We present published, peer reviewed studies that prove spay/neuter is harmful to the health and happiness of your best friend
Many vets are not familiar with hormone balancing, but they can do well once they familiarize themselves with the products available to them. It’s just a matter of developing a comfort level with what works for each vet, dog and guardian. We are not vets and you will need to develop a working relationship with a vet in order to balance your dog’s hormones effectively. We provide this information to help flatten the learning curve for the vet and the guardian who are new to this.
The first ground rule is that you want to supplement to normal physiologic levels of any hormone. Essentially, you want to bring the dog’s hormone levels to where they would have been had they never been altered. Testosterone is available in different formulations, and this varies with where you are in the world.
Generally, testosterone is injected intramuscularly (e.g. in the muscle of a rear leg), or subcutaneously (much like your dog’s vaccinations). Testosterone Cypionate is the most commonly prescribed form of testosterone in the United States of America. Most places in the world defer to the very similar Testosterone Enanthate. Both are long-acting. When this long-acting version of testosterone is injected, it becomes stored in what is known as a depot in the body, and slowly released over a short period of time. Peaking within 1-2 days after injection, the testosterone is then steadily released over the next 12 days and completely tapers out after approximately 3 weeks. Monthly dose is generally 1.7 mg/kg, or if injected weekly the dose is generally 0.5 mg/kg to maintain testosterone levels equivalent to an intact male dog.
There are also blended formulations of testosterone which offer the advantage of stepped release to theoretically provide a more constant level of testosterone with less frequent injections.
SUSTANON 250 (also marketed as OMNADREN 250) is the most common oil-based injectable found in Europe and Australia. Sustanon 250 contains four different testosterone compounds:
(Side effects of Sustanon 250 are, for the same amount of testosterone, identical to other testosterone esters such as Testosterone Enanthate. The dose rate for the Sustanon 250 reported to us by vets is 0.1-0.2ml/10kg.)
DURATESTON 50 (available in Brazil) includes per ml:
Some guardians want to avoid injections. In Australia and parts of Europe testosterone undecanoate supplements have been available in capsule form. The availability of these capsules changes constantly.
Often guardians are wondering if they can utilize gel as some humans do. The best opportunity to utilize a gel would be to have your vet contact a compounding pharmacy near you, or one that provides delivery service. Dr. Karen Becker recently posted an article about compounding pharmacies that may be helpful not only for this situation, but could be helpful in other situations where your dog does not do well with medications as they are generally formulated.
How Testosterone Replacement Therapy can benefit your neutered and spayed canine patients and offer a new revenue stream for your clinic.
Dogs who have been neutered typically have very low levels of testosterone (<0.1ng/ml) and may experience side effects due to the reduced levels. If you notice that your patient has trouble getting up, has reduced muscle mass, or is knuckling his paws after being neutered or spayed, he may be experiencing side effects from reduced testosterone levels. Other side effects of reduced testosterone can include hip dysplasia, arthritis, Intervertebral Disc Disease, or Degenerative Joint Disease. These side effects can be reduced with Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), which increases testosterone levels in dogs back to normal levels, restoring healthy muscle mass and bone density as well as increasing quality of life.
16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the non-human animal is a neutered or spayed dog weighing about 2 pounds to about 24 pounds.
The term for the ratio between oil and water solubility of a testosterone ester is called the “partition coefficient”:—the higher the solubility in oil, the higher the partition coefficient.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the testosterone which is injected is selected from the group consisting of testosterone enanthate, testosterone cypionate, testosterone propionate, testosterone phenylpropionate, testosterone isocaproate, testosterone cypionate and testosterone decanoate.
14. The method of claim 3, wherein the testosterone is administered by a method selected from the group consisting of injections, transdermal, patches, gels, creams, oral, sublingual, buccal, and subcutaneous pellet implantation.
SUSTANON® is the brand name for two forms of injectable testosterone that contain a blend of testosterone esters. SUSTANON® 100 contains three testosterone esters: testosterone propionate, testosterone phenylpropionate, and testosterone isocaproate (C25H33O3) SUSTANON® 250 contains four testosterone esters: testosterone propionate, testosterone phenylpropionate, testosterone isocaproate, and testosterone decanoate (C29H46O3). Each formula features fast-acting and slow-acting esters, and can be injected anywhere from once every week to once every four weeks.
He Put A Deer On Dbol And Getting Your Dog On TRT!?
A case study published in Topics in Companion Animal Medicine details the first report of hormone restoration therapy applied to a dog suffering from diverse physical and psychological symptoms following castration. Treatment resulted in normal levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone, improved mobility, and reduced anxiety.
Part of responsible pet ownership in the United States has included spaying or neutering your dog to reduce pet overpopulation. Other benefits of spay or neuter include fewer diseases associated with the sex organs, such as mammary, ovarian, and testicular cancers, pyometra and prostate disorders. But growing research on this practice indicates that removal of the gonads (testes or ovaries) and associated sex hormones can have significant health and welfare impacts on dogs as well. Obesity, urinary incontinence, various cancers, immune-mediated diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and cognitive and behavior problems are more common in spayed and neutered dogs. This is likely because natural hormone feedback mechanisms become unregulated in neutered dogs. For example, without sex hormones signaling the pituitary gland and hypothalamus in the brain, levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) continue to increase. Emerging research indicates that the high levels of unopposed luteinizing hormone likely influence the development of diverse health disorders. The relationships between sex hormones, health and wellness are not simple and may be influenced by many factors, including the dogs sex, breed, age, and environment.
To avoid the potential health issues due to spay and neuter surgery, many informed pet owners are opting for hormone-sparing sterilization (like hysterectomy or vasectomy) for their dog. But what about the millions of dogs who have already been spayed or neutered and now suffer from ailments that do not respond to traditional medical treatment? Restoring and balancing the hormones of neutered dogs is uncommon in veterinary medicine, with the only published accounts including treatment for incontinence. The case study published in Topics in Companion Animal Medicine chronicles the health issues, hormone treatment procedures, and outcomes in a neutered male dog.
A male mixed breed dog named Toby was adopted from a county animal shelter at about 7 months of age. Like most shelters and rescue centers in the United States, castration was required before he could go home to his new family. The young dog arrived as an active, healthy, sociable pet but his health quickly deteriorated over the next few months. When he was one year of age, the owners took him to the veterinarian to address reduced mobility, limping in the right hip, rapid weight gain, and fear of unfamiliar people. The veterinary team treated Toby over the next three years with trials of pain medication, joint supplements, thyroxine, antidepressant, and significant diet restrictions. Frequent carprofen administration and daily joint supplements helped to reduce limping, but mobility was still poor. Weight stabilized on a strict diet but fear and anxiety around strangers continued to worsen.
By four years of age, Tobys owners were no longer able to take him out of the house due to his extreme anxiety, and his inability to run and jump exacerbated his overweight condition. When a new younger dog was adopted, Tobys health deficits were even more apparent as he could not run and play. The owners knew about the possible health impacts resulting from the lack of normal hormone levels after spay or neuter, and wondered if this may be the cause of Tobys problems? Working with Dr. Michelle Kutzler, a veterinary theriogenologist at Oregon State University, the decision was made to try hormone therapy to restore his hormones to a normal level.
Castrated male dogs have very low testosterone and can have high levels of LH. Tobys LH level was three times higher than what is normal for a neutered dog. He was started on a regimen of weekly testosterone shots, which he accepted readily with positive reinforcement training. Within three months, the treatment significantly increased muscle mass, reduced limping and improved mobility. Fear and anxiety were somewhat decreased. However, his LH concentration did not come down to normal levels, so a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist was implanted. The treatment brought the dogs testosterone and LH levels back to normal, and health improvements continued.
After hormone restoration therapy, Tobys appetite was reduced, and fear of people became manageable. Tobys owners now take him for walks in public parks and he has no problem running, jumping, and keeping up with the other family dog. There were no known side effects, and the owners were pleased with the outcome. He has been continued on the treatment, with his health monitored through standard bloodwork, testosterone and LH levels, and prostate exams.
“The improvement in Tobys health and behavior has been amazing”, said Linda Brent, owner of the dog and lead author of the publication. “After years of trying traditional medical treatments with little effect, returning his hormones to normal levels has given him a chance for a happy and healthy life.”
This research concluded that hormone restoration may be effective in improving health in neutered dogs, but also raised many questions about the optimal methods and potential risks.
“This case report provides evidence to support lowering LH concentrations with GnRH downregulation and gonadal hormone supplementation in spayed and neutered dogs displaying clinical signs of the long-term adverse health effects of gonad removal”, commented Dr. Michelle Kutzler. She added, “Controlled randomized clinical trials are needed.”
While data from an individual animal cannot be generalized to other dogs, the authors hope that it encourages dialog and further research on the topic of hormone therapy for spayed or neutered dogs.
More information: Linda Brent et al, Restoration of Reproductive Hormone Concentrations in a Male Neutered Dog Improves Health: A Case Study, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.tcam.2021.100565