Bad Effects of Spaying and Neutering in Dogs Urinary Incontinence Spayed female dogs are more likely to be incontinent; cats do not seem to have this problem, at least rarely. Spayed females that develop incontinence will show improvement with the use of female hormone therapy. This hormone is the missing link after spaying. Urinary tract problems Spayed females are more likely to develop urinary tract infections. Whether this is due to obesity from spaying or spaying itself remains to be considered Obesity Spayed pets are more likely to gain weight, there is no doubt about it. In particular, spaying before the first heat will increase the chances of obesity after spaying. Hypothyroidism ahem, note that it is hypothyroidism and not hyperthyroidism. Dogs are more likely to have this problem than cats. Spayed dogs are more likely to develop hypothyroidism than unspayed dogs. There is a clear tendency for obesity in diabetic neutered animals. In cats, obesity increases the prevalence of diabetes very substantially. Bone cancer osteosarcoma is most often seen in large dogs whose bones are already overgrown, making them more susceptible to osteosarcoma. Spaying or neutering before the first birthday significantly increases the chance of developing osteosarcoma. Abnormal bone structureNeutering pets too early can create a number of problems, and the skeleton is one of them. As the animal grows, hormones secreted by the reproductive system are involved in determining the length and shape of the bones. When spaying or neutering is performed too early, the body loses these hormones at once, making the skeleton grow out of control, and the growth cycle becomes longer and out of proportion. This in turn makes the pet abnormally taller and the bones more abnormally shaped. The irony of spaying and neutering your dog is that scientific studies have beaten you to the punch when it comes to claims that spayed and neutered pets live longer. in a 2009 study, female Rottweilers spayed before the age of four lived 30% shorter than unspayed Rottweilers. Spay/neuter advocates love to use statistical charts to tell you “look, these spayed animals live longer” – like I said before, how do you know if it’s the spay/neuter effect, or the difference in parenting practices and level of medical care between owners that makes the difference? Statistics can be selective, and it’s especially convenient to manipulate and misinterpret, which is the same for both sides, so don’t read a few icons and accept the other side’s claims wholesale. No university is happy to do these types of long-term follow-up studies because they are so costly and minimally profitable. Most of the studies are conducted by pet insurance companies, but there are studies by insurance companies that say “there is little relationship between whether a pet is spayed or neutered and its potential life expectancy. Spaying and neutering at the right time and for the right reasons
