I haven't had chance to read the entire article, just skimmed it quickly..... Health benefits aside, I think the important thing for the average dog owner is that spaying and neutering does something to halt the dog and cat population explosion. A dog owner who is capable of handling/controlling an entire dog, well all the power to them if they chose not to spay or neuter. I also wonder how much diet has an affect on some of those health issues.
Grrr!! I had a whole response written up, and for whatever reason it didn't post.
I have absolutely no doubt that diet plays a huge role in health - which is why I feed a raw diet. I think diet might very well help in warding off some diseases, but I also think that a lot of the issues related to early spay/neuter have to do with hormone imbalance.
Certainly pet owners need to decide for themselves whether they are truly capable of handling an intact dog. There is no doubt many are not. I do find it very interesting how different the "norm" is in the US vs Europe (I really don't know for sure what the climate is like as far as neutering in Canada).
If you asked people who have lost a dog to bone cancer, would they say they would have chosen not to neuter their dog if they had been given all the facts? I don't know. I don't know if we really can know. I do think that most people would say they at least wish they had been given ALL the facts.
I am not against neutering. I think it's necessary in the case of shelter pets (with a few exceptions). I do, however, have a very big problem with the effort to push mandatory spay/neuter laws, and I also generally have a problem with spay/neuter campaigns because they do not offer up all the facts. If you're trying to educate people, you owe them the whole truth - not just what you want them to hear.
I think it is also very important to recognize that often times many of the problems associated with spay/neuter can be prevented simply by waiting until a dog is sexually mature to do it.
I haven't had chance to read the entire article, just skimmed it quickly.....
ReplyDeleteHealth benefits aside, I think the important thing for the average dog owner is that spaying and neutering does something to halt the dog and cat population explosion. A dog owner who is capable of handling/controlling an entire dog, well all the power to them if they chose not to spay or neuter.
I also wonder how much diet has an affect on some of those health issues.
Thanks for sharing the article, Amanda.
ReplyDeleteGrrr!! I had a whole response written up, and for whatever reason it didn't post.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no doubt that diet plays a huge role in health - which is why I feed a raw diet. I think diet might very well help in warding off some diseases, but I also think that a lot of the issues related to early spay/neuter have to do with hormone imbalance.
Certainly pet owners need to decide for themselves whether they are truly capable of handling an intact dog. There is no doubt many are not. I do find it very interesting how different the "norm" is in the US vs Europe (I really don't know for sure what the climate is like as far as neutering in Canada).
If you asked people who have lost a dog to bone cancer, would they say they would have chosen not to neuter their dog if they had been given all the facts? I don't know. I don't know if we really can know. I do think that most people would say they at least wish they had been given ALL the facts.
I am not against neutering. I think it's necessary in the case of shelter pets (with a few exceptions). I do, however, have a very big problem with the effort to push mandatory spay/neuter laws, and I also generally have a problem with spay/neuter campaigns because they do not offer up all the facts. If you're trying to educate people, you owe them the whole truth - not just what you want them to hear.
I think it is also very important to recognize that often times many of the problems associated with spay/neuter can be prevented simply by waiting until a dog is sexually mature to do it.