Early Spay and Neuter Surgery: Fact vs. Myth

by Jennifer Zablotny, DVM, Rescue Prevention Committee

The Rescue Prevention Ad Hoc Committee was established by the NCA Board during the face-to-face meetings held October 29-31, 1999. It is chaired by Patti McDowell and members include Roger Frey, Ray Donner, Pat Woodfin, Ann Thibault, Gail Wettstein, Beth Rice, and Mary L. Price (ex Officio). The purpose of this ad hoc committee is to address the issue of rescue pro-actively, by finding ways to educate breeders and the puppy buying public, and developing strategies to combat the ruthlessness of puppy mills. This article is the first educational article in a series from this committee. — Editor’s Note

In the past, spaying and neutering of puppies and kittens under the age of six months was considered an impossibility. Now, with pet overpopulation at an all time high, many Humane Societies and shelters across the country are employing spaying and neutering of very young kittens and puppies. This is an attempt to reduce the number of unwanted litters produced by animals previously thought too young to undergo surgery before being placed into new homes. In 1993, the American Veterinary Medical Association adopted a resolution supporting early spay/neuter programs. In a related effort, some breeders have turned to spaying or neutering puppies as early as 8 to 10 weeks of age to prevent the breeding of pet quality animals from their lines. Information and misinformation on the subject is plentiful, if you are willing to look for it. Has the time come for responsible breeders to adopt this tool on a broader scale? Before making the decision, breeders should know what the physical risks and benefits of such procedures are and how to best employ them. This article will outline a few of the myths surrounding early spay/neuter surgeries, explain the facts and where to best use these procedures.

Myth #1: Anesthesia and surgery in puppies as young as eight to ten weeks is very risky and dangerous.

Fact: The use of proper precautions and appropriate anesthetic protocols make surgery and anesthesia in pediatric patients as safe as surgery in older animals. Anesthetic drugs, monitoring equipment and surgical techniques have come a long way in the last 20 years. Very young animals don’t have the energy stores that older animals do, so a fast of no more than four hours prior to surgery and paying particular attention to core body temperature during surgery are a must. Propofol, an injectable anesthetic, and isofluorane, an inhalant anesthetic, are two agents with minimal side effects that are frequently used for anesthesia of the very young and for geriatric patients. These drugs are also commonly used for c-sections. The surgeries are different, but not technically more difficult to perform than an ovariohysterctomy in a 30 pound overweight, eight year old bitch that has had several litters. Younger animals will bounce back much more quickly and begin normal activities such as playing and eating sooner than the eight year old bitch.

Myth #2: Animals that are sterilized very early will not grow as large as intact counterparts.

Fact: The sex hormones tell the growth plates when to close. Puppies neutered at any point before puberty (birth to just prior to first heat) won’t have the influence of these hormones and will actually be taller than puppies neutered after puberty, as their growth plates will continue to grow for an extra few months.

Myth #3: It will make the dogs fat.

Fact: Obesity is the number one nutritional problem facing dogs and cats today. It has many causes with the two primary causes of obesity being too many calories and not enough exercise. Spayed or neutered animals, in general, may be at a higher risk of being overweight, especially in some breeds. But the age at which the surgery is performed has no influence as to whether they are going to gain weight or how much they will gain if they do put on the pounds.

Myth #4: It will make a bitch incontinent and she will have more problems with her vulva than normal.

Fact: Spay incontinence is another multifactorial problem like obesity. No one is really certain why some bitches develop incontinence. It is probably related to decreasing estrogen levels and their influence on urethral sphincter tone. Some bitches develop it very soon after surgery, others may take years to develop the problem, some never have it whether they are spayed early or late. It occurs in bitches spayed early and late. Bitches spayed early on do have a more infantile vulva than bitches spayed at an older age. Occasionally, this can present a problem in an obese bitch where a fold of skin and fat drops over the vulva and causes dermatitis. Usually this condition can be resolved with weight loss. In instances where weight loss isn’t enough or isn’t feasible, the fold can be removed surgically. The procedure is similar to the removal of excessive facial or nasal folds in Pekingese when the folds are so large that they rub on the dog’s corneas.

Myth #5: Six months to a year is the ideal time for dogs to be spayed or neutered.

Fact: Information regarding the ideal time to spay or neuter is severely lacking. The currently accepted guidelines of six months and older are arbitrary with many arguments in favor of that age being that is how it has always been done. Unfortunately, the veterinary community hasn’t been very helpful in gathering and analyzing data from good, comprehensive studies on the subject. A benefit of the procedure is that bitches spayed before their first heat have a significantly lower incidence of mammary cancer. The risk of mammary cancer in bitches spayed before their first heat cycle is .5 percent. The risk jumps to 8 percent for bitches that have undergone one heat cycle and 26 percent for bitches that have gone through two or more heat cycles. Spaying after two heat cycles has no beneficial effect on the incidence of mammary cancer, but there are other reasons to spay a bitch, especially if she isn’t being bred. Pet quality bitches that are allowed to go through one or two heat cycles before being spayed also run the risk of an accidental breeding taking place.

So if there are no side effects to early spay/neuter, why aren’t more people doing it? The main problem is that it is irreversible. You can’t change your mind later and just reverse the procedure as you can with a limited registration. The animal will be ineligible to compete in conformation. Some veterinarians won’t perform the surgery on puppies so young. They may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the procedure. Public perception may also be that if someone is paying so much money for a dog, they should be able to do whatever they want with it, including breeding it. Better educated puppy buyers would realize that a breeder who is altering puppies before they go to their new homes cares a lot about pet overpopulation and not contributing to puppy mills or Rescue problems.

With cardiologist exams being the standard, many breeders are keeping puppies until they are 10 to 12 weeks of age. It would be easy enough to also schedule their surgery soon after their heart checks. Examples of situations where it might be put to good use would be in the case of an accidental breeding between two dogs that, while producing registrable offspring, really shouldn’t be contributing to the gene pool or at least not with each other. Also, puppies with color disqualifications, cryptorchid males, puppies born to bitches in Rescue programs or healthy puppies from test breedings could be spayed or neutered before going to their new homes. Neutered puppies can still be registered and they can still compete in any AKC or CKC obedience, tracking or agility events and any NCA working events as well. Neutering is a requirement to get an Indefinite Listing Privilege number. It is one less thing for a responsible breeder or Rescue chairperson to have to worry about. Puppies that are spayed or neutered before being placed into homes can’t be bred, they can’t produce puppies without papers, they can’t produce Newf mixes and they don’t compound Rescue headaches.
Ultimately, the decision rests with the breeder, but spaying or neutering of young puppies can be an important tool, in conjunction with limited registration, enforceable spay/neuter contracts and rigorous screening of potential puppy purchasers to ensure that less than desirable specimens don’t contribute to the population of the breed.

For references for this article and additional information, contact Jenny Zablotny

reprinted from NewfTide 2000

Did you find this article helpful? Share with your friends

Back