Dalmatians, Boxers, and Labs...oh my!

More risks coming to light regarding spay and neuter. Oh my! Read on.

Influence of castration on Dalmatian stone-forming:

Dalmatians are prone to urinary stone formation. Stones lodged in the urethra can obstruct urine and result in pain, and even death.

The size of the os penis in the male Dalmatian is under the influence of testosterone in the body. If castrated before maturity, the male Dalmatian stands a greater chance of an abnormally developed os penis due to lack of testosterone. This then results in greater risk for urinary tract obstruction from the stones that all Dalmatians are predisposed to form. 

The Dalmatian Club of America recommends delaying neutering of Dalmatians until AFTER the age of 50 weeks (that's nearly one year old).


More details here:
http://www.savethedals.org/earlyneuter.htm
 
But it's not just Dalmatians who are at risk for health problems related to sterilization.
 
Spayed females are predisposed to Mast Cell Tumors. Here's the study, just recently published.
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21498594
 



J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2011 Apr 15.

Cutaneous MCTs: Associations with Spay/Neuter Status, Breed, Body Size,


and Phylogenetic Cluster.


White CR, Hohenhaus AE, Kelsey J, Procter-Gray E.


Source: Department of Internal Medicine, Animal Medical Center, New York, NY.


Abstract:

Certain breeds are known to be overrepresented among mast cell tumor (MCT)
patients, but other risk factors have not been evaluated. This study
presents results from a case-control study of 252 dogs with grade 2 or
grade 3 cutaneous MCT.
Increased risk for MCT development was found in spayed females (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.11),
boxers (adjusted OR, 6.09), Labrador retrievers (adjusted OR, 3.95), pugs (adjusted OR, 3.17), golden retrievers (adjusted OR, 2.12), the mastiff and terrier phylogenetic cluster (adjusted OR, 3.19), and breeds classified as large
(adjusted OR, 2.10) or giant (adjusted OR, 5.44). Additional studies are
needed to evaluate the role of these and other potential risk factors in
MCT development.


Dogs with stage 3 mast cell tumors have a 90% death rate. 

More and more information is being revealed every day that gives those who love their animals justifiable concern about spay and neuter!