Pete the Vet: A Cork vet transformed death row in dog pounds

Edmond O'Sullivan organised a National Stray Dog Forum in 2001, where all stakeholders involved with stray dogs were brought together to devise a plan to solve the problem

Pete the Vet: Dachshunds are more likely to suffer slipped spinal discs after they have been spayed, so there are arguments for delaying the procedure, or not doing it at all, in this long-backed breed.

Twenty years ago, the population of dogs in Ireland was out of control. Over 20,000 unwanted dogs were euthanased in Ireland’s dog pounds every year.

Fast forward to 2021, and the total number of dogs euthanased annually in Ireland’s dog pounds have come down to less than 200 dogs. Yes, that’s right: from over 20,000 to less than 200. The transformation has been astonishing.

There are many reasons for this, but the starting point of the solution was one individual: Edmond O’Sullivan, a Cork-based local authority vet. He was so incensed at the high number of dogs being euthanased that he organised a National Stray Dog Forum in 2001, where all stakeholders involved with stray dogs were brought together to devise a plan to solve the problem.

This meeting involved vets, animal rescue groups, gardaí and government officials, as well as other interested parties. An action plan was put into place, including compulsory microchipping (which became law in 2015), closer liaison between dog pounds and animal rescue groups, a nationwide subsidised spay and neuter scheme (this was later established by the Dogs Trust charity), and better education of the public about spaying and neutering.

An annual “Spay Week” campaign was established. The campaign highlighted that spaying was important, not only to prevent excessive numbers of puppies and kittens, but also to optimise your pet’s health. Female hormones can cause serious negative health issues. Spayed pets, on average, live longer, healthier lives.

Gradually, it became an accepted, standard part of pet ownership to ensure that your female dog or cat was spayed. Technically, spaying is a surgical procedure called an “ovarohysterectomy” (the uterus and ovaries are removed). The operation may cost between €200 to €350 for a dog, and €80 to €160 for a cat. It’s usually done as a day procedure, with pets being left in at the vet in the morning, and collected the same evening.

The plan to reduce unwanted pets has been outstandingly successful, as shown by the dramatic fall in the euthanasia rate in Irish dog pounds.

In the past, it was believed that all female dogs and cats should be spayed at around six months of age. The message now is that it’s not so simple. More recently, new research has emerged, challenging this general recommendation. Researchers have extracted pet health data from the computerised records of thousand of vet practices, and they’ve used this to review the impact of spaying on different sub-groups within the broad pet population.

Some recommendations remain unchanged. There is still zero benefits to female dogs and cats from breeding: in fact, the process of pregnancy and giving birth carries risks.

It also remains true that spaying early in life has a dramatic impact on reducing the rate of mammary cancer in dogs. Repeated exposure of mammary tissue to the high levels of oestrogen seen during a season predisposes females to mammary cancer. 

This type of cancer — the canine equivalent of breast cancer — is very common in unspayed female dogs, but it’s almost never seen in dogs that are spayed before their first season.

In Norway, it is illegal to spay female dogs unless there is a compelling medical reason (in Norwegian ethical beliefs, spaying is seen as a type of mutilation). As a consequence, most female dogs in Norway remain unspayed. 

The adverse long term impact on their health is significant: over 50% of older female dogs develop mammary cancer, and every week, vets across Norway are busy carrying out surgeries to remove mammary tumours from older female dogs. Here in Ireland, we rarely see this condition anymore, because so many female dogs are spayed when young.

In cats, spaying at any age reduces the risk of mammary tumours by 40% to 60%, so this remains an important reason to have this operation carried out.

It’s also still true that spaying prevents a condition called pyometra, a serious womb infection seen in 25% of older unspayed female dogs. Pyometra has a mortality rate of up to 17% even when comprehensive treatment is given. Spaying involves removing the womb, so obviously, pyometra is completely prevented. Again, Norwegian vets regularly need to treat dogs with pyometra, while in Ireland, it has become rare.

There have always been some well-known downsides to spaying. Female dogs are 50% more likely to become overweight or obese after they have been spayed, so it’s important to control their diet carefully to avoid this. Also, a small number of female dogs develop urinary incontinence after spaying. This can be effectively treated with daily medication if it does happen.

The recent research has come up with three new reflections on spaying.

First, early spaying of large and giant breeds of dog has been linked to an increased incidence of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and also of ruptured cruciate ligaments, so it is now recommended to leave these breeds until sexual maturity before doing the operations (eg 18 months of age).

Second, Dachshunds are more likely to suffer slipped spinal discs after they have been spayed, so there are arguments for delaying the procedure, or not doing it at all, in this long-backed breed.

Third, some specific breeds (e.g. Golden Retrievers) seem to be more prone to certain cancers if spayed when young, so again, delaying the procedure till full adulthood may make sense in such cases.

So what should pet owners in 2021 do about having their pet spayed? Each animal should have an individual assessment by their vet, to choose the optimal approach for that particular animal’s optimal health. The old “one size fits all” approach no longer applies.