by 3whippetmadness » Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:01 pm
This is a topic I have researched myself. Some facts that needed to be added so all can make the right decisions for their own whippies are as follows:
1) All body parts have a purpose to keeping the body healthy and functioning, take an organ or body part out of a body and you take away the good with the potential for bad in the case of a healthy whippet. IMO it is just as important to be told the side effects of desexing, as you as a whippie parent have every right to know that. And yes, there is a down side!
FACT: The hormones that are taken away in early desexing affect bone growth and other regulations of the body. Higher incidences of ACL ruptures, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism and other problems/illnesses have been linked with early desexing.
FACT: Desexing after puberty greatly lessens the impact and/or eliminates the above from happening.
FACT: Desexing a male dog later in life can make him more grumpy. My breeder made me aware of that in his own experience and I experienced it myself.
2) Cancer or any other illness cannot overtake a body part if it has been removed so it goes without saying that you just took any chances of it happening down to 0 because you just took away a place in the body that could host it. IMO it is deceptive for a vet who has gone through such extensive education to tell you that you are "preventing" your dog from ever getting cancer in an area they are basically eliminating. Let me clarify this, some spin this as what a loving owner would do to keep their dog healthy. It is one thing to make this a silver lining of a very serious procedure. It is another to sell the procedure by insinuating that you have made your dog healthier by eliminating a possibility cancer could develop there. So technically, to WHIPPETSAREROYAL's defense, desexing in a healthy dog is not healthy, at least biologically anyways. Just as it is not in a healthy human.
3) There are less invasive ways to prevent pro-creation. It is hard to find traditional vets that are being taught in their schooling (last time I read, schools are still not teaching any other way than traditional invasive desexing) or that are being pro-active in their own continuing education in learning that there are less invasive ways to do this. We have been doing this in humans decades upon decades.
4) Mating behavior is a natural and healthy behavior in pro-creation. Obviously breeders can and do deal with this. And not all dogs are crazy, hard to deal when kept intact. So if "bad" behavior is a reason to do this, just make sure that this "bad" behavior is so bad that a well thought out researched decision to do this is the best decision all around. The lessest of evils.
So if it is necessary to desex, it is not a decision to be taken lightly! And there is a right time to do it. With time to research and with listing all the pros and cons one will be able to see the total picture and then one can make the best decision.
I hope your baby is doing better WHIPPETSAREROYAL (can we have your name????). I was horrified at your post of your incident. I don't think many of us can voice how really we feel about your dogsitter. Please do not dismiss this behavior, they may do it to someone else.
Dawn
Max 10/28/10
Cassi K 8/1/17
JD
3whippetmadness: JD Max & CassiK