I need honest opinions on the negative effects of spaying/neutering a dog.?

Question

I am not talking about breeding here, so the over population of dogs is not an issue. I am looking for specific REAL world reasons against fixing an animal or if you have any negative experiences from fixing your dog. Serious answers only.

Great answers so far everyone. Here is my opinion on the subject. If all you have is a pet that gets to sit around the house and go for a walk, fix it. But, if you have a working dog, a dog that participates in a sport that involves bite work, a police dog, a detection dog etc, leave it alone. Fixing it does affect its drives and I have seen it first hand.

Answer 1

Please read the PDF site below also. I will put in two links, both are important.

To summerize basically when you spay or neuter the animal's life span is shortened, it risks more cancers and is may develop bone misalignments if done to early as the growth plates close when triggered by hormones, which if altered to young are removed.

Orthopedic Considerations
A study by Salmeri et al in 1991 found that bitches spayed at 7 weeks grew significantly taller than those spayed at 7 months, who were taller than those not spayed (or presumably spayed after the growth plates had closed).(1) A study of 1444 Golden Retrievers performed in 1998 and 1999 also found bitches and dogs spayed and neutered at less than a year of age were significantly taller than those spayed or neutered at more than a year of age.(2) The sex hormones, by communicating with a number of other growth-related hormones, promote the closure of the growth plates at puberty (3), so the bones of dogs or bitches neutered or spayed before puberty continue to grow. Dogs that have been spayed or neutered well before puberty can frequently be identified by their longer limbs, lighter bone structure, narrow chests and narrow skulls. This abnormal growth frequently results in significant alterations in body proportions and particularly the lengths (and therefore weights) of certain bones relative to others. For example, if the femur has achieved its genetically determined normal length at 8 months when a dog gets spayed or neutered, but the tibia, which normally stops growing at 12 to 14 months of age continues to grow, then an abnormal angle may develop at the stifle. In addition, with the extra growth, the lower leg below the stifle likely becomes heavier (because it is longer), and may cause increased stresses on the cranial cruciate ligament. In addition, sex hormones are critical for achieving peak bone density.(4) These structural and physiological alterations may be the reason why at least one recent study showed that spayed and neutered dogs had a higher incidence of CCL rupture.(5) Another recent study showed that dogs spayed or neutered before 5 1/2 months had a significantly higher incidence of hip dysplasia than those spayed or neutered after 5 1/2 months of age, although it should be noted that in this study there were no standard criteria for the diagnosis of hip dysplasia.(6) Nonetheless, breeders of purebred dogs should be cognizant of these studies and should consider whether or not pups they bred were spayed or neutered when considering breeding decisions.
Cancer Considerations
A retrospective study of cardiac tumors in dogs showed that there was a 5 times greater risk of hemangiosarcoma, one of the three most common cancers in dogs, in spayed bitches than intact bitches and a 2.4 times greater risk of hemangiosarcoma in neutered dogs as compared to intact males.(7) A study of 3218 dogs demonstrated that dogs that were neutered before a year of age had a significantly increased chance of developing bone cancer.(8) A separate study showed that neutered dogs had a two-fold higher risk of developing bone cancer.(9) Despite the common belief that neutering dogs helps prevent prostate cancer, at least one study suggests that neutering provides no benefit.(10) There certainly is evidence of a slightly increased risk of mammary cancer in female dogs after one heat cycle, and for increased risk with each subsequent heat. While about 30 % of mammary cancers are malignant, as in humans, when caught and surgically removed early the prognosis is very good.(12) Luckily, canine athletes are handled frequently and generally receive prompt veterinary care.
Behavioral Considerations
The study that identified a higher incidence of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in spayed or neutered dogs also identified an increased incidence of sexual behaviors in males and females that were neutered early.(5) Further, the study that identified a higher incidence of hip dysplasia in dogs neutered or spayed before 5 1/2 months also showed that early age gonadectomy was associated with an increased incidence of noise phobias and undesirable sexual behaviors.(6) A recent report of the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation reported significantly more behavioral problems in spayed and neutered bitches and dogs. The most commonly observed behavioral problem in spayed females was fearful behavior and the most common problem in males was aggression.(12)
Other Health Considerations
A number of studies have shown that there is an increase in the incidence of female urinary incontinence in dogs spayed early (13), although this finding has not been universal. Certainly there is evidence that ovarian hormones are critical for maintenance of genital tissue structure and contractility.(14, 15) Neutering also has been associated with an increased likelihood of urethral sphincter incontinence in males.(16) This problem is an inconvenience, and not usually life-threatening, but nonetheless one that requires the dog to be medicated for life. A health survey of several thousand Golden Retrievers showed that spayed or neutered dogs were more likely to develop hypothyroidism.(2) This study is consistent with the results of another study in which neutering and spaying was determined to be the most significant gender-associated risk factor for development of hypothyroidism.(17) Infectious diseases were more common in dogs that were spayed or neutered at 24 weeks or less as opposed to those undergoing gonadectomy at more than 24 weeks.(18) Finally, the AKC-CHF report demonstrated a higher incidence of adverse reactions to vaccines in neutered dogs as compared to intact.(12)

Answer 2

In my opinion? You are looking for negative effects...I am not sure that there are many "negative" effects. If you have a large breed dog there is opinion that one should wait until the growth plates have completed before having your dog fixed...particular in the males...some believe that having a male neutered before the dog is matured will result in a dog of smaller size, head, height and all.
In my experience, I have had dogs fixed as early as 8 weeks old and as late as 2 years old...I am not sure that there would have been a difference in the outcome of the "size" of the dog upon maturity...
It does seem that several dogs that have been altered appear to have a "rounder" body...I do not want to say heavier...just that the body appears rounder, not as well defined...and this is just an observation from the dogs that I have seen.
I would still agree that the best choice, if not breeding your dog is to have the dog fixed. What would be the reason not to?

Answer 3

They will never have puppies. And that is the only side effect I've ever encountered with neutering or spaying the dogs I've had.
When you decide to have this operation on your pet (and it is a responsible act to do) find a damn good veterinarian to do the job. Remember these animals are dependant on you for everything, they put their complete trust in you so a few extra dollars on quality health care should not be an issue with any pet owner.

Answer 4

well there is some concern that spaying/neutering can cause an animal to gain weight more, but that may just be cats, and it shouldn't be a problem if u don't overfeed ur dog and u give him/her plenty of exercise. also, as with any surgery for all living things, there's a natural danger, for spaying or neutering the biggest danger is an adverse reaction to the anaesthiesia, and infection, but if u go to a competent vet, it shouldn't be a problem. there are alot of reasons to spay or neuter tho. 1) is (especially in males) the improvement of behavior, there's less agression in fixed animals. plus, u won't have to deal with spraying by males. for females, going in to heat is a complete mess, they'll be upset and get blood everywhere. also, there's no risk of unwanted puppies. another reason, though i don't kno how legitimate a reason this is, i've just heard it before, spaying and neutering decreases the amount of hormones in an animals body, and therefore reduces the risk of certain cancers. basically, i think its a good idea to get ur pets fixed, its healthier for them and less of a hassle for u

Answer 5

Even though the pros outweighs the cons by a whole lot, here are some negative effects:

Increases stress when they just get back from the vet because of pain

Can't show

It's not 100% that they absolutely can't get ovarian cancer or uterine cancer

Expensive


Even though those are the cons, I would very much like to show you how the benefits totally outweighs the cons:

Stress dissappears after a few days

Chances of ovarian or uterine cancer decreases by 90%

Less spraying and marking of territory

Less territorial

Less aggresssive

A calmer and nicer pet

Won't hump everthing it sees

Decreases the over population of dogs

As you can see, I believe that you should REALLY neuter/spay your dog. The cons are just minor. However, the benefits are major.

Answer 6

Dogs that have been spayed / neutered by the age of 7 have a lower occurrence of some cancers. By getting them fixed before this age you are actually contributing to their overall health and doing something that has been proven in studies to increase their chances of a longer, healthier life.

The only negative about spaying of a friend's dog was that she was over 7. She got cancer and had to be put down. I know the owner had chosen not to spay, but did when he found out about the risks with cancer. He has had to live wondering if he could have had a couple more years with her, had he done it sooner. She was his best friend.

Answer 7

I haven't really heard many negative with spaying/neutering a dog except may die during surgery. I also heard that its a myth that dogs put on weight after they are spayed/neutered they only put on weight if not on a healthy diet and don't exercise as much. I would personally look on google under negative effects of spaying/neutering a dog. good luck!

Answer 8

When you spay females it stops their periods and tends to calm them down. Neutering or spaying can change a hyper dog into a little more mellow. If the dogs are purebreds, you should consider not neutering or spaying, 'cause you can get a lot of money off the puppies, but since you're not talking about breeding, I can't think nof any negative effects of spaying/neutering except that if the dog is too old or too young, the surgery could be unsuccessful. As always, your dog's health should come first before anything else. I hope that helped!

Answer 9

I had my dogs neutered because I was told it would end the aggression my older male had been showing towards the younger male, well it did not work. It has been months and I still have the same problem. On the other hand, the younger male has changed but it is not for the better(as far as I am concerned) he is a big baby now and it causes some problems with training. I will not neuter a dog again because it has not done anything positive. I can manage to keep intact dogs inside so there is no worry about them roaming the street impregnating other dogs so besides preventing unwanted litters I do not see the point in neutering.

Answer 10

The only negative I can think of is that the dog is more likely to put on weight after it has been spayed or neutered.

Answer 11

Most of the purported downsides of spaying/neutering are myths. Here’s a few great sites that outlines what is true and what is not:

http://pets.coloradosprings.com/vet_fullstory.jsp?id=5239
http://etdr.doberinfo.com/health/spayinfo.html#POINTS%20AGAINST%20STERILIZATION

Of course, complications are possible with any surgery, but as this is such a common surgery and the average vet has performed hundreds if not thousands of spays/neuters in his/her career, the chances of something going wrong are quite low.

I have had both of my dogs spayed and have never experienced any problems.