10-27-2018, 09:28 PM
I am not sure what more to contribute but to maybe re-encapsulate my views with the quick points of pros and cons of different options for females:
Option 1 - No alteration
PROS: Hot to think about as a zoo, no hormonal disruptions, no direct cost (but puppies are expensive and timeconsuming to deworm, vaccinate, clean up after, etc.), no risk of surgical complications
CONS: Risk of pyometra, risk of cancer, risk of unplanned litters, bloody drips in heat
Option 2 - Tubal ligation
PROS: Lowered risk of pregnancy
CONS: May not be effective (can still get pregnant), Risk of pyo, Risk of cancer, bloody drips in heat (females), Delicate surgery (easily botched by inexperienced surgeons resulting in complications), can be expensive since it isn't a common surgery, hard to find a vet willing to do it, risk of surgical complications
Option 3 - Ovariectomy (removal of ovaries but leaves uterus)
PROS: Risk of pregnancy eliminated; No heat cycles whatsoever; less stuff removed so less drastic surgerywise than a full spay
CONS: Hormonal changes (risk of permanent lethargy, depression, lowered metabolism, may lose interest or even receptivity to sex), Risk of pyo, can be expensive since it isn't a common surgery, hard to find a vet willing to do it, recovery period, risk of surgical complications
Option 4 - Ovary-Sparing Spay (removal of uterus but leaves ovaries)
PROS: Risk of pregnancy eliminated; No blood drips (but still has heat cycles), Hormones intact (so won't cause lethargy, depression nor affect metabolism)
CONS: Risk of cancer, heat cycles (can cause issues in some females such as false pregnancies that may not be pleasant), can be expensive since it isn't a common surgery, hard to find a vet willing to do it, recovery period, risk of surgical complications
Option 5 - Full spay (ovariohysterectomy -- removes uterus and ovaries)
PROS: Risk of pregnancy eliminated, risk of pyo eliminated, risk of unplanned litters eliminated, risk of ovarian cancer eliminated, common procedure so tends to be cheapest option and easy to find a vet, no heats at all (so eliminates issues some females may have)
CONS: Loss of hormones (risk of permanent lethargy, depression, lowered metabolism, may lose interest or even receptivity to sex), recovery period, risk of surgical complications
There are cases, even for a zoo, that a full spay may be called for. Some bitches have complications with heat cycles, including aggression. However, I think for most cases, an OSS will do -- but I well know its expensive ($1,000+ is the quote I got from the one area vet I found) and hard to find a vet willing to do one (most are full spay only and will try to talk you out of anything else). I think for me and my future companions, unless there is cause for a full spay, I will opt for an OSS.
For males I know of basically have 3 options:
Option 1 - No alteration
PROS: Hot to think about as a zoo, no hormonal disruptions, no direct cost, no risk of surgical complications
CONS: Risk of testicular cancer, risk of siring unplanned litters, risk of aggression
Option 2 - Vasectomy (cuts the tube that carries sperm from testes into ejaculate; testes are still present)
PROS: Dog still has balls so pretty close to leaving him intact for hotness, no hormonal disruptions, no risk of siring puppies
CONS: More delicate and complicated than a castration so probably higher risk of surgical complications, hard to find a vet and likely to be much more expensive than a castration, risk of testicular cancer, risk of aggression
Option 3 - Castration/neutering
PROS: No risk of siring puppies, no risk of testicular cancer; cheaper, easier to find a willing vet and very low risk of complications versus vasectomy, reduces risk of hormonal aggression
CONS: Loss of hormones (risk of lethargy, depression, loss of metabolism), some loss of zoo hotness, may lose interest in or even receptivity to sex
