To Neuter or Not to Neuter, and When?

Recently, I had a lengthy conversation with a well-educated, well-informed and most concerned pet parent.  The conversation hopped around from the need to vaccinate, to what vaccines to use, neutering, to why and when we should neuter dogs.  During the conversation, he brought up the conversation with an emergency veterinary specialist who was educated in Europe, and mentioned that our train of thought here in the United States is more of a "shelter medicine" thought where we focus on population control.  I paused, thought about it, and then agreed with that statement.  The reason this emergency veterinary specialist made that observation is because he is an outsider looking into our society and because animal population control is not a big issue in most European countries.  On a side note, I know and have been mentored by this specialist, so I know his credentials, knowledge and expertise are trust- and noteworthy. 

Well, even more recently a UC Davis article* has been published and has gained a lot of attention as it found an association between certain diseases and the age when Golden Retrievers are neutered.  This was a retrospective study, looking back at records of Golden Retriever patients that had certain diseases and the age range when they had been neutered.  Having looked at certain factors, but not all, the results indicated an positive association with early castration and the diagnosis of certain diseases later in life for Golden Retrievers.  This, like many other studies in veterinary medicine, sheds some light of knowledge into a dark abyss of lack of understanding, and should be interpreted with its strengths and well as its weaknesses.

Until this point, for the most part, it has been recommended to neuter pets earlier rather than later to reduce the incidence of some reproductive cancers, help with temperament and reduce unwanted reproduction.  With this new article, we can conclude that there are certain increased risks for the development of other diseases if Golden Retrievers are neutered under a year of age.  However, we cannot necessarily generalize these results by applying it to other pure breeds or mixed breed dogs, or even to Golden Retrievers exclusively.

And the question arises, "when should your dog be neutered?"  In my opinion, and this is the same resolution and recommendation from the author of this mentioned article (i.e. Dr. Ben Hart), each neuter case should be a discussion between the veterinarian and the pet parent to discuss risks and benefits, and to make the most educated decision in benefit of the owners and pets.  I'll end with what he said, "... the time has come to talk over options with owners of puppies about when and if to neuter or spay, and let them [the owners] make decisions that can impact the long-term health of their canine family companions."  Having this conversation will help the veterinarian and pet owner to decide on the best time to neuter a pet, and it should be tailored for each individual's needs.  Dr. Sam Pet Hospital is happy to provide insight and information for the decision of when to neuter your pet, and the risks and benefits of this procedure.

*Hutchins, Brian. "New scrutiny on early neutering after UC Davis study on goldens." Veterinary Practice News, Volume 25, Number 5, May,2013.

National Pet Week

This week, May 5th through May 11th, we celebrate National Pet Week.

This weeks helps us remember to care for our pets, our animal companions, our furry pals, our working animals, and our brothers and sisters from another species.  We take this opportunity to promote that recommended care for each and every one of these animals.

The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association have made the best veterinary care recommendations, and the following serves as a summary checklist for all pet owners:

DOGS: 

[] Examination at least annually which includes the following evaluations:
Life style, life stage, behavior, diet, dental exam, pain assessment, body condition, medical conditions, diseases, parasite prevention and control, dental care, and breed considerations
[] Annual heartworm testing and monthly preventative
[] Annual internal parasite testing and appropriate control and prevention
[] Control and prevention of ticks, fleas and other parasites
[] Dental diagnostics (e.g. x-rays)
[] Early disease screening through blood and urine tests
[] Genetic screenings
[] Proper diet and behavior recommendations
[] Vaccinations for Rabies, Canine Distemper Virus, Canine Parvovirus, Canine Adenovirus-2, and other non-core vaccines as needed
[] Appropriate identification, INCLUDING microchip
[] Reproductive counseling, including spay and neutering, or proper breeding planning
[] Council regarding transmissible diseases to humans


CATS: 
[] Examination at least annually which includes the following evaluations:
Life style, life stage, behavior, diet, dental exam, pain assessment, body condition, medical conditions, diseases, parasite prevention and control, dental care, and breed considerations
[] Annual heartworm testing and monthly preventative
[] Testing for Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
[] Annual internal parasite testing and appropriate control and prevention
[] Control and prevention of ticks, fleas and other parasites
[] Dental diagnostics (e.g. x-rays)
[] Early disease screening through blood and urine tests
[] Proper play and environmental enrichment
[] Genetic screenings
[] Proper diet and behavior recommendations
[] Vaccinations for Rabies, Feline Panleukopenia Virus, Feline Herpesvirus-1, Calicivirus, Feline Leukemia Virus, and other non-core vaccines as needed
[] Appropriate identification, INCLUDING microchip
[] Reproductive counseling, including spay and neutering, or proper breeding planning
[] Counsel regarding transmissible diseases to humans

At Dr. Sam Pet Hospital we always make the recommendations the well-being of your pet.  We promote wellness and preventative care because at the end, it is easier (and less expensive) to prevent than to lament!

Puppy Immunizations

As a child, growing up in Mexico, my Mother would take me to the doctor.  I remember going often and many times hating the doctor visits because I would receive my "vacunas" or "imunizaciones" (i.e. my "vaccines" or "immunizations").  But why did I have to get so many?  This question was not answered, or not made clear to my understanding, until 20-ish years later when I was a graduate student in veterinary school.

Many clients today ask me the same question about puppy vaccines.  Why do they need so many? and why do they need boosters so often?  The answers may sound simple, even though the science behind these answers is a bit more complicated.  The simple answer is this: A puppy's immune system, which fights infections, is very new and weak.  We inject vaccines to stimulate the immune system, in each individual puppy, to produce antibodies that will protect them from certain infections in the future.  Further, booster vaccines serve to re-stimulate the immune system to have a stronger and longer-lasting immune response to those specific infections in the future.  

Therefore, vaccine and booster schedules function to protect and prevent infections.  In most cases, the vaccines we use will help prevent severe diseases that may cause death in puppies if they are not otherwise properly vaccinated, such as: Parvoviral enteritis, distemper disease, pneumonia and rabies.  At Dr. Sam Pet Hospital we have made the commitment to tailor vaccine protocols to individual patients to protect them according to their own needs and lifestyles.  Moreover, puppies are vaccinated for the diseases most commonly encountered in their environment and only as often as it is needed.  So, when you receive that reminder in the mail, or when you realize your puppy is due for vaccines, take action and get your puppy vaccinated as soon as possible.  It will make a difference in their health.

New Website for www.doctorsam.net

We are happy to introduce the NEW, the IMPROVED... Dr. Sam Pet Hospital website!  Please accept our invitation to visit this site and search through information we gladly provide for your convenience.  Like any other task, this website is a work in progress, and will only grow to meet the increasing needs of the pet-owning public world-wide.  Please feel free to join our network, sign up for a membership and enjoy the services.

It feels like the last few weeks have been quiet on our home front, especially since there have been no new posts on this blog.  However, we have been making large strides in improving our reach out to the world.  In the past couple of weeks we have changed our website to provide you with better resources and ease of finding our information. 

This is a huge step for us and we pride ourselves in an attempt to providing the best services we are capable of providing.  If you have any question or suggestions, please feel free to visit www.doctorsam.net and send us a message or any constructive criticism.

Permanent Identification For Your Pet

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO FOR A PET? is an article I recently

read and shared on Facebook and Google+.  This article relates a

recent event where a lady lost her pet dog and has spent the last

several months looking for him.  She has done an extraordinary job

in her search for her dog. Even though she has had no success in

finding her own dog, she has helped many other owners recover 

their own pets.

I could never imagine losing my

pet dog, Flojo, and not being

able to find her.  And the question

arises in my mind, "How far would

I go to get Flojo back?" I have

done the basic that is expected

and recommended to prevent her

loss: 1) She has a personalized

collar and tags, 2) she has an implanted and registered microchip,

3) I keep current pictures of her, and 4) she is licensed in the city

where we reside.

The current recommendation is to identify your pet in several ways.

1) Make sure they have a well-fitted collar around their neck with

current and updated information identifying your pet, and contact

information. 2) Follow local regulations regarding pet registration

with the city or county. 3) Provide permanent, non-alterable

identification for your pet in the form 

of an implanted microchip that can be

traced back to the owner. The brand

and microchip service we use at 

Dr. Sam Pet Hospital is 

AKC-Companion Animal Recovery

which includes registration at no

additional charge.

One additional tool that may be used

in the protection and identification of your pet is to publish a simple

website with your pet's information, and the site address printed on

the pet's personal tag, or using QR Coded tags. When scanned,

these tags direct to inquisitor to a website with the pet's updated

information.

Choosing any of these tools, or a combination thereof, to protect

our pets may help us reduce the odds of one day asking ourselves:

"HOW FAR WILL I GO FOR MY PET?"