The Controversial Topic of Spaying/Neutering Your Pet

Having your pet neutered/spayed (fixed, desexed, sterilized) can be a controversial topic. According to the ASPCA, each year in the US, millions of healthy dogs and cats are euthanized simply because there aren’t enough homes to go around. Lately, the news has featured stories about animal shelters and rescues having to turn animals away. These organizations are at capacity, or they don’t have the financial ability to care for more animals. Having your pet neutered/spayed can help reduce pet overpopulation, it can also protect your pet against serious health problems and reduce behavioral issues.

Overpopulation

Pet overpopulation is a real concern. According to 2023 data from Petpedia, 85% of US dogs have been spayed or neutered. Even with this statistic, each year in the US over 670,000 shelter dogs are euthanized (Brulliard). Shelters and rescues are overcrowded, and some are turning dogs away. I’ve seen stories of animal rescues having to get creative to help shelters. For example, when a shelter gets a bulldog with medical needs, they typically reach out to their local bulldog rescue to see if they can take the dog. I’ve seen social media posts where a rescue can’t take the dog, but they’re posting stories for the shelter, in hopes of helping to find an adopter. One of the rescues I work with almost ran out of money last year. We’d taken in the most surrenders for a one-year period and spent almost $345,000 on medical bills. We were afraid we’d have to shut the rescue down in a few months if we didn’t raise critical funds. Thankfully, we raised the needed funds to continue our mission.

Researchers have found that intact animals are at a greater risk of abandonment, an important factor affecting the shelter animal population (Vendramini, et al.). To address overpopulation in the US, 32 states require sterilization before a shelter/rescue animal can be adopted.

Health Problems

Some reasons cited for not having pets fixed are concerns with the health impacts. There is a belief that desexing can be linked to weight gain, cancer, and joint disorders. A recent study found that early spaying and neutering can contribute to joint disorders and some cancers in some breeds (Ellerbeck). To address this, pet owners should work with their vet to determine the proper age to have their dog fixed. Weight control can be managed through proper diet and food calculations for dogs’ energy needs. 

There is considerable data to show that desexing can have positive health impacts. One study followed over 10,000 dogs and found evidence that spaying before 2-5 years was associated with a reduction in mammary gland (breast, teats) tumors, and this type of cancer can be further reduced when spayed before the first heat cycle. Another study found that mammary tumors were the most common tumor in unspayed females, and that 50% of those tumors were malignant (Vandramini, et al.). For male dogs, neutered males are less likely to develop testicular cancer. Spaying and neutering can also reduce urinary infections. From a personal perspective, I am fostering a puppy who has chronic UTIs. We were referred to a specialist to see if there was a more serious problem. The specialist wants to wait until the puppy can be neutered to see if advanced testing is needed. He believes not being fixed may be contributing to the chronic UTIs, because the prostrate may be harboring bacteria. Once neutered, the prostrate will shrink and the UTIs may stop. Overall, fixed animals tend to live longer, healthier lives and spaying/neutering at the proper age should be discussed with your vet.

Behavioral Issues

Having a dog fixed can be beneficial to address behavioral issues. An unneutered male tends to mark his territory by urinating on things. Unspayed females who are in heat attract a male dog’s attention. Both sexes have a higher propensity to wander, which could lead to your pet being picked up by a stranger, being hit by a car, or becoming lost. We have a neighborhood dog who’s not neutered, and he’s constantly running off and upsetting the neighbors. For me, I have a dog who’s not dog friendly, and when this dog runs up on us, it causes a very difficult situation that one day could lead to someone being injured. Unaltered pets can also have more aggressive behaviors and may try to hump people and things, something that not everyone finds to be an attractive behavior.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, unless you’re a reputable breeder or there are medical reasons preventing your pet from being desexed, you should be working with your vet to have your dog fixed at the proper time. Not only can having your pet desexed help with overpopulation, it could also protect them against serious health problems and reduce behavioral issues.

Written by: Lori Hamilton. June 28, 2023

Sources:

ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/spayneuter-your-pet

Brulliard, Karin. Oct 11, 2019. The growing debate over spaying and neutering dogs. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/10/11/growing-debate-over-spaying-neutering-dogs/

Ellerbeck, Alexandra. Aug 5, 2021. The Seattle Times. Neuter your pet or not? The answer is no longer automatic. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/neuter-your-pet-or-not-the-answer-is-no-longer-automatic/

Illijasic, Tea Turkalj. April 28, 2020. 35+ Key spay and Neuter Statistics (2023 Update). 35+ Key Spay and Neuter Statistics (2023 UPDATE) | Petpedia

Vendramini, T., Amaral, A., Pedrinelli, V., Zafalon, R., Rodrigues, R., & Brunetto, M. (2020). Neutering in dogs and cats: Current scientific evidence and importance of adequate nutritional management. Nutrition Research Reviews, 33(1), 134-144. doi:10.1017/S0954422419000271