in humans and animals.
Testosterone: This is seen predominately as a male hormone. However, females produce small amounts of it in their ovaries. A link between diabetes and low testosterone is well established, as is the onset of obesity and poor muscle tone leading to apathetic behaviour.
Recent scientific evidence points towards the fact that the removal of the sex hormones affects the whole endocrine system, it effectively puts it out of balance. (4) Endocrine System in Dogs. The endocrine system is also known as the glandular system.
Of the numerous organs in the endocrine system, three stand out when it comes to maintaining hormonal and metabolic health.
The big three are the Thyroid, the Adrenals and the Sex Glands (ovaries and testes).
Similar to the sound an orchestra creates when every instrument is played correctly. These glands work in similar harmony to keep the body systems in balance and running smoothly.
Think of a three-legged stool and cut one leg off. That stool then ceases to work as a stool and collapses. Similar things happen with the body, but instead of wood, it is an intricate object made of flesh, blood and bone.
£2.95 – £10.95
£9.95 – £16.50
The other organs try and compensate for the lost hormones and in particular the Thyroid, and the Adrenals. This is why far more neutered dogs get Cushing’s and Thyroid disease than non-neutered animals.
Other parts of the body are also affected these include the skeleton, joints, muscle tone and general overall health.
The Female Menopause: Insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, depression, irritability. palpitations, headaches, joint and muscle aches and pains, vaginal dryness, and bladder control problems.
After the Menopause: Women are more likely to have osteoporosis, heart disease, poorly working bladder and bowels, a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease, poor skin elasticity, (increased wrinkling) poor muscle power and tone, some weakening in vision, such as from cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye) and macular degeneration.
And yet we do this to adolescent dogs? As mentioned earlier some breeders and rescue centres are neutering at six weeks of age. Battersea Dogs Home, The Blue Cross, Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club all state that it is far too early and is detrimental to any dog’s health and well-being. This is what we currently perform on dogs and are constantly told it is to stop the overpopulation of dogs in the UK.
Yet we do not have a stray or overpopulation of rescue dogs in the UK. That is a lie and a fallacy, the majority of the rescue dogs come from Romania, Spain Thailand and Africa and dozens more major countries. We have set up rescue charities all over the World and dump these dogs in the UK
Ovariohysterectomy: (OHE) also known as spaying is the complete removal of the female reproductive tract. The two ovaries, oviducts, uterine horns, and uterus are removed.
Castration: The operation involves the removal of both testicles. They are removed by cutting through the skin in front of the scrotum, and through various layers which cover the testicle. The very large blood vessels and the spermatic cord have to be tied carefully before cutting, allowing removal of the testicle.
Knowing now what we know about spaying and castration and that many dogs both male and female suffer for the rest of their lives because of these procedures. Their lives may be seriously foreshortened from this needless operation. Yet There Are Viable Alternatives. I have written about these alternatives in this article (7) OSS Ovary Sparing Spay and Vasectomy
Alternative. Female Dogs: Tubal Ligation: Whether in veterinary or human medicine, only affects the oviducts.
These are isolated during surgery and then cut and tied off with suture material. This prevents the ova from coming in contact with sperm cells or passing into the horns of the uterus.
The dogs will still have seasonal bleeds but will be unable to fall pregnant.
Hysterectomy: The uterus is removed, but the ovaries remain intact. Seasonal bleeding does not occur. With either procedure, the hormones that are normally produced by the ovaries continue to be released to the rest of the body.
Alternative. Male Dogs: Vasectomy: The scrotum is cut open and the two vas deferens tubes are cut. The two ends of the vas deferens are tied, stitched, or sealed.
Electrocautery may be used to seal the ends with heat. Scar tissue from the surgery helps block the tubes.
Both these operations are far less invasive and are also far less stressful and less dangerous. They leave the dog’s hormones intact and allow the dogs in question to live a happy and hopefully healthy life.
There is one problem? Our veterinary profession is not geared up to do this procedure. It is not taught in Vet schools. I cannot see any change to that stance in the foreseeable future.
the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has been doing routine paediatric sterilisations rather than neutering (the generic term for both spay and castration) since the 1970s. Hopefully, as the demand for surgeons skilled in the procedure of tubal ligation and vasectomies or hysterectomy sterilisation increases, then Veterinary Colleges will make sterilization a required component of their training. Eventually tubal ligation, hysterectomy and vasectomy might be the norm, rather than the exception.
I am creating a list of vets that are prepared to offer these alternatives and I have posted them on my website that currently gets over 1 million page views per year. So please any Vet or anyone that knows a Vet that offers alternative sterilisation Please contact me with their details at this address. [email protected]
I am not sure people are aware that the RSPCA and some breeders are neutering pups at six weeks of age. That will ruin these dogs for life. Please sign my Petition to stop this barbaric practice
If I were to be cynical and hardhearted, I could suggest that Vets who are highly intelligent, are well aware that neutering and especially immature neutering before maturity is causing serious health problems in the future of their patients.
So who would gain the most from this scenario? It would be the Vets themselves. Therefore I cannot take that step and believe that anyone would be that cynical or money orientated, and therefore, I can only assume it is a lack of knowledge of the research that is already available that stops them from adopting alternative procedures.
I am now going to put pressure on the Vets governing bodies to stop these dangerous and debilitating procedures and to adopt a more humane method of sterilisation. I will ask your help to sign my petition above and share this article on every platform you can. With enough pressure and hard work, we can change the futures of our dogs and their longevity. KC’s extensive research has found that our dogs are dying 11% earlier than they were 10 years ago read my article (2) Kennel Club Research Longevity. I explain what I believe is the reason for these startling findings and one of them is NEUTERING.
The Video at the bottom of this page is one of the most famous Vets in America, coming to the realisation of what she has done to her patients over the previous years by neutering them. It is a sobering and sad indictment of a profession that has not embraced new research and knowledge.
Ask yourself this. Would we do this to our children? If the answer is no, then why are we doing it to our dogs?
Just some of the diseases neutering increases sometimes dramatically. Did your Vet warn you of these?
Disease | Intact females | Neutered females | Intact males | Neutered males | Percent in study population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atopic Dermatitis (ATOP) | 83 | 745 | 169 | 641 | 1.82 |
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA) | 38 | 256 | 38 | 176 | 0.56 |
Canine Myasthenia Gravis (CMG) | 11 | 49 | 6 | 38 | 0.12 |
Colitis (COL) | 61 | 267 | 109 | 256 | 0.77 |
Hypoadrenocorticism (ADD) | 25 | 147 | 20 | 113 | 0.34 |
Hypothyroidism (HYPO) | 62 | 750 | 210 | 678 | 1.89 |
Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis (IMPA) | 24 | 170 | 56 | 141 | 0.43 |
Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia (ITP) | 21 | 262 | 29 | 151 | 0.51 |
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) | 20 | 189 | 46 | 167 | 0.47 |
Lupus Erythematosus (LUP) | 6 | 74 | 30 | 47 | 0.17 |
Pemphigus Complex (PEMC) | 13 | 71 | 11 | 55 | 0.17 |
Pyometra (PYO) | 176 | 27 | NA | NA | 0.44 |
©Stan Rawlinson 2017 Dog behaviourist and Obedience Trainer
(1) Further Reading
(2) Kennel Club Research Longevity
(5) My Thanks for Picture of Endocrine System
(6) BMC Veterinary Research Scientific proof of the harm that neutering is causing to our dogs
Comments (14)
Spay & Neutering
I live in the States where some will not allow ownership of a domestic pet unless this is done. I had NO idea of the implications. I plan to share this article on social media.
Laws in the USA
Unfortunately, this problem is not just confined the USA. The belief that neutering is all good and is the best thing that can be done for dogs was created out of ignorance and lack of scientific research. And of course, the Veterinary profession that in some cases puts profit in front of health and wellbeing. The science is now there yet still they ruin these dogs for life it is a national and international disgrace that does nothing to help thye dogs and everything to help the |Vets bank balances.
Hysterectomy
Some recent research shows that young women who have had to have a hysterectomy suffer earlier menopauses with more severe symptoms.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/hysterectomy-increases-risk-for-earlier-menopause-among-younger-women Being in this position I can confirm that in my case this has been true. This might be the same for dogs.
Hysterectomy
I totally agree with your comments.If it happens in humans it happens in dogs as I mention in the article above.
What is factually correct is that many vital breakthroughs in modern medicines can be directly attributable to the similarity of the biological and physiological makeup of both humans and canines.
Given that fact, then why are we actively participating and promoting a procedure that would be illegal and immoral if it were performed on humans in most parts of the World?
Castration and Spaying
If you take on a rescue dog of either sex they are always neutered before by the rescue organisation. They should take the lead (no pun intended) and opt for the changes you advocate. Thanks for bringing this problem up
Vets offering dog vasectomies in the UK
Excellent article Stan – did you manage to find any vets in the UK (London ideally) that offer vasectomies for dogs? Keen not to mess up our wonderful 3 year old Basset Hound dog while not ending up with Frankenstein puppies now that we also have a 7 month old Bouvier Des Flandres bitch. Very grateful if you could share any contacts – thanks in advance!
I am struggling to find Vets
I believe the Veterinary profession in the UK is not taking seriously the wealth of information that is no available regarding spaying and castration (neutering is the generic term for both). The must wake up before in their ignorance they do more harm than good.
Neutering
The best website I found on this subject is the healthy and happy dog website. Dr Karen Becker interviews Dr Valente who put the website together, watch on YouTube, Stan is absolutely right in everything he says. The conclusion that I come to after 12 months of reaserch is if there is no medical reason to desex the dog then leave well alone. It is shocking what most charities and vets are doing when there are alternatives methods of sterilisation available. Dr Andrew Jones on YouTube is also very good, so is dog’s naturally magazine. Check out the four study’s done on Vislas, golden retrievers, rottweilers and German shepherds. Christopher Day down Oxford is the only vet I have found who tells the truth. Do your homework people.
Neutering
Thank you for your helpful advice I know Karen Becker a better brave lady who is honest and has stood up for what she now knows is terribly wrong with neutering. I did phone Christopher Day but unfortunately, he has not done surgery for some time. Just in case anyone tries to contact him.
Castration v. Vasectomy
Hi. I’ve been reading with interest yours & other articles re: the above. Do you have a list of UK vets now offering vasectomies? You mentioned one in previous comments but I couldn’t see any links. Many thanks. JT
Intransigent Veterinary Profession
Despite the scientific knowledge and research, it appears that the UK’s veterinary profession has ignored all of this and still forges ahead neutering dogs, apparently without appearing to understand the empirical evidence to the contrary. As far as I am concerned they are unfit for purpose and are now just money-making machines. There are no organisations or veterinary practices that are offering alternatives to spay and castration. They and their professional body the BVA should hang their heads in shame. A profession that has lost its moral compass on the back of profit. What ever happened to ” First Do No Harm”
Spaying
I had my dog spayed at 5 years old because she was having long and difficult false pregnancies. She would sleep continuously, whine and carry socks and toys around wanting to nest all the time. She even produced milk and seemed thoroughly miserable for about three months after every season. I didn’t really want to have her spayed but didn’t think the false pregnancies were good for her either.
Can you tell us more about this phenomenon in female dogs and what one should do about them please?
I am from India. I have an Intact male Indian Spitz of age 7 yrs, weighing 9-10 kg, that was adopted at the age of 16 months suffering from periodic seizure attacks resulting in full body convulsions. Its esteemed vet (https://daksh-pet-clinic.business.site/) has provided us with an ayurvedic tonic for it to smell when it has an attack or the same is expected usually during thunderstorms, excess barking or sound of fire crackers. We never leave it alone at home. Its former parents had acquired it when it was just 4-5 days old. It does not know whether it is a female or male dog. It has never mated though during mating season it keeps humping my arm. I only want to know that would our beloved Bunna’s endocrine system be effected for not mating?
Thank you.
Very informative article. I have posted on my FB page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010355913017
Comments are closed.