Early Spay and Neuter (ESN) is a well known concept that has been practiced for over 50 years.
ESN (Early Spay Neuter)-Should we do it now or wait?
Here at Midwest Labradoodle we give the customer the option of having us desex the puppy (between 8-9 weeks old) or having the puppy go home on a NSC (Neuter/Spay Contract). If the customer agrees to have the puppy go home on a NSC (Neuter/Spay Contract), the neuter/spay MUST be done by the time the puppy is 6 months old. Proof of neuter/spay must be sent to Midwest Labradoodle by the time the puppy reaches 6 months old or the heath warranty contract will be voided and customer is responsible for paying puppy breeder price verses puppy pet price.
Many vets do not agree on the best time to do the procedure. The labradoodle associations/clubs have always encouraged, even requiring early spay-neuter in pet puppies. Most breeders require that every puppy be desexed before delivery but again here at Midwest Labradoodle, we leave that decision up to the customer.
I researched the pros and cons myself to be more aware of how to advise families. The research says that there is no significant difference in the long-term health of a dog who had the ESN procedure vs those who did not. There are a very few instances recorded where puppies did develop bladder infections in ESN pups, but not in a high enough number to count as a risk-factor. A noted effect of the ESN procedure, is that puppies who are desexed early, will on average grow a few weeks longer than his intact counterpart, causing a possible increased height, though very slight.
ESN puppies experience far fewer side effects of surgery, and recover much more quickly, rarely showing signs of pain, swelling, infection. They are normally playing and running around the same day, while an older dog is at higher risk for complications related to anesthesia, other problems during and after surgery as well as during recovery. The vets who are familiar with the ESN procedure are overwhelmingly in favor of it for these reasons.
- *It is MUCH easier on the puppies to have a 1/4″ incision & a quick snip at 8-9 weeks, than a 3 – 4″ incision & a fairly major surgery at 6+ months.
- * ESN decreases a tendency toward one gender type, whether that means marking or other disagreeable behaviors.
- * ESN ensures that the puppies we have so carefully bred, with fully tested parents, then placed in loving homes & won’t create potential shelter dogs.
- *The recovery time is twice as fast and there is very little to no pain afterwards. No need for the pup to wear a cone like an older pup would have to when doing it later.
- *They are back to playing the very same day!
- * Another plus is that it saves my customers a future spending of $200-$300 for Spay/Neuter!
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Early Spay/Neuter: An Overview
By Theresa A. Fuess, PhD, VM-3
“RESOLVED, that AVMA supports the concept of early (8-16 weeks of age) ovariohysterectomies/gonadectomies in dogs and cats, in an effort to stem the overpopulation problem in these species.”
This resolution (1) passed an AVMA House of Delegates vote in the summer of 1993 and has also been approved by the ISVMA. As with other AVMA positions, it is up to each member to decide whether to adhere to this guideline. Having been taught that 6 to 7 months of age is the proper time to spay/neuter puppies and kittens, and having no information regarding the effects of early spay/neuter on the long-term health of the animal, many veterinarians have been reluctant to advise their clients to have their pets spayed/neutered at 6 to 7 weeks of age. However, there is an accumulating body of evidence indicating that the positive results quite possibly outweigh any remaining unknown risks.
Studies conducted on early spays and neuters on kittens (2-10) and puppies (9-13) report that the anesthetic and surgical risk is minimal, providing proper protocols are used. These protocols are described in these references and they do differ from those for a 6- to 7-month-old animal. It is emphasized and that, in addition, special care must be taken to choose only healthy animals for surgery; prevent hypoglycemia, hypothermia, and blood loss; and keep thorough records so that these animals can be followed.
These studies report that anesthetizing 6- to 7-week-old puppies and kittens was uneventful. Spays are reported to be easier and faster at 6 to 7 weeks than at 6 to 7 months because there is little subcutaneous fat to hinder entrance to the abdominal cavity and the lack of vasculature reduces hemorrhage. Finding organs was no harder than on the older animal. The speed of castrations at 6 to 7 weeks and at 6 to 7 months is the same, and the testicles are easier to remove and break down. Finally, the younger animals recovered faster and with less pain.
Several of these studies addressed the question of long-term effects on the health of the animal by comparing, at maturity, groups of animals neutered at 6 to 7 weeks and at 6 to 7 months. The resulting resting metabolic rate and predisposition to obesity of cats neutered in these two age categories have been compared after 24 months of age (5,7). The urethral diameters of male or female cats neutered in these categories was compared at 22 months of age (8).
Many aspects of skeletal dimensions, body weight and composition, physical maturation, secondary sex characteristics or behavioral development of cats (6) and dogs (11,13) neutered/spayed in the two groups were compared at one year of age. The only notable difference found was that the animals neutered at 6 to 7 weeks of age were more likely to have immature external genitalia at maturity; this has no known clinical significance (6,8,11). The benefits of neutering are the same at either age: reduced risk of reproductive disorders and of mammary neoplasia.
Animal shelters, being closest to the tragedy of mass euthanasia, were first to adopt early spay/neuter policies. Even though the majority of animal care and control facilities have a mandatory spay/neuter policy, typical compliance rates are from 50% to 60%, in spite of pre-adoption screening, spay/neuter contracts, and follow-up reminders (14). Early spay/neuter provided the potential for 100% compliance by requiring pups and kittens to be neutered before being adopted out. However, only a small percentage of pets are acquired from animal shelters, so neutering these animals can only have a small effect on the overpopulation problem (10). If veterinarians were to recommend neutering pups and kittens at an early age, a significant decrease in unwanted animals could result.
These studies indicate that early spays benefit the animal, the owner, animal population control, and you, the veterinarian. The animal benefits because the anesthesia is fast and uneventful; surgical procedure is well tolerated and animals recover faster. If made part of the standard puppy/kitten vaccination program, it would also benefit owners by decreasing the number of veterinary office visits necessary upon acquiring a new pet. This convenience to owners would lead to increased compliance on their part and thereby decrease the number of unwanted dogs and cats produced each year. The veterinarian benefits because spays and neuters at 6 to 7 weeks of age are easier and faster than at 6 to 7 months, they help reduce animal overpopulation, and higher owner compliance means more business. It also gives veterinarians the opportunity to interact with shelters, pet stores, and breeders and be seen as leaders in animal welfare in our communities.