Rigid Spay Neuter Policies: Can Your Agency Flex?

Are our spay neuter policies too rigid? Is insisting every dog undergo spay neuter surgery before adoption best practice? Must we always insist that foster homes have desexed pets in order to have a foster dog placed in their home?

If we decide to delay spay neuter surgery for a particular dog or particular criteria, do we become irresponsible and not reputable? Is it possible to choose to responsibly delay the spay neuter of rescued dogs? What does flexing our spay neuter policies look like?

These questions swirled around in my head for weeks after reading a particular veterinary science journal article on the topic of age recommendations for spay neuter. It is an important read, I think, and I will share the link to the article further down so that you can read the article yourself and form your own questions. You’ll have them, I’m sure of it.

I am not a veterinarian nor an animal behaviorist. I present my understanding of health or behavior issues based on personal experience and research I’ve done. If you have a dog with a health or behavioral issue, seek professional guidance. I hope you find my post useful.

Is Insisting On Spay Neuter For Every Rescue Dog A Good Idea?

I experienced guilt after asking that an adult dog be neutered. Here’s why:

Many years ago, a person wanted to foster for our agency after meeting our newest intake at the vet clinic. She fell head over heels in love with this little clown-faced smushed-nose nugget. I met her at the clinic.

I liked her on the spot. Smart, compassionate, articulate, she brought to the table knowledge, experience, and skill. I knew she’d be a great fit with our agency. She’d been fostering for another group in the city and freely shared her barrier to being approved to foster: Her male dog was intact.

The other rescue agency had offered to get the dog neutered for her. I backed up their offer. So far, she’d declined. Not because of financial barriers or a desire to breed, but because she feared it would change her dog somehow. There was something nagging at her preventing her from following through.

Finally, she decided to neuter her dog, and we breathed a silent sigh. At last, we were in alignment with our spay neuter policies stating that all dogs in a foster or adopter’s home were altered.

A few years later, her dog developed aggressive prostate cancer and died a few weeks after diagnosis.

I will ALWAYS wonder if our agency’s persistence in upholding OUR spay neuter policies was the right decision for THIS family.

Today, I wouldn’t be so eager to see her neuter her dog, and I would still approve her to foster. (Of note: the article that inspired this blog entry did not reveal any evidence or suggestion that neutering her particular breed of dog caused her dog’s cancer.)

My Dog Indy.

Long before I knew “rescue” existed, I purchased a couple of puppies from a nice woman who wanted to breed their family Boston terrier. She was in no way “reputable” by certain standards, but her puppies were healthy, happy, and a bit socialized. Indy was the second dog I purchased. She joined her half-sibling, Derby, a year older.

Derby was altered at 7 months of age, before her first heat cycle. By the time Indy arrived, we followed the guidelines of the time: Indy could safely be altered as early as 4 months. She was spayed at 4.5 months of age. My dog Indy had what today we call a pediatric spay.

By the age of one, Indy blew out one knee, a diagnosed stage 4 luxated patella. The orthopedic surgery to correct the knee cost a couple of thousand dollars. The next year, she blew the other knee, same diagnosis, same type surgery, same hit to the bank account.

Derby’s knees were fine.

In between the injuries, surgeries, and rehabilitation, Indy began to develop severe skin issues consistent with allergies. Our vet prescribed a few rounds of antibiotics and steroids before saying, “It’s time for a dermatology consult.”

Indy was evaluated, diagnosed, and started on serum injections for her multiple environmental allergies.

Derby’s allergies were mild and managed with the occasional antihistamine.

Indy’s health would deal a blow one more time: Around the age of 5 or 6, she was diagnosed with immune-mediated polyarthritis, a degenerative joint condition. I would spend another wad on very expensive immunosuppressant drugs, a third orthopedic surgery, and supportive care such as acupuncture and physical therapy.

Derby, who shared half of Indy’s DNA, had none of these issues. Derby died at the age of 11 from a mass on her spleen. Regretfully, I didn’t send the mass to a pathologist so I can’t confirm what it was.

Indy passed after a brief struggle with seizures of an unknown origin, possibly a brain tumor. She was 12.

I will always wonder: did spaying her so young have some effect on her health? I don’t have any science to back up my wonder, but will we learn early spay neuter can affect a dog’s immune system? Just how necessary are our dog’s sex hormones to their overall health and development?

I can tell you this: her lifetime specialty care medical expenses exceeded $14K, that on top of annual vet visits, food, grooming, supplies and all the other expenses involved with providing good care to a dog. I was able to make the financial commitment to her, but it could just as easily been different. It is possible that I would have had to euthanize her early because of an inability to ease her suffering through veterinary medicine.

When we are preparing a rescued dog to become a member of a family, we MUST look at the bigger picture. We must be able to see that dog in their family a year from now, 5 years from now, 10 years from now and empathize with family facing the possibility of medical conditions emerging as a direct result of our spay neuter policies.

My Position

Before any of you come at me like a spider monkey…………

We have a significant pet overpopulation problem. I know that.

Dogs (and other species) prematurely die because of our overpopulation problem. Dogs also prematurely die because of health issues. Some of those health issues may be a direct result of early spay neuter. Science will tell.

If you ask a veterinarian the pro points of desexing pets, the first item on the list is “population control.”

It’s true: spaying and neutering dogs prevents unwanted litters.

But, science is speaking about spay neuter.

We have a lot to think about. I believe we have choices and I believe we have the responsibility to, at times, be flexible with our spay neuter policies and to offer rescue spay/neuter contracts when it is reasonable.

I believe we owe it to individual families and the individual dog to consider when the situation calls for the delay of spay neuter surgeries or when/if we should avoid de-sexing a particular rescue dog altogether.

We need to pay attention to science, really get to know our adopters, and create a thorough policy and procedure guideline that includes managing variances to our spay neuter policies. It means delaying a spay neuter when it is in the best interest of the dog and the family.

Agency Position Statements – The Big 4 And Their Positions On Spay Neuter

Read the various position statements of these animal welfare agencies. Pay attention to the language and the primary message.

AVMA position

“By having your dog or cat sterilized, you will do your part to prevent the birth of unwanted puppies and kittens. Spaying and neutering prevent unwanted litters, help protect against some serious health problems, and may reduce many of the behavioral problems associated with the mating instinct.” (AVMA)

ASPCA Position

“The ASPCA does not support laws that mandate spay/neuter of all owned animals within a community; however, based on currently available scientific information, the ASPCA strongly supports spay/neuter as an effective means to reduce shelter intake.” (read their full position here: ASPCA)

Association of Shelter Veterinarians Position Statement

Read their extensive spay/neuter position statement HERE. Animal advocacy groups such as American Pets Alive! follow the guidelines of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians.

Humane Society of the United States Position Statement

“The HSUS also urges humane organizations and animal care and control agencies to require that all animals be sterilized before release for adoption, unless medically inappropriate, and to encourage the spaying and neutering of companion animals within their communities. We support the enactment and enforcement of animal control ordinances designed to regulate, deter and reduce companion animal breeding and we encourage cooperation between animal shelters and veterinarians in implementing sterilization programs and other solutions to the problem of companion animal homelessness.” HSUS

This position statement was approved by the HSUS board of directors in 2005.

The Science, The Article About Spay Neuter

So, this blog post came about after I came across a journal article titled, “Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence.” It is a very interesting article, and it really got me thinking: if these results stand the test of time, (can be replicated in other studies) what will be our responsibility as dog rescue agents? Will we be able to, as rescuers using best practices, continue to insist upon spay neuter for every dog? Will we be able to, in good conscience, support pediatric spay neuter?

I mean, think about it.

To be fair and clear, this journal article does not provide proof that certain breeds of dog should be de-sexed later in life or left intact nor are the authors making a statement that certain breeds should avoid or delay spay neuter surgeries.

Nor does this article say that pediatric spay neuter is problematic.

They present this article as tool by which veterinarians and their clients can have a conversation about when is the best time to schedule a spay neuter surgery for the pet.

From Time To Time, Animal Welfare Advocates Must Be Willing To Flex Spay Neuter Policies.

I believe we, as companion animal advocates, should be open to the idea that from time to time, we may need to flex our spay neuter policies and offer rescue spay/neuter contracts.

Pediatric Spay Neuter vs “Age Appropriate” Spay Neuter

So, when can you spay neuter a puppy? Depends upon who you ask. The AAHA give a different set of guidelines than, let’s say, The Humane Society.

For pediatric spay neuter, puppies of a minimum age and weight can undergo desexing surgery. Last time I checked, the minimum weight was 2 pounds, and the minimum age was 8 weeks.

The benefits? The surgery is cheaper, quicker, and the recovery time from anesthesia is shorter. The incision is smaller and the puppy heals faster with less discomfort. Puppies are adoptable much earlier and agencies do not have to devote man-power to manage spay neuter contracts and make follow-up contact.

What’s not to love?

“Age appropriate” spay neuter, on the other hand, refers to desexing a dog later, depending upon certain criteria, such as before or after a heat cycle, or after growth plates have closed. Criteria vary based on sex, age, breed, and adult size of the dog. Age appropriate spay neuter takes into account the value added to a dog when their sex organs begin producing hormones.

The Spay Neuter Article

Here is the link to the article so that you can read it on your own. But I wanted to cover a few points with you.

This is a retrospective study.

A retrospective study is where data is collected and analyzed after the fact to see if there are similarities or patterns. A retrospective study looks at existing data rather than creating new data. In a retrospective study, there may be issues such as bias, inconsistent criteria, or, as in this particular study, variations in reliability (stemming from the pet owner’s recollections or reporting.)

Over 40,000 veterinary records were reviewed during this study. This huge sample size allowed the investigators to conduct meaningful data gathering and analysis.

Many retrospective studies have contributed to further scientific discovery, so do not discount their value in advancing best practices.

So, what did this study look at, specifically? With over 40,000 dog veterinary records reviewed, there had to have been an overwhelming number of health conditions documented! 15,000 records were ultimately selected for inclusion in the study. Many records were excluded from the study because the veterinary record failed to include the age the dog was de-sexed, a key variable in the study.

The researches looked at three main issues: Orthopedic/joint disorders, cancer, and two female dog issues: pyometra and urinary incontinence.

Orthopedic Disorders and Spay Neuter

This study looked at joint disorders, specifically CCL tears or rupture, and hip or elbow dysplasia in dogs from 35 popular breeds, and if early spay neuter affected the emergence of these orthopedic issues. It also included IDD (intervertebral disc disorder) for Dachshunds and Corgis.

If you choose to read this article, (and I hope you do!) pay attention to the wealth of literature cited. There are other orthopedic issues that also may be related to when/if a dog has spay neuter surgery or when. If note, in most small breeds, there didn’t seem to be evidence that spay neuter contributed to the development of joint disorders whereas breeds of a larger size did have a higher occurrence of joint disorders. Almost as expected, there were some giant breed dogs that didn’t show indication of increased risk of joint disorder development when spay neuter surgery was performed at any age. It may truly be a breed by breed issue. Fascinating.

Cancers and Spay Neuter

Lymphoma/lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumors, and osteosarcoma are a few of the cancers that may be associated with early spay neuter, and were specifically examined during this study. My dogs are Boston Terriers. They are known for developing mast cell tumors so this issue is close to my heart.

We talk often that we help prevent mammary cancer in dogs by spaying them before their first heat cycle, and we remove the risk of pyometra with an ovariohysterectomy. The examiners took a look at these two conditions, too. Their findings are interesting.

Urinary incontinence – an acceptable risk

This article reported a presence of urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs but also noted that most families learned to adapt to the condition and that chronic urinary incontinence did not result in early euthanasia.

We Adopted Out Intact Puppies on a Rescue Spay/Neuter Contract

I fostered for a rescue agency that was considered small, relative to other groups in the U.S. Our average intake was about 100 dogs a year, give or take. Of those 100 dogs, maybe a dozen were puppies under the age of 6 months. Some puppies were part of a litter, and others were puppies that came in with birth defects or injuries requiring care.

We always delayed the spay neuter of puppies until a “more appropriate age” as defined by the group. Every puppy was over the age of 6 months before it underwent de-sexing surgery. Males often were delayed until 9 months of age. Puppies went to their adoptive homes intact, covered by a spay/neuter contract where the adopter promised to arrange spay or neuter surgery when the puppy was old enough.

Our adoption coordinator kept meticulous records. On adoption day, she marked on her calendar a date within a reasonable time frame where she would make a follow-up call and/or email, reaching out to request proof of spay neuter in the form of veterinary records. We never had anyone fall through the cracks. Under her watch, 100% of dogs that were adopted out intact were later de-sexed as evidenced by a copy of their veterinary records documenting said surgery.

Spay neuter policies can be tailor-written to your agency’s work, resources, and ability to implement.

Are other rescue agencies delaying spay neuter for puppies? Yep.

Who Else Was Delaying Spay Neuter Surgeries For Adoptable Dogs?

So I got to thinking. What do my peers do? I called up several of my rescue pals to get a look at the spay neuter policies of their agencies. I mostly talked with breed specific or breed group rescues. I did talk with one all-breed rescue about her approach. I’ll share with you the gists of our conversations.

I talked with a brachiocephalic rescue group, a specific breed giant breed rescue group, a sporting dog rescue group, and a primarily small breed all breed rescue group. I wanted to talk to other groups, too, (I reached out to a lab rescue group and a retriever group) but I didn’t receive a reply to my inquiry.)

EVERYONE I spoke with delayed spay neuter to at least 6 months of age, longer for sporting dogs (a year) and even slightly longer for the giant breed group. Everyone used a rescue spay/neuter contract when adopting out intact puppies.

Follow-Up of Spay Neuter Contracts

Where things began to differentiate was in the follow up.

I asked about the adoption contract, how it was worded, the terms of the contract, and responsibilities of both parties within the contract. I also asked about the agency’s methods of following up and getting that confirmation of the puppy’s spay neuter. Sometimes it was the foster’s job to follow up and verify spay neuter, other times it was a particular administrator’s job to manage follow-up.

One person acknowledged that maybe their follow-up method needed a few areas of improvement, but she felt pretty confident that none of the few puppies in her rescue agency had fallen through the cracks, that all had been de-sexed at the appropriate age.

The Spay Neuter Policies that impressed

The all-breed rescue I spoke with had impressive, tight spay neuter policies: Every puppy adopted must reside within a 45 mile radius. Every puppy had to return to the rescue’s veterinarian for the alteration surgery. The rescue scheduled the surgery, and if the surgery was missed, the vet clinic notified the rescue, and a rescue representative placed a follow-up email or phone call to the adopter. The surgery was rescheduled. This ensured that every puppy was altered or retrieved back to the rescue if the family failed to comply.

Incidentally, this rescue agency rescues 4 times the number of puppies each year than the other groups I mentioned and has never lost touch with one of their puppies.

Should You Flex Your Rescue Agency’s Spay Neuter Policies?

Why do we care? Why might it matter to delay de-sexing a dog to avoid joint disorders or cancers?

In short – orthopedic issues are painful and debilitating. Corrective surgeries are incredibly expensive and recovery is hard, especially for larger breed dogs. Cancer treatments are expensive. It is profoundly sad for a family to have to euthanize a suffering dog because they cannot afford treatment or because the injury or illness is too severe.

When a family adopts a dog from your agency, they’ve chosen a family pet. They want that dog to live a long, full life whenever possible. We owe it to the dog to, within our agency’s capabilities, set that dog up for a long, healthy life. We owe it to the family to give them the best experience possible. We lose families to breeders when we don’t.

You must do these 3 things if you are going to delay spay neuter surgeries.

If your agency is going to consider whether or not delaying spay neuter surgeries may be appropriate from time to time, you absolutely should have these basic practices in place:

Meticulous record-keeping stored in one central location. This is not the time to hold foster homes responsible for keeping primary records of their foster dogs.
A volunteer whose job it is to keep track of spay/neuter contracts, monitor the timeline, and conduct follow-up to obtain proof of spay/neuter. Again, this isn’t a job for your foster homes. It is a centralized point of contact.
A well-written set of spay neuter policies, procedures, and a legal contract that outlines the details of agency and owner responsibilities.

If your agency is not interested in arranging for these basics, then please continue providing early spay neuter to ensure your puppies do not end up creating unwanted litters. Your primary role as a rescue animal advocate is the reduction of future unwanted pets.

Flexing Spay Neuter Policies for Age-Specific Reasons

Personally, I believe that one day, science is going to let us know that pediatric spay neuter is not best practice.

I get why it’s done – population control. And I’m sure that in certain settings, it will always be done.

That said, I think we have an opportunity to take a critical look into our agencies and into the science and see if we can adjust our policy away from pediatric spay neuter. If your agency takes in hundreds of puppies a year, you may not be in a position to do anything more than pediatric spay neuter surgeries. I understand that, and I support your decision.

I’m simply asking you to take a critical look at your agency’s work, look at the current science, and see if there’s an opportunity for you to tweak your policy when it’s manageable for you to do so.

Flexing Spay Neuter Rescue Policy for Breed-Specific Reasons

If you are a breed-specific rescue, consider the balance between supporting the health needs of your breed AND the pet overpopulation problem.

If you are an all-breed or group breed rescue, consider if it is appropriate for you to identify particular breeds where flexing spay neuter policies is the better choice for that particular dog. Can you manage all that is involved with delaying spay neuter for the occasional giant breed puppy in your care? Or, will the outlying puppy get lost in the shuffle?

Personally, I think it’s doable for an all-breed rescue to manage the delayed spay neuter of certain breeds in their care. But I’m not your rescue’s administrator and I’m not privy to your organization’s business practices.

Flexing Spay Neuter Policies for Individual Family Goals

Many people now want a pet dog that can also participate in their hobbies. People want dogs that can go on long hikes or participate in a variety of dog sports like agility, fly ball, dock diving, and a whole list of other activities. My dog Indy blew out her knees playing a simple game of fetch.

These days, many families and individuals are turning to rescue for support dogs, canine assistant dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and other “jobs.” The time, money, and emotional investment in these dogs is HUGE. What is our rescue responsibility to contribute to a long-lived, healthy, and able dog? What does that individual do when their canine assistant develops hip dysplasia? Or an emotional support dog dies from cancer at an early age?

Begin to think about more than your vetting checklist.

This is May. She was part of a group of mixed breed puppies in our care. May is a Boston-Dachshund cross. The person who applied to adopt her was looking for a puppy they could eventually enroll in dog sport competitions. Knowing this, I helped advocate for a more relaxed spay neuter contract agreement where this dog’s spay would be delayed to well over one year of age and when the owner’s veterinarian considered her physical development at the right milestone.

It Is Not IF You Spay Neuter Rescued Dogs, It Is WHEN.

In A Perfect World, We Wouldn’t Have A Pet Overpopulation Problem

If this world were full of responsible, conscious pet owners, we would not have a pet overpopulation issue. Instead, pet owners would:

confine their animals in a secure enclosure when outside and alone.
have a working knowledge of mating behaviors and signs of estrus.
commit to managing the behavior of intact dogs in their home.
have a relationship with a veterinarian whereby the decision is made on best time to spay neuter.

We wouldn’t have a pet overpopulation problem and none of us would give a rat’s ass if someone’s dog was intact or not.

There are families I’ve helped adopt dogs that I could care less if the dog was ever de-sexed, I trust them that much. On the other hand, there are families that are wonderful pet owners that I’d never give an intact dog to, ever. It is a lot of responsibility to manage intact dogs. It is.

That said, I believe there are times when we should be prepared to flex our spay neuter policies. Whether it’s to allow a tiny puppy to experience the developmental benefits of their sex hormones, or to allow complete developmental growth so that a dog can have a life-long journey with their family, or for any other reason your agency’s veterinarian might suggest.

Does Your Agency Flex Spay Neuter Policies?

Do you have a story of flexing spay neuter policies for a particular situation or need? Do you have a great protocol that you know could help other agencies manage spay neuters of their rescued dogs? Get in touch! We’d love to share the good news.