I recently participated in a free webinar discussing neutering of dogs and cats (always a hot-button topic!). I made a screen recording of my segment of the presentation, which I am posting here.
There were some technical glitches, including some popup notifications that I have only been able to hide imperfectly. I was also asked at the last minute to shorten the presentation by 10 minutes, so it’s a bit rushed and doesn’t flow perfectly, and it ends abruptly since I handed over quite quickly to the next speaker. Nevertheless, I hope there will be some useful concepts and information in there for you!
A Book from the SkeptVet
Please follow & like us :)
0
Set Youtube Channel ID
Really enjoyed the Neutering webinar. There was one question that was asked but didn’t get answered. I’d be interested to hear your opinion. At what stage of the oestrous cycle do you recommend neutering? I’ve always recommended in anoestrus preferably but is this backed up by science?
It is much easier to neuter during anestrus because the tissues are quiescent and the blood supply less exuberant, though this matters more if you are doing an ovariohysterectomy, not only an ovariectomy. It is also likely less hormonally disruptive to do the ovariectomy during the anestrus phase of the cycle, though I am not aware of any literature indicating whether or not there are any clinically important consequences of spaying during other phases, and this is certainly done quite commonly in shelter settings and by some vets.
Thank you. I assumed anoestrus was best but wondered if anything had been published to verify that
What is your take on Hormone sparing sterilization? Should we be educating our patients that there are healthier options available?
Effectively, this prevents reproduction but in every other way is equivalent to not neutering, so the pros and cons are nearly the same as remaining intact. I think it is not the best choice for most females due to risk of mammary cancer (and potentially pyometra if the hysterectomy is not done appropriately).
Do you have any insight into the effects of LH after neutering? Is it a huge problem? I’ve been reading some scary information being shared by a vet online, Dr Dobias. I’m not sure if any of it is true, but he seems to suggest that elevated LH levels cause huge issues in neutered dogs. Thank you for your presentation, it makes me feel a lot more relaxed about having had my female spayed when she was 3.
Assuming you mean Dr. Peter Dobias, the first thing to know is that he is not a reliable source, promoting and selling a wide range of pseudoscience.
There is no body of evidence showing that LH elevations after neutering increase disease risk. One paper showed som difference in LH receptors in lymphoma cells compared with normal lymphocytes, but that doesn’t justify the completely unsupported claim that LH “causes cancer.” I have spoken with several reputable endocrinology and oncology specialists about these claims, which are spreading online, and they do not find them credible.
Thank you so much for replying. I did think that Dr Peter Dobias is probably not a credible source. He was saying that high LH levels cause widespread inflammation throughout the body, including the brain, and that would lead to chronic systemic health issues and major behavioural problems like aggression and anxiety and cancer. I haven’t seen this in my own dog at all, absolutely nothing has changed since she was spayed. But of course I still got worried when I read it, thinking maybe my dog is a ticking time bomb and the consequences have simply not materialised YET. I’m very grateful for your reassurance that there’s no evidence to back his claims up.
Have you looked at the recent ‘NeuterReady’ blood test? I cannot find any evidence to suggest that using androgen/testosterone levels to determine timing of neutering increases or improves health span. In my clinic the timing of neutering (or whether they would do it at all) is determined more by the owner needing to use daycare or kennels, or not. The kennels/daycare near me seem to have an arbitrary 7-month of age figure.
I agree, there is zero scientific evidence to support the claim that measuring androgens or other hormones as a guide to the optimal timing of neutering for an individual dog has any benefits whatsoever.
There is reasonable evidence that delaying neutering until full maturity reduces the risk of some health condition in some breeds, most convincingly musculoskeletal diseases (e.g. OA, CCL ruptures) in large breeds and some cancers in breeds especially prone to them (e.g. LSA in golden retrievers). Whether the risk reduction actually extends lifespan or healthspan overall is not clear, and most studies still show longer lifespan in neutered dogs, so the optimal timing for every breed, much less every individual, is still unknown.
The guide of skeletal maturity, estimated by chronological age and adjusted for body size, is the most practical way to decide when to neuter an individual dog, with the current evidence suggesting no net benefit to delay in small breeds and some probable benefit to waiting to 12-18 months of age in large and giant breeds. For males, the evidence suggests no strong health advantage to neutering or to remaining intact, so a default strategy of not neutering males (when their behavior and reproductive activities can be effectively managed without doing so), seems reasonable to me. That doesn’t mean, however, that neutering them after full maturity has clear net negative effects, and the evidence does not support that.
For females, a net benefit probably does exist for neutering, due primarily to mammary cancer and pyometra rates in intact dogs. Waiting until full maturity is reasonable in large and giant breeds, but again I see no evidence that using hormone measurements to guide this has any benefit.