SPAYING AND NEUTERING STUDIES ON PETS SHOWING INCREASE IN CANCER AND JOINT DISEASE.

(Warning: This is an extremely controversial topic that is heavily debated and more studies are on the way. This is simply the other side that is being presented. By no means is anyone advocating for irresponsible pet ownership or non-sterilization. Please read the entire blog, and follow the links, to get the full details and to really understand what the article is about.)

Yet another study confirming the link between spaying/neutering and the increase of cancer rates in pets!

Last June, we posted a study conducted on the increased rates of cancer in desexed Vizslas and methods of sterilization that help decrease the rates. The post almost broke the internet with comments. (http://ow.ly/E0OTe)

What we the pet owners, and the veterinarians of the medical profession, have been taught about spaying and neutering our pets early (6 months) to prevent mammary and testicular cancer seems to be all wrong, according to all the new research that is being spit out!

“… maybe what I learned in vet school about early spay/neuter was not so straightforward after all!” - Dr Sue Cancer Vet, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology)

“Sterilization increases the risk of joint disease and cancer in both golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers.” - Veterinary Practice News

“The removal of hormone-producing organs during the first year of a dog’s life leaves the animal vulnerable to the delayed closure of long-bone growth plates,” said Dr. Benjamin Hart of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

This was in reference to the latest study conducted on spaying and neutering by the researchers at the University of California, Davis (published in the journal PLOS ONE). (http://ow.ly/E0uMT)

The UC Davis researchers further confirmed what previous studies have shown - intact dogs of both breeds have lower rates of joint disorders and cancer than desexed dogs.

A study conducted at the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation found: “Taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage. We found that female rottweilers that kept their ovaries for at least six years were four times more likely to reach exceptional longevity compared to females who had the shortest lifetime ovary exposure." (http://ow.ly/E15GU)

So what other methods are there instead of desexing our pets? Research is now pointing to another direction: the possibility of sterilization.

“To sterilize without desexing. This means performing a procedure that will prevent pregnancy while sparing the testes or ovaries so that they continue to produce hormones essential for the dog's health and well-being. This typically involves a vasectomy for male dogs, and either a tubal ligation or modified spay for females. The modified spay removes the uterus while preserving the hormone-producing ovaries,” explains Doctor Karen Becker.

Dr. Becker continues: “Whenever possible, I prefer to leave dogs intact. However, this approach requires a highly responsible pet guardian. […] My second choice is to sterilize without desexing.” (http://ow.ly/E1oqb)

By spaying and neutering our pets, we are ripping out their parts, including their hormones, (complete removal of the ovaries and uterus in female dogs, and the testes in males) to prevent over population and behavioral problems from developing. By desexing our pets, some argue that they are no longer male nor female, as we have altered their sex. However, research is showing that our pets drastically need these hormones in order to prevent the most aggressive cancers (osteosarcoma, bladder transitional cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, lymphoma, and mast cell tumors) and other diseases from developing.

The problem is that most veterinarians do not have the proper training to conduct this not-so-new technique of sterilization and often opt for the desexing methods as demanded by pet owners. So, if this option is not available to you, what else can you do?

Quoting the world’s top veterinarian Cancer Doctor, Dr. Damian Dressler (dogcancerblog.com): “Most dogs reach sexual maturity at about 24 months approximately at the fourth heat in females at this point in their development dogs have received the protective benefit of adult sexual hormones and are at a decreased risk for cancers mentioned above.

If you choose to spay or neuter your dog my general recommendation is to spay females sometime between the third and fourth heats which will have the added benefit of reducing the risk of mammary cancer and neuter males sometime between the ages of 18 and 24 months.” (http://ow.ly/E15MC)

I write this blog for one reason and one reason only. I do not want to promote irresponsible pet ownership and overpopulation. I do, however, want to encourage you, the pet owner, to make the right decision for you and your pet. In order to do so, you need to know all the facts! Today, the cancer rate is 1 in 2 dogs and 1 in 3 cats. It’s time we better ourselves.

Pet Nutrition Blogger - Rodney Habib

 — with Beth Patrick and Angela Coady.

You want to know the cure for pet cancer today? Easy. The cure for cancer, all species alike, is to prevent it!

It is estimated that over 6 million (and growing) dogs die from cancer each year! More than 1 in 2 dogs (1 in 3 cats) are diagnosed with cancer, and up to 50% of dogs will be affected by some type of tumor in their lifetime. 

There is a medicinal herb that so desperately needs to be incorporated into our pets’ lives; an herb that is one of the most thoroughly researched plants in existence today.

That herb is turmeric root.

“Science Confirms Turmeric As Effective As 14 Drugs” – National Health Federation

“Turmeric is one the most thoroughly researched plants in existence today. Its medicinal properties and components (primarily curcumin) have been the subject of over 5600 peer-reviewed and published biomedical studies.

Indeed, turmeric turns the entire drug-based medical model on its head. Instead of causing far more side effects than therapeutic ones, as is the case for most patented pharmaceutical medications, turmeric possesses hundreds of potential side benefits, having been empirically demonstrated to positively modulate over 160 different physiological pathways in the mammalian body.

What is so amazing is not that turmeric may have value in dozens of health conditions simultaneously, or that it may improve conditions that are completely resistant to conventional treatment, but that there are over six hundred additional health conditions it may also be valuable in preventing and/or treating.” – greenmedinfo

Adding a quarter of a teaspoon per ten pounds of your pet’s body weight to their diet will not only help stop cancer from knocking on their door but it will also aid in the following:

Destroys multi-drug resistant cancer;
Destroys cancer stem cells (arguably, the root of all cancer);
Protects against radiation-induced damage;
Reduces unhealthy levels of inflammation;
Protects against heavy metal toxicity;
Prevents and Reverses Alzheimer's Disease associated pathologies;
Anti-Inflammatory;
Detoxifier;
Treatment of epilepsy;
Relieves allergies;
Prevents the formation of cataracts;
Treats depression;
Kills parasites;
Heals stomach ailments, aids in digestive disorders, and reduces gas and bloating;
Acts as a binding agent, great for treating diarrhea;
Fat metabolism and weight management;
High in fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals.

Want to read more? - http://ow.ly/zN15S

"Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise." - The Health Ranger