There is a theory that neutering your male dog will prevent prostate cancer. What is Glynne’s opinion on the matter?

Question

Hi Glynne

A friend of mine has been recommended by a dog trainer to have her male lab neutered as a means of preventing prostate cancer. Apparently it is a very prevalent disease in male dogs, is this true?

Thanks
Sheila

Hi Sheila
And he might as well have his paws cut off too so he doesn’t break a nail because that’s the same astounding principle, is it not?! Apart from that, there are many horrible side effects to neutering which your friend should research before resorting to the knife.
Better still lay off the processed food (pellets or kibble or whatever you call it ) and feed a fresh diet to avoid a whole string of degenerative diseases such as prostate cancer. Please visit www.rawmeatybones.com for an eye opener.
Thanks for this question which I’ve heard it asked a million times … so sad that experts are recommending this dis-service - neutering your male dog to prevent prostate cancer is a total myth.
Glynne

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    One Response to “Q&A - Does neutering your dog prevent prostate cancer?”


  1. amber Says:
    October 4th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    We had our dog neutered on the advice of the vet to prevent cancer. He proceeded to become obese then developed a very fast growing cancer of the kidneys with another tumour “somewhere else” in his abdomen and had to be put down at 7 years.

    Hi Amber
    So sorry to hear your very sad story – I hear this same story day in and day out and it makes my hackles rise every time.
    I hope you told your vet what you thought about his crazy theory. The trouble is you can’t prove it was due to his advice or I would advise you to sue his pants off. Next time choose a vet who can see the big picture.
    Here is an extract from a 12 page scientific paper:

    Neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases.
    On the positive side, neutering male dogs

    • eliminates the small risk (probably less than 1%) of dying from testicular cancer
    • reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
    • reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
    • may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)

    On the negative side, neutering male dogs

    • if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a
      common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
    • increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
    • triples the risk of hypothyroidism
    • increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
    • triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
    • quadruples the small risk (less than 0.6%) of prostate cancer
    • doubles the small risk (less than 1%) of urinary tract cancers
    • increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
    • increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

    And I must add, quadruples the chances of behaviour problems including lick granulomas and self mutilation, and condemns the poor animal to a very unhappy, starving hungry existence!
    Kind regards
    Glynne

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