FACTS AND FICTION

DEW CLAW REMOVAL:

FICTION: Dew claws must be removed to avoid catching and tearing and also to prevent from curling into paw. Removal at 5 days old is reccomended

STUDIES: Dew claws are a very important part of a dogs anatomy. It is a very useful digit for your dog. All claws must be kept maintained to a proper length. A dogs dew claw is a digit they use often. No it does not touch the ground as your dog just walks What is does do is give your dog stability when running, turning, jumping, It also can prevent death in some cases if your dog is in icy waters for instance, the dew claw is used to pull himself out. He will dig it in and therefore be able to get himself out of a life threatening situation. Dew claws are a very important part of your dogs stability. There are more studies showing injury to the other 4 digits after dew claw removal and thus lack of stability to support other digits, than there are dew claw injuries on their own. There are also now studies showing effects of dew claws removed on the ACL, also hips and spinal health. ACL injuries are very much attributed to the lack of dew claws thusfore lack of stability. When dew claws are removed at a very young age, there is no anistetic, nothing, just cut off and many times not done properly which ends up with more surgery. A dogs front dew claw is attached to 5 tendons which play a very important role when your dog is in motion. It helps them manipulate items for chewing on also It is now illegal in the UK to remove these claws unless medically necessary

THE GREAT DEBATE ON EARLY SPAY AND NEUTER

EARLY NEUTER:

FICTION::

Early neutering reduces risks of cancer, calms aggresion, birth control Reduces overpopulated shelters

STUDIES:

n a 2005 study, Van Hagen et al found that of the sample dogs diagnosed with hip dysplasia, those who were neutered six months prior to the diagnosis were nearly twice as likely to develop hip dysplasia .

Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) tears have also been linked to neutering in numerous studies. The Golden Retriever study found that although there were no cases of cruciate tear in the intact dogs, 5% of males neutered before 12 months (and 8% of females) did suffer tears.

Whitehair et al (JAVMA Oct 1993), found that spayed and neutered dogs of any age were twice as likely to suffer cranial cruciate ligament rupture (4). In 2004, Slauterbeck et al also found an increased risk of cruciate tears .(“…if the femur has achieved its genetically determined normal length at eight months when a dog gets spayed or neutered, but the tibia, which normally stops growing at 12 to 14 months of age continues to grow, then an abnormal angle may develop at the stifle. In addition, with the extra growth, the lower leg below the stifle likely becomes heavier (because it is longer), and may cause increased stresses on the cranial cruciate ligament.“) Additionally, sterilization can cause obesity and a loss of bone mass (7). Both of these factors could lead to an increased risk of cranial cruciate ligament tear and hip dysplasia. And a 2005 Austrian study showed that spayed/neutered dogs are over three times more likely to suffer from patellar luxation .

Contrary to popular belief, we can’t neuter cancer. In fact, this surgery mostly increases the risk of many common canine cancers.

The Golden Retriever study found that the incidence of lymphosarcoma was three times higher in males neutered before 12 months of age. These results are similar to other studies. They also found that spayed/neutered dogs were 3.5% more likely to suffer mast cell cancer and 4.3 times more likely to suffer lymphoma.

2002 research on Rottweilers at Purdue University found that male and female dogs neutered or spayed before 1 year of age had an approximate one in four lifetime risk for bone sarcoma … and they were significantly more likely to develop bone sarcoma than dogs that were sexually intact (9).

A 2002 study at Utrecht University found that prostate cancer occurs in neutered males about four times as frequently as in intact males (10) … despite the popular belief that neutering prevents prostate cancer.

Neutering And Behavior

Neutering had been previously linked to cognitive impairment and even a three-fold risk of hypothyroidism (which often creates behavior changes). But the Viszla study yielded some particularly interesting insight into this link. They found that neutered dogs were also more likely to develop behavior disorders than intact dogs

Another study in 2010 (10) found neutered dogs were more:

Aggressive
Fearful
Excitable
Less trainable than intact dogs

Reproduction: Reducing the number of dogs in shelters is an important goal … but it would be much better to prevent them from ending up at the shelter in the first place. Most people believe that shelters are full because of over-population. But in fact, behavior problems are the most common reason owners give up their dogs. Teach your male dog, train your male dog. I can take my intact male anywhere. He has no aggression and is very well behaved. Proper training cannot be expressed enouph.

Endocrine System Failure:

De-sexing a dog or cat results in a deficiency of sex hormones. The endocrine system must adjust and compensate using the adrenal glands. These glands already have their fair share of work producing hormones which impact an animal’s entire physiology.

The result of such a hormonal imbalance is a significant number of physiological and psychological issues which, depending on the species and breed, may include:

Over-functioning of adrenal glands to produce missing sex hormones
Decreased metabolism
Decreased mineral content in bones and teeth
Soft tissue weakening and increased joint inflammation
Incontinence
Diminished coping mechanisms, cognitive functioning, risk of depression

Early Spay: Including the above information there is much more to it when considering when to spay your female dog. For this breed it is recommended at full physical maturity which is around 2 years.

I do know of many people who did not spay their females without any medical issues although there are certainly health issues than can arise either way. Also hormonal fluctuations can play a little havoc on their personality while in heat therefore spaying can certainly help the spiral. Unplanned pregnancy would be avoided therefore certainly less risk for your females health. Spaying your dog too early though can result in health problems later on since her hormones should have some time to work. Early spaying can increase the risk of hip dysplasia, torn ligaments, bone cancer, and urinary incontinence.

On the positive side, spaying female dogs

if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common malignant tumors in female dogs
nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
removes the very small risk (≤0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

On the negative side, spaying female dogs

if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
triples the risk of hypothyroidism
increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs spayed before puberty
doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

I hope this gives good information for decision making. On my contract Dogs must be spay or neutered but not before full maturity. Special considerations can be made on a professional basis for neuter on competitive male dogs but NOT for breeding purposes. TRAINING purposes only. These considerations are on a person to person basis and would be considered on training and responsibility of the owner and reasons to delay neuter.