SPAY AND NEUTER - PROS AND CONS

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1 Klahanie Drive, Port Moody, BC, V3H 0C3, Canada Tel PAWS SPAY AND NEUTER - PROS AND CONS In North America, we spay or neuter our dogs. It's considered to be an accepted and normal part of responsible pet ownership. We've all heard the benefits touted again and again: Not only does it help prevent adding to the overwhelming number of homeless dogs out there, it also decreases the risk of certain cancers, can sometimes resolve certain behaviour problems. Unneutered males are more likely to roam and become territorial. Females left unspayed can develop false pregnancies, or dangerous uterine infections called Pyometras. So why is it that, in Europe, most male dogs and many females are left intact by their owners? Well, it turns out that the spaying and neutering debate is still open and raging. All of the above is true - sterilizing your dog does cut down on certain behaviours, and does decrease risk of certain cancers (after all, you can't have ovarian cancer if you don't have ovaries, and you can't develop testicular cancer without testicles!). It certainly does prevent indiscriminate breeding, which means that thousands of dogs are saved abandonment and possible death at a killshelter. But, it can actually increase the risk of some other problems. Spayed/neutered dogs may have an increased risk of: Obesity, Knee problems like patella luxation and cruciate ligament injury, Hip Dysplasia, Urinary Incontinence, Vaccine Reactions, Fatal, acute pancreatitis. certain cancers! The good news is that the time of spaying or neutering can make a big difference. A study of Golden Retrievers found that neutering before puberty increased the risk of problems like hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament rupture. On the other hand, late-neutered dogs had BETTER hips than dogs who were never neutered at all, and only a slightly increased risk of cruciate ligament damage as compared to early-neutered dogs. The same goes for spayed dogs. Late-neutered and late-spayed dogs were also at equal or lower risk of developing lymphosarcoma (an aggressive cancer) compared to intact dogs, while dogs who were spayed/neutered early were at an increased risk of developing lymphosarcoma. On the other hand, late-neutered dogs were actually at a higher risk of developing mast cell tumours (another aggressive kind of cancer) compared to dogs who were neutered early, or never neutered at all. This is particularly striking in females - the late spayed females were at a MUCH higher risk of mast cell tumors, and also of hemangiosarcoma, compared to females who

2 SPAY HOUSE AND TRAINING NEUTER YOUR - PROS PUPPY AND CONS (continued) were spayed early or were still intact. It seems like no matter when you spay or neuter, you increase the risk of some cancers and decrease the risk of others! Studies can't show everything - Before you rush out to spay your dog early to prevent hemangiosarcoma, or picket your local SPCA because they neuter pups at 8 weeks of age, remember that spaying and neutering probably have a lot of complex benefits and drawbacks that we still don't fully understand. You also need to remember that studies can only show correlations, not prove causation. Lots of things affect all of the problems mentioned above, too - diet, genetics, lifestyle... What it really comes down to: The decision of whether or not to spay or neuter your pet - and when - is an intensely personal decision. Before you seriously consider leaving your dog intact, you need to ask yourself the folloing question: Can I live with an intact male? Higher energy requirements - you will need to exercise your dog more if he is full of testosterone Roaming behaviour - your dog is more likely to escape your yard and go hunting for girls Increased territoriality - some unneutered dogs can get territorial Higher risk of fights - where most males are neutered, neutered males will often feel threatened by and attack unneutered males. Responsibility to prevent breeding - you need to be aware that your dog is fertile and keep him away from unspayed females. Can I live with an intact female? Your dog will go into heat a couple of times a year; Each heat will last two to three weeks on average During that time she will be restless and will produce a discharge from her vulva; You will need to keep her away from unneutered dogs during these periods; She might develop false pregnancy; She could develop a pyometra, which is dangerous and requires an emergency spay. If your only concern is preventing breeding, some vets will perform specialty surgery - doing a vasectomy on your male or removing the uterus from your female - that will prevent breeding, but leave the hormone-producing gonads there. However, your dog will still act and feel intact, so you still need to be prepared for those consequences! If you have questions about spaying or neutering, please don't hesitate to call us. HOUSE TRAINING YOUR PUPPY Equipment 1. A kennel that is large enough for the puppy to stand up and turn around, with enough space for a couple of toys, but small enough that it creates a snug, bed-like environment. If you have a large breed dog, you can either wall off a portion of a larger crate, or switch to a bigger crate as your puppy grows. 2. A spot of grass right outside your house, in your yard, or in a box on your balcony. 3. A lot of patience! Understanding The Kennel Your puppy s kennel is like a baby s crib. It is a safe, comfortable place where you can put your puppy during naps and whenever you are too busy to keep your eye on him/her. Most puppies have a natural inhibition against urinating or defecating in their own beds. The exception is puppies who have been kept in a small cage at a puppy mill or pet store, who sometimes lose this inhibition if they are left sitting in their own messes too often. By putting your puppy in his bed when you cannot watch him/her, you are reducing the chance of your puppy having an accident inside the house and keeping him/her safe. At first your puppy may

3 HOUSE TRAINING YOUR PUPPY (continued) cry when placed in the crate. You can reduce this by keeping the kennel near you, moving it from room to room if necessary, and by only letting the puppy out when he/she is being quiet. Dogs who grow up with kennels come to like having a safe haven, and by the time they are grown will put themselves to bed whenever they feel tired or overwhelmed. Setting Up Your Puppy s Routine Young puppies urinate frequently, and may have as many as four or five bowel movements a day, depending on their metabolism and the kind of food they are eating. Puppies tend to urinate/defecate after eating, after/during physical exercise, and after sleeping. When in a kennel, the average puppy can hold his/her bladder and bowel movements for his/her age in months plus one. So a 3 month old puppy can, on average, remain in a crate for a maximum of 4 hours without having an accident. Your own puppy s abilities may be better or worse than this average. If you work during the day and must leave your puppy alone, it is best to hire someone to come by your house twice a day to let your puppy out and give him/her some play time. If you cannot, it is best to confine the puppy to a safe area with some puppy pee pads. This may weaken your house training, however, as puppy pee pads teach your puppy that it IS okay to go in the house, even if it is only on certain materials. Your puppy s schedule should look something like this: Feed your puppy, then take him/her directly outside. Then allow some play/exploration time, carefully monitored. Any mistakes should be interrupted and the puppy should be allowed to finish outside. Take the puppy out one last time when playtime is over. After approximately minutes of playtime, depending on the puppy, put your puppy in his/her kennel with a chew toy and keep him/her near you. Ignore any crying until the puppy falls asleep. When the puppy wakes up, take the puppy outside again, and allow more free play time, take the puppy out again, and then put the puppy back in his/her kennel. Over night, you can cut out the play time and merely take the puppy out whenever he/she wakes up, then return the puppy to the kennel. Teaching Good Habits In order to make your desires clear to your puppy, every success outside deserves a big party. Save a special kind of treat that is only given when the puppy urinates or defecates outside, and follow that treat with some fun outdoor play time. Soon your puppy will be in a hurry to go outside in order to get his delicious reward and start the outdoor fun. The best way to inhibit voiding indoors is to simply stop it as much as possible. Frequent trips outside, according the aforementioned schedule, and careful monitoring will ensure success in this area. When you catch your puppy making a mistake indoors, make a startling sound such as a hand clap or a sudden (not necessarily loud or scary) No! Then pick up your puppy, interrupting the act, and whisk the puppy outside. If the puppy finishes outside, throw the usual party and consider it a success. If you find that your puppy has had a movement indoors that you didn t catch in the act, don t punish or scold the puppy, who won t understand why you are upset. Instead, just shake your head, clean it up, and vow to yourself that you will watch the puppy more closely next time!

4 ALLERGY TESTING - WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS? Spring is the beginning of environmental allergy season! Our patients come to us itching or sneezing, and sometimes we have to resort to antibiotics or steroids to relieve their symptoms. We always tell owners that the best treatment for allergies is prevention - keeping pets away from the allergens. But how can you tell what your pet is allergic to? Environmental Allergy (Atopy) Testing People tend to associate allergies in pets with food, but in fact, environmental allergies are extremely common. Animals can be allergic to many things in their environment such as: Fleas (even a single bite can sometimes cause havoc for weeks!), Dust mites, Moulds, Grasses. Environmental allergies can be very frustrating, because it is very hard to figure out what is triggering the allergy without a test. There are two kinds of environmental allergy tests: Intradermal Testing (IDT) involves shaving square of skin on the animal s side or back and doing a series of injections, where various allergens are placed beneath the skin. The pet is the monitored, to see which allergens cause a skin reaction, and how severe the reaction is. DT is the method preferred by dermatologists. However, it has some drawbacks. First and possibly most important, it can be uncomfortable for the animal! Owners are often reluctant to put their dog through this test, especially when the pet is already suffering from skin irritation. Secondly, it takes some training to administer, and is usually only performed at a dermatology specialty clinic. If you would like to pursue this route of testing, we can refer you to a dermatologist. Blood Serum Testing measures a kind of antibody called IgE in the blood. These antibodies are quite rare in people or animals who do not have allergies, but are present in abundance when the person has an allergy. We simply draw a blood sample from your pet and send it to the laboratory. They will test against a number of common regional allergens to see if your pet has IgE antibodies against those allergens. Only a few years ago, these blood tests were considered to be hit and miss. However, studies have found the newest method of testing, used by the lab we recommend (Idexx/Greer), to be 90% as accurate as intradermal testing (IDT), and they are certainly is much less uncomfortable for our patients! We recommend testing when your pet during allergy season, when it is NOT on steroids to increase the accuracy of the results. Food Allergy Testing Food allergies or intolerances are another common cause for recurrent skin problems in animals. Proteins are the most common allergens, but animals can develop allergies to anything they are exposed to in their diet. Some of the most common allergens are: Chicken, Beef, Corn, Wheat, Dairy, Soy. Food allergies can be frustrating, but we always hope for a food allergy over an environmental allergy. It is much easier to control your pet s diet than it is to control the entire world around your pet! Unfortunately, testing options for food allergies are much more limited. Intradermal testing used to be the most recommended method for testing food allergies. However, very few studies have found Intradermal Testing to be reliable for food allergens. Dermatologists no longer recommend it. Blood Testing for food have existed for many years, and follow similar methodologies to those for environmental allergies. However, dermatologists have never considered blood allergy

5 ALLERGY TESTING - WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS? (continued) testing to be reliable, and studies show that there is very little value to the tests. The lab we recommend (Idexx/Greer) no longer even offers blood tests for food allergens. Nutriscan is a new test which is currently available for dogs only. It tests antibodies in the dog s saliva against common food allergens. We are beginning to believe that what we call food allergies may actually be a sort of sensitivity or intolerance, such as we see in people with Celiac Disease or Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but which can also express itself as a skin problem, the way that a gluten intolerance may result in eczema in people. Unlike blood tests, which test for IgE antibodies (the antibodies most commonly found in acute allergic reactions), the Nutriscan test measures IgA and IgM antibodies, which are secreted by the gastrointestinal system and are associated with sensitivities and intolerances, rather than classical allergies. The saliva is collected by placing an absorbent rope in the dog s mouth until the rope is saturated. We then ship the saliva by courier to the Nutriscan test center in California. The cost of the test includes a dietary consultation once the results come back so we can make the best use of the information gleamed from Nutriscan. Elimination Diet The best way to identify a food allergy is to put the pet on a strictly controlled diet. The goal is to put the animal on a diet containing completely new foods that he/she has never eaten before. After all, if the pet has never eaten duck before, then it can t be duck that is causing the allergic reaction! Some vets recommend a veterinary hypoallergenic diet. Many of these have been specially formulated to have completely novel protein sources, often man-made in a laboratory. However, at Healing Paws, we believe that many of the other ingredients in the food, from the starches to the preservatives, could easily be things that the pet has been exposed to before, and may be part of the problem. The best elimination diet consists of only two or three ingredients and is prepared at home, so the owner knows 100% for sure that there are no hidden ingredients. If your pet is on a raw diet, we will ask you to buy human meat from a butcher and prepare at home, rather than using a pre-prepared commercial raw diet, for the same reasons. It can take 6-8 weeks or longer to know for sure if an elimination diet is working. Then other ingredients can be added one by one. That way, if a break-out occurs, we will know exactly which food item triggered the allergic reaction. In a way, an elimination diet is not so much a test to find out what your do is allergic to, but a test to figure out what your dog is NOT allergic to. But really, isn t that the most important thing to know?

6 PUPPY/KITTEN WELLNESS PACKAGES! Spring is a time when we think about new life, so it seems fitting that we offer a special promotion for puppies and kittens. Many people don't realize how expensive a new pet can be. This spring, clients bringing us their puppies and kittens can save 20% off of their routine wellness care! Our Welcome Packages involve a one-time fee that covers the following: Routine Wellness Exams, Any necessary vaccinations, Stool testing, Nail trims, Titer testing (puppies and outdoor kittens only), Feline Leukemia/Feline AIDS test (kittens only). All at 20% off the regular price! The packages also come with a free, no-obligation 6 week trial of pet insurance to help cover any unexpected illnesses or injuries. Optional Package Additions: 20% off of your pet's spay or neuter, 20% off of an in-home, private puppy preschool course offered through Wag The Dog Pet Training. UPCOMING EVENTS & PROMOTIONS What is happening? - Raw Food Diet seminar - at Sir Dog in Newport Village - April 23, 6:30pm - Thanks to your contributions, together we raised $ , for S.A.I.N.T.S., in Mission! Check will be presented on April 27. Spring Promotions: - Puppy & Kitten Wellness Packages - 20% off - In-depth Allergy Consultation - 50% off Healing Paws Veterinary Care offers: 50% off of the consulting fee, on your 1st booked appointment! (Applicable to new clients only. One per family.)