Rebuttal to Chris Zink's Article

[OutlineACDs]

Since there is so much "broohaha" or whatever you wanna call it, about early s/n I found this article and thought I would post.

Just something from the opposite side. I am somewhere more along the middle. While I don't think it's damaging to have an early s/n I do reccommend it for novice pet people. I myself don't like dealing with girls in season, but I left both of my two intact until well over two yrs old

Rebuttal for early s/n

 

[Dekka]

Thats intersting.. but the one article I usually point too (as its a summary of many scientific articles) is this one. http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf and its not by the same person.

 

[LittleBigDog]

I recently learned about the Cooley study.

Endogenous Gonadal Hormone Exposure and Bone Sarcoma Risk ? Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

I think it is significant if you have a puppy of a breed prone to bone cancer. I think it is significant as far as human health, too. Dogs are very genetically similar to humans and they are being studied as models for human cancer.

We don't neuter kids, but if endogenous sex hormones are protective in early development, that makes endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment like BPA in plastic cups and bottles very significant. A friend I worked with had a son lose a leg to bone cancer when he was 15. She had a background in medical research, and another possible risk for bone cancers is fluoride in water and food. She researched total fluoride in his diet from the water supply in the area he grew up, (added on the high side), and also found that since he was a big fan of orange juice which can have high fluoride levels, that this could have been at least a partial cause.

It is really a devastating disease. Here's an article about fluoride levels in pet foods.

Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com - PAW PRINTS: Fluoride in pet food: The link to osteosarcoma

Also, they just found that BPA is causing some serious hormonal disruptions in men who work with the chemical.

 

[elegy]

i'd be able to take the rebuttal article more seriously if the author had taken the time to discover that chris zink is a woman. but anyway.

the article from javma is the one i tend to link most often these days: here

 

[GlassOnion]

How does the author's knowledge of the sex of the other author in any way affect the validity of his claims?

 

[elegy]

attention to detail.

 

[phillo]

neuter or not??

I am so confused by this neuter issue. All vets will say you must neuter a dog at 6 or 9 mos. However, it seems the risk of testicular cancer is actually pretty slim in dogs, like less than 2%? But the risks of neutoring a male dog, especially mid to large size dogs, are pretty high.

I have 9 month old, intact male who will probably be about 60 lbs when fully grown. He does not mark indoors, he does not exhibit any more mounting behavior than neutored males (in fact he lives with a neutered beagle/dachshund mix puppy who is CONSTANTLY humping him) and he is not aggressive. I have no intention of breeding him nor does he wander unsupervised, his chances of hooking up with an intact female are slim to none. I also feed him a mix of home prepared food and Evo dog food so he's not eating a lot of crap.

I'm frustrated because I don't feel like I can have an honest conversation with my vet about it. It seems that any vet professional will say 'neuter' period, end of discussion. I just came from the vet where I was given the neutor speech and I just nod and say 'uh huh'. I feel that if I discuss my concerns I'll sound like a conspiracy theorist or something. Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this but I didn't want to start a new thread and any insight would be appreciated.

 

[OutlineACDs]

Phillo, for most it is easiest to just get the dog neutered when the vet says to. The big arguments about not s/n at 6 months are mainly for people who do dog sports. Agility, flyball, herding etc can all take a toll on the dog's bones and joints, so people want to make sure that the dog grows and matures to his/her full potential before taking those hormones out of play.

Not sure of the exact specifics of rates of testicular cnacer, but I have known more than one person who had to get their dog neutered due to testicular cancer. I don't think the rates are very high, but it is a risk in all unneutered males.

As long as both of your dogs testicles are descended you can keep him intact as long as you'd like. A dog with an undescended testicle is at a higher risk for cancer and it's best to go ahead and get that taken care of. The thing with owning an intact male is you have to realize how quick a breeding can take place. You have to be completely sure that he cannot ever get out of the fence, and if you walk him offlead anywhere you have to be extra vigilant to keep an eye out for stray dogs.

If you have the means to responsibly keep him intact and you'd like to wait until his growth plates close before neutering, the optimum time for that is 18-30 months.

Just weight your options and do what you feel is right. I will tell you, I have only ever owned one unneutered male. He was neutered at about 20 months. All our other males were neutered ASAP because there was no research to say otherwise. We have yet to own a dog with hip dysplasia or any joint issues aside from the aches that come with old age.

 

[phillo]

Thanks a lot for that thoughtful response. I do plan to do agility/dog sports training with my dog and will wait and study the issue over the next year before making a decision either way. Again, thanks for the helpful input.
Phil