My current guilty pleasure is watching The Circle. I snuggle up on the sofa, dogs by my side, to watch this strange but addictive reality show. Who will the Influencer block tonight? Who is a Catfish? Who is being honest and who is playing games? In the unreal environment in which the contestants are placed, these decisions seem enormous. It's gripping stuff!
We all face decisions every day — some are simple and without important consequences (shall I have Marmite or marmalade?) and some are less so. It was a simple decision for us to get a puppy; naming her Tofu took greater thought; the decision to vaccinate, socialise and take her to puppy classes was easy — the evidence to support all these is strong, and what we all want is a healthy, confident adult dog.
A less easy decision has been that of neutering her, and when the best time to do this would be. The reason this decision is difficult is that there are pros and cons. Indeed, an article we published last year by Caroline Warnes concluded that: 'In the absence of clear information particularly regarding the health-related effects of neutering it is currently very difficult to give neutering guidelines that will be suitable for all dogs, and that will reliably reduce the risks of them developing specific diseases' (Warnes, 2018). Until more research becomes available, it is better to work out the risks and benefits of neutering for each individual dog based on the risk of unwanted mating occurring and the presence or absence of problem behaviours influenced by sex hormones, in addition to the owner's preference. Clearly Caroline feels that as the owner I have a choice — neutering is not a ‘given’.
Of benefit, of course, is the fact that once neutered a bitch will no longer come into season, and that there is no risk of unwanted pregnancy. More importantly perhaps, given that we feel confident we can avoid mating, is the known greatly reduced risk of pyometra in spayed dogs.
However, spayed bitches show an increased incidence of joint diseases including hip dysplasia and cranial cruciate ligament rupture, and of various types of cancers including haemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumours, lymphosarcoma, osteosarcoma and lymphoma compared with entire dogs. Further complicating matters, the pros and cons seem to relate to the age at which neutering takes place — it's not just whether to neuter, it's when to neuter! For example, a recent study by VetCompass found that dogs neutered early, before 6 months old, are more likely to suffer urinary incontinence than dogs neutered between 6 months and 1 year (see Comment p456). BVA believes, however, that the benefits of spaying a bitch currently outweigh any potential risks that are involved with the procedure.
But is it also an ethical issue? In Sweden it was illegal to neuter except for health reasons until 1988 and it is still not common practice there. Indeed, according to the Norwegian Animal Welfare Act: ‘Surgical procedures or removal of body parts must not be carried out unless there is a justifiable reason to do so out of consideration for the animal's health (Government Norway, n.d.). Hence, neutering, which involves the surgical removal of the gonads in healthy dogs, is generally not permitted.
Owners and veterinary professionals are led in their decisions by the desire to do the right thing for the animal's health. The decision made may have dramatic consequences — which I guess is why sometimes it's nice to submerge oneself in the mindless dilemmas of the popular reality TV shows!