Leema

How do you mean that EAD could be an alternative to BSL?

For the purposes of this poll, this is only referring to early aged desexing for puppies younger than 6 months old. 'Desexing' can mean any form of permanent sterilisation, for the purposes of this poll. If you use sterilisation other than gonadectomy, please specify in a post. Any comments/opinions regarding this poll are welcome. Your input is appreciated.

I found this today, and it's interesting! Was going to post it here, but you beat me to it. Thank-you for the continued thoughts.

I found this article, but I'm still interested in any more insights. http://www.deathrowpets.net/PDFs/Update_5/A%20Different%20Perspective.pdf

I have heard, anecdotally, that desexing is not popular in some European countries (such as Scandinavian countries and Germany), and that it is in fact illegal in some countries. Could anyone provide me with any articles that examine this in more detail? I would be particularly interested in any articles that consider how this correlates with their shelter admissions and euthanasias. Thank-you in advance.

Personally, I have a pretty good idea of what litters I will be having in the next 3 years. Different breeders do different things. And plans change if something goes amiss (e.g. a dog doesn't pass health clearances) or something goes well (e.g. a dog is imported from another country and so other plans are put on hold). And then, of course, some breeders have unplanned accidents, too, which aren't necessarily a bad thing.

That's a huge variation in costings. I expect emergencies to be more because of the extra stress for everyone, but for a planned one. I've had some messages regarding some well respected vets in my area to use, that aren't $977, so I'll be doing some shopping today. It's really not a matter of price - to be honest, the $977 quote came from a vet that I was just asking because I was there and had little serious intention to use them.

For others who have had planned caesarians, how much did it cost you? I have a vet just quote me $977 and to me that seems a little bit excessive considering it's 'planned' (for a c-section on a Sunday night with a stressed bitch and puppies, it would seem reasonable). I am not really too fussed, and I'm quite happy to pay that. But I was just a bit surprised.

Clover had an x-ray today, and the puppy is on the largish size. Considering she is not due for another week (well, Sunday) - the puppy is probably going to get bigger... I am probably going to opt for a planned caesarian.

My preferred brand is Advance, but I often use Uncle Albers for my foster dogs. My dogs are fed mostly raw food, but they are fed dry: *When they are puppies/pregnant/lactating *When I forget to defrost raw food *If they are a foster and for some reason are not doing well on raw food

Who considered it too risky? What do you mean by 'fruitless'?

Thanks heaps for these responses. Still looking for more examples. I'm trying to get a feel of what subsidised desexing costs are like, nationally (and don't mind the odd international example, too!).

A puppy that has tubal ligation / vasectomy will develop as a normal, entire puppy. If the puppy's new owner decides that they would like to desex their puppy (i.e. remove their gonads), then they can do so. If you are concerned about a puppy going to a home that it may reproduce, then a tubal ligation, vasectomy, or desexing will stop puppies being produced by your puppies. However, there are some health issues associated with early age desexing. There is not much research on tubal ligation or vasectomies on dogs. Additionally, there are some health issues associated with desexing, full stop (i.e. early age or mature age), and that would be the puppy owner's decision - to decide what health issues / behavioural issues they are willing to have with either side of the decision.

Thank-you very much for these comments so far. They are appreciated. So, for clarification, with NDN: Vets contact NDN and say "Yes, I am happy to desex an animal for $X provided that you screen them to determine they are low income"?

Thanks tdierikx - do you know what kind of cost there is to the pet owner with these programs?

Thank-you for the additional links. I am preparing to present a report summarising all the data. Here's a couple more that I've found: A different perspective - A Report from the Netherlands - Sylvana Wenderhold http://www.deathrowpets.net/PDFs/Update_5/A%20Different%20Perspective.pdf Gonadectomy in cats and dogs: a review of risks and benefits - IM Reichler http://www.zora.uzh.ch/25291/1/Surgical.pdf

Could you please let me know: * what groups you know of that do subsidised desexing * the cost of desexing through this group * the approval process for this subsidised desexing * anything else about subsidised desexing you think I should know. I have found subsidised schemes for Melbourne and Sydney - but have now lost most of the details.

Thank-you for the study suggestion!

Wow, lots of discussion not about the original question. I think Sir WJ may have the best conclusion to why the results have suggested sighthounds are 'less bold'. If many of the surveyed animals were greyhounds, and many of the greyhounds ex-racers, then they may have had less-than-idle socialisation as a puppy.

I appreciate the replies that serve to bump this thread up ( ), but I am more interested in research studies than anecdotal evidence, please.

I'm very sorry to hear about his continued mischief. Very much hope that Earl can make a prompt recovery. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I'm a bit perplexed why you want to walk your dogs if they don't really like it? Regardless, I would try to increase the value of food to them (e.g. fast them for a couple of days, use awesome food, play food games) so that you can actually use food as a training tool. At the moment it sounds like food is not all that rewarding to your dogs. From there, perhaps they'll be more motivated to follow the lure of food through the collar. You can also free shape them interacting with the martingale, and shape them to put their head through the collar. (i.e. Reward them first for being around the collar, then looking at it, then touching it, then touching it with their nose, etc.) ... I hope that helps.

If I had a breed that I was concerned about ending up into the 'wrong hands', I would opt for tubal ligation or vasectomies of the puppies. I am sure vets would provide a certificate saying the dog has been sterilised that you can then hand on to puppy buyers. Obviously, ethically, the breeder should tell puppy buyers of the procedure having taken place. Tubal ligation/vasecomties of puppies should be considered permanent and non-reversible. It is a reliable (i.e. pups having undergone the procedure cannot have puppies). I am not sure on price. I think puppies have to be 9-10 weeks for the operation.

Do your dogs like food? Do your dogs like walks?

I have looked through past posts, and found some links to research about desexing in dogs. I am looking for any more research papers that talk about the pros/cons of desexing. I am wanting to write a summary of available evidence, so your contributions would be much appreciated. For interest, these are the three studies I have read extensively so far: Study by Laura Sanborn 2007 – “Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay/Neuter in Dogs” http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longtermhealtheffectsofspayneuterindogs.pdf Study by Uniquest 2008 – ‘Report on the validity and usefulness of early aged desexing in dogs and cats’ http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/15309finalreport.pdf Duffy & Serpell - ‘Non-reproductive effects of spaying and neutering on behavior in dogs’ http://www.cdoca.org/downloads/files/Early%20SN%20and%20Behavior.pdf