08/29/13

Why would you NOT desex your dog???

Why wouldn't you desex a dog?

Desexing advocates seem to minimise the many real reasons that people choose to keep their dogs entire. In Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA, at some other countries, desexing (spay and neuter) is the default, and anyone who chooses for their dog to not undergo the surgery is treated with suspicion.

However, there are a number of reasons that people choose to keep their dogs entire. Here are some of them.

The question is: Why is your dog entire?

They want their dog to physically and mentally mature before desexing.

It is well documented that desexing dogs early can cause them to grow taller and leaner. While for many people this is not a problem, others particularly want their dog to develop ‘the way nature intended’, especially if the dog will be partaking in strenuous sports like agility. Others want their dog to mentally mature before desexing, too. In this case, “My dog is entire to ensure that it naturally matures.”

They want their dog to look or act like their given breed.

On a similar note, it is well know that desexing causes dogs to know only grow taller (in the case of early aged desexing) but, in all desexing, it is common for the coat to change texture and not ‘blow’ as normal. Quite simply, while you may purchase a purebred, desexing may cause the dog to look dissimilar to the breed your purchased. The answer may be, “My dog is entire because I want my dog to look and act like the breed I purchased” and “My dog is entire because I don’t want it to grow tall (i.e. I want a small dog)”.

There are risk factors associated with desexed dogs that they are not prepared to risk.

They are aware of the health conditions associated with desexed dogs, and some owners may choose to minimise the risks of these health conditions by keeping their dogs entire. These risks include an increased incidence of cranial cruciate ligament tears, and the risk of cancer. They could say, “My dog is entire because I believe it is in their best interests, for health reasons, for them to remain entire.”

They want their dogs to act like its appropriate sex.

They like a dog who acts like their sex, which is mostly controlled as hormones. This is best expressed as, “My dog is entire because I want it to act like a dog or act like a bitch”.

They feel the risks of desexing surgery is too great.

They are concerned about the risks of anaesthetic, especially if their pet already has health conditions (e.g. heart conditions). These owners could say, “My dog is entire because the risks of anaesthetic are too great”.

They compete in dog shows in which their dog is required to be entire.

While many dog shows in Australia have a neuter class, they are not competitive, and only have one title awarded after 100 points. This is, the neuter classes in Australian dog shows are not highly competitive. It would make sense for owners to justify keeping their dogs entire by saying, “My dog is entire because I enjoy participating in a competitive way in dog shows”.

They don’t believe their is anything wrong with their dog in current form.

Why fix what isn’t broken? Many dog owners are happy with their dog behaviourally and/or phyiscally and don’t want to change it. Indeed, they are scared that desexing may change their pet’s temperament. They could say, “My dog is entire because I see no reason to desex them – I like them just the way they are”.

They want to have the option to breed from their pet one day.

Before becoming alarmed (Oh no! Breeders!), I am referring to ethical ways in which breeders seek to ensure they only breed from the ‘best dogs’ and preserve genetic diversity. For example, many breeders run on several dogs from one litter, to give them time to determine ‘the best one’. Some breeders (like myself) may choose to put males out on terms that require them to remain entire, so I can collect semen from them and store it to preserve genetic diversity. Some people also keep dogs entire as insurance – again, in my case, my bitch Clover is still entire just in case something happens to her progeny and so I’m therefore left without anything to go on with. So, people may be able to say, “My dog is entire because I am committed to ensuring only the best dogs are bred from, while also having a committing to preserving genetic diversity within the breed”.

They can’t afford to desex!

This is a big one! Many people want to desex their pets, but they do not have the finances to do so. Statistics from groups like Downtown Dog Rescue show that poverty is a big problem when it comes to many matters concerning pet ownership, including desexing. If you asked these people, “Why is your dog entire?” the answer would probably be “My dog is entire because I do not have enough income to pay for rent, groceries, medications, and to also pay for surgery for my dog”.

They believe it is cruel to desex.

Desexing is a medical procedure that certainly causes short term suffering for an animal, and has some long term health implications. Many believe that desexing is a superficial procedure, mostly performed in order to make pets easier to ‘control’ (presumably). How ethical is it to maim an animal for personal convenience? These people could say, “My dogs are entire because I believe desexing is cruel.”

The law doesn’t allow them to desex.

This is real. In Norway, desexing is illegal except in extenuating medical circumstances. Routine desexing is outlawed. “My dog is entire because it’s illegal to desex them.”

They chose alternative contraceptive options for their dog.

Just because a dog appears to be entire (like the lovely bull terrier illustrated above), that does not mean that they are actually able to reproduce. Dog owners may choose to have a vasectomy, a tubal ligation, or use a contraceptive like the Superlorin. In this way, “My dog is entire because I have chosen a form of sterilisation (temporary or permanent) that not a gonadectomy”.

Unfortunately, we have set desexing as ‘the norm’ for companion animals. People take their pets into their vet for their first consult, and they vaccinate, microchip, and book them in for desexing.

While there may be many reasons that people choose to desex their pets, these are readily and openly discussed. This post aims to produce an alternative dialogue and provide legitimacy to the practice of keeping pets entire.

08/9/13

Downtown Dog Rescue have Dog Rescue Down

Would you like to keep your pet out of this shelter? Ask us how.

I recently ‘liked’ the Downtown Dog Rescue Facebook page and since have had my newsfeed collect many wonderful good news stories from the organisation. I had to share at least some of their amazing stories in South LA.

So what’s to like about Downtown Dog Rescue?

Surrenders are a Poverty Issue, Above All Else

Downtown Dog Rescue recognises that the number one reason that people surrender their pets is poverty. South LA has 40% of its population living below the poverty line, and there is only 1 job for every 7 people (from the DDR website).

Mandatory spay neuter and prohibition of chaining means that owners must have their pets spayed or neutered, and must have fences to keep their pets. When people cannot afford to meet their legislated ownership requirements, they feel they have no choice but to surrender their pets. While there is low cost spay and neuter available, as DDR says, ‘Low cost is not low enough’ and it’s true.

Downtown Dog Rescue makes it really clear that there are real human issues that prevent dogs being at home. For example, this son went to reclaim his deceased father’s dog, but couldn’t afford the reclaim fee and also pay for his dad’s funeral. DDR helped him out, but it’s just one example where very real, poverty-related issues impact upon pet ownership.

Importantly, poverty doesn’t make someone ‘irresponsible’ or otherwise unworthy of pet ownership – and DDR never makes this claim.

Part of Dog Rescue is Preventing Dogs from Needing Rescue

An overlooked part of dog rescue is to prevent dogs ever being in the position of needing rescue. That is, preventing animals from entering shelters to begin with.

On the 31st of July 2013, they proudly posted that they intercepted 30 surrenders. 33 animals were presented to the shelter for surrender, but DDR managed to keep 30 of those animals out of the shelter! Wow! On the 27th of July, they proudly intercepted 23 surrenders. That’s over 50 dogs kept out of a shelter in less than a week.

Earlier that month, they intercepted 20 pets and 30 pets.

So how exactly do you stop animals from ending up in the shelter? The pie chart below shows areas that DDR are helping in regard to the 650 intercepted animals in April-June 2013.

Downtown Dog Rescue Shelter Intervention Service

Spay/neuter is the big problem. When people come to the shelter wanting to surrender their pets because they can’t afford spay/neuter surgery, DDR refers them to their free spay neuter program. Like this dog.

Some people feel they need to surrender their pets because of their current housing arrangement. In some situations, like this cat, DDR helps by paying the necessary pet bond and thereby keeping the family together.

The ‘humane euthanasia for senior pets’ always brings tears to my eyes when reading their Facebook posts. Many pet owners, knowing their pet is elderly and sick, can’t afford euthanasia and so bring the pet to the shelter to surrender-for-euthanasia. Instead of allowing animals to die in a foreign and scary environment, surrounded by strangers, DDR helps families be by-the-side of their pet in a vet clinic euthanasia. It’s a small last act of kindness that made a difference for this dog, and this one, and this one, and this one, and many more.

You can read more statistics here.

Utmost Respect for their Community

Downtown Dog Rescue never blames the ‘irresponsible public‘ for anything. They never condemn or complain about the people they are working with, or shame them. In fact, they take the opposite approach: faming families for desexing their pets or faming individuals who go to great lengths to desex pets. They acknowledge real human issues (such as fear) which inhibits uptake of spay and neuter surgeries, and educates instead of dictates. There is no shaming even those who don’t choose to desex their pets (despite what some of the Facebook commenters may say).

DDR respects the community that they’re working with to improve animal welfare in the area.

Rehome from Homes, Not the Shelter

An important role that DDR accomplishes is preventing surrenders by networking and advertising ‘at risk of surrender’ dogs. That is: If a dog presents to the shelter to be surrendered, DDR can try to keep the dog out of the shelter by exploring alternative rehoming avenues. For example, they gave a shout out to find Butter a home, and this litter of puppies were lucky enough to be rehomed without ever setting foot in the shelter. Excellent outcomes in these two examples, and just one of the many ways DDR is trying to reduce relinquishment of pets to the shelter.

Paying Reclaim Fees

It’s a common pattern internationally: Dogs who get impounded, for whatever reason, often have an owner who wants them back, but can’t afford the reclaim fee, and so dogs are effectively held ransom by the council or the shelter until a release fee is paid. While the motive is to recoup expenses associated with the impounding, and perhaps fines for dogs ‘roaming at large’, in reality it just prevents dogs going home with their families. This is a scenario that DDR has seen time and time and time again. Luckily for the pets involved, the DDR will often assist in paying reclaim fees to ensure pets go home instead of stay in a shelter.

Providing Containment Options

Another big thing that DDR contributes to the community is assistance with fencing problems, chiefly, fixing fences or building pens. Many of the fences they fix are so simple, but make a big deal to the life of pets and their owners: They get to stay together.

And that’s not all!

DDR does anything they can to keep pets out of shelters, or just improve the welfare of pets in the area. Like:

Offering free boarding for 120 days to keep a dog out of the shelter.
They concerned about a substandard-kennel provided for this dog, so donated a new kennel.
Running dog training classes to try to help owners with behavioural issues (who wanted to surrender because of those issues).
Paying for medical costs that families can’t afford.

And, of course, they have dogs for adoption too!

“What we’ve learned; it’s not that people who come to the shelter don’t care, but they think they have run out of options”.

The situation in South LA is also a careful reminder that introducing animal welfare legislation (such as mandatory desexing or ‘no chaining’) can also have an impact on surrenders… Which in turn effectively nullifies any welfare benefit from the legislation in the first place.

In a world where my Facebook newsfeed is often overwhelmed with sensationalist animal rescue stories, my eyes constantly fall on the understated but hugely significant work of Downtown Dog Rescue. Their good news posts bring tears to my eyes. I can’t get enough of these happy stories! I am so excited for the dogs and people that this rescue is helping.

How you can help

DDR works on donations. They currently running a ‘donation special’, where any $1 donated by the public will be matched by the ASPCA. So now is a fantastic time to make a donation to all the good work DDR are doing. There can be no doubt that their services are truly helping pets and people, and providing the exact type of help that is needed. Donate here!

Further reading:

The Revolving Door: A poverty problem, not a pet problem

Poverty, shelter surrender, and what makes a difference (on DDR from Maddie’s Institute)

“All they need is love”

02/20/13

Golden Retrievers: Cancer If You Do, Cancer If You Don’t

You don’t need to be in the dog world for very long before you hear about desexing benefiting the health of dogs. These claims talk about reducing cancer (testicular, mammary, prostate, ovarian, uterine, cervix), reducing prostate disease (in boys), and preventing pyometra (in bitches).

What we don’t hear about is the undesirable side effects of desexing, and how desexing is linked to increased risks of some cancers, and an increased likelihood of joint disorders.

Torres de la Riva et al, in their research published just this month, decided to look into the health effects of desexing in golden retrievers; Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers.

They, indeed, hit back at these spruced ‘health benefits’ in the introduction of their piece, saying:

“In contrast to the rather strong evidence for neutering males and/or females as a risk factor for osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, lymphosarcoma, mast cell tumours and prostate cancer, evidence for neutering as protection against a dog acquiring one or more cancers is weak.”

This research set out to investigate spay and neuter in Golden Retrievers from 1-8 years. They chose goldens because they are commonly used as assistance animals, and so they hoped the implications of this study may have consequences for related assistance organisations (of course, dog science only happens when it helps people!). It makes sense: it’s ‘wasteful’ to invest in a dog becomes invalid for the work they were trained in, especially if that invalidity could’ve been prevented by more-appropriate timing of desexing.

While other research has pooled many breeds and health affects together, this is the first study to look at desexing in just one particular breed. Prior-analysis determined several conditions to look at: hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumours, osterosarcoma, and elbow dysplasia.

Dogs were included in the study if they were between 1-8 years of age. They were put into categories of either ‘early neuter’ (before 1 year of age), ‘late neuter’ (after 1 year of age), and ‘intact’. Data regarding their health was retrospective, gained from veterinary records. Any dogs where a health diagnosis was ‘grey’ (non-conclusive), they were excluded from the study.

Continue reading →

02/15/13

My dogs are ENTIRELY FRIENDLY!

In response to the Dog & Cat Management Board’s recent proposal for mandatory desexing, my friend Ruth Bell (Markable Curly Coat Retrievers) and I decided to create the event “My dogs are ENTIRELY FRIENDLY”. We were lucky enough to hit the media! We appeared in the City Messenger (below) and also appeared on the AdelaideNow website.

The article can be viewed online (we are on page 10).

I would love to see you at the rally!

My Dogs Are ENTIRELY FRIENDLY!
9am in Victoria Square
17th February 2012

Please only bring sociable and friendly dogs to the event. We recommend that bitches in season stay home. Desexed dogs are welcomed to show their support. Dogless people are also welcome!

It would be greatly appreciated, if you are on Facebook, if you could RSVP to the event. If not, that’s fine, but if you can, please do!

Further reading:

Desex the bad ones!

Guilty until proven innocent – SA’s Dog and Cat Management Board’s next grand plan

01/4/12

Vets, Sex, Disease, and Aging (with McGreevy)

This post is part of the McGreevy seminar series. Click here for the index.

McGreevy believes that more vets should be savvy regarding dog behaviour, and how diseases can affect behaviour. Vets need to be more educated regarding dog behaviour. Unknowledgeable vets risk giving harmful advice, which potentially could lead to dog bites. McGreevy believes that dog behaviour is important, especially considering many dogs surrendered to shelters are done so due to their behaviour.

Desexing

Male and female dogs act differently even before puberty. (In my last litter, the boy puppy never squatted, but peed from a standing position as soon as he was capable of standing.) Desexing does not nullify these behavioural differences, as some of them become habit before desexing.

Do dogs know when another dog is desexed? According to Paul McGreevy, no. Dogs cannot smell or sense that another animal is desexed. They may be able to smell that the other animal has less hormones, but they would not know the reason. A desexed male would smell like a juvenile male. A desexed female would smell like any other female that is not in season.

It is unknown if behaviours change due to desexing. No evidence exists that proves that ‘too much testosterone’ is the cause of problematic behaviours to begin with.

Obesity

Desexing leads to increase risk of obesity. Almost ½ of domesticated dogs are obese or chubby. This leads to disease and shorter lives.

(On the other hand, McGreevy noted that having a dog reduces childhood obesity, and said, “We could get good funding for that!”)

Aging

The likelihood of dementia in dogs occurs on a similar age curve as in humans. There are over 30 different behavioural changes that occur when a dog ages.

He mentioned some of the research being undertaken by Golden Oldies. One of the more valuable bits of their website is a senior dog scoring system, which may help dog owners identify signs of dementia earlier.

We are nearing the end of our McGreevy series, with only a couple more posts to go. Stay tuned!