The Fountain Report: Delaying Spay/ Neuter Age

Earlier in the year, our Executive Director, jme, was reading the Fountain Report, a veterinary industry newsletter.

There was an article by Bruce. L. Truman, MBA about early spay and neuter, which jme hoped was swinging back around to promote sterilization at an early age rather than the delayed response of recent times.

She was dismayed when instead the report cited very poorly done studies lacking the scientific process as further bolstering of this concept and wrote a response to the author.

Thankfully, this response was heeded and published (edited), as it illustrates the rescue perspective- and the dog's lives are in jeopardy in the name of attempts to make the dog's lives longer and healthier.

This is jme's published response:

Letters.01.pdf

Download PDF • 318KB

Ultimately, the rescue perspective includes the overall well-being of all animals as a whole- socially, including their adoptability and longevity prospects in homes, not just individual animals' from a strictly medical perspective.

Pets must be able to be lived with to remain alive, and when spay/ neuter is delayed, the chances for their longevity in homes diminish due to hormone driven habits- as well as the potential for breeding, whether wanted or not. Many people cannot live through the first two years of an unaltered animal's life- and they surrender them, often repeating the same mistake again, thinking it was the animal's fault rather than recognizing spay/ neuter could have alleviated these issues.

When vets have the information that is seen and recognized as "scripture" but then don't necessarily help pet owners understand the entire perspective of what they are truly choosing in delaying sterilization, they are doing a disservice to all- especially the animals.

More unaltered animals means a larger population of animals in need of homes at a time when we're already struggling in an unprecedented way. There are already far too many unwanted healthy, adoptable animals (especially those under the age of three) that are dying in shelters nationwide. They are given up when the animals stop being puppies and kittens and start maturing- without any plan or understanding for the ramifications of this development.

This dangerous concept of delaying sterilization to preserve health is the most significant threat to the lives of pets. But in a time when vets are also pushing back on euthanization- even when necessary for safety (dogs that have attacked, unprovoked)- because they don't want to carry the burden of responsibility and "ruin their day" (as quoted), this matter becomes even more complex.

Vets are creating policies they themselves won't manage the ramifications of- and that leaves already struggling animal welfare agencies as the villains who will not only find themselves needing to "kill our way out of this issue" over the next few years, but who may very likely spend more funds on killing animals than saving them. This of course will not be by choice, but rather for lack of.

When the community- even animal professionals- leave animals without solutions, the animal welfare system must step up not just for community safety, but to alleviate suffering. Living in shelters for years is not only not an option for any animals' health and well-being but because it's not realistic in terms of capacity- space, time and funding.

Donations have dropped significantly and will continue to, especially as animal focused organizations are turning away from animal issues to manage the ever increasing human ones. Few are focused on the fact that animals are at the mercy of how humans live and what they focus on- and the challenge is growing at an unsustainable rate on a daily basis.

It will truly be a miracle if most animal organizations can survive this year. While Motley Zoo has many advantages in terms of how we are funded (namely, having our boarding kennel to support the majority of our bottom line) the lack of donations is significant and compromising.

And still one, ten, or even one hundred (or one thousand) organizations surviving does not mean the animal welfare industry can as we know it.