The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare around the world — including veterinary care for pets. To reduce transmission and comply with shelter-in-place orders, many veterinary clinics are only open for emergencies. The American Veterinary Medical Association has asked veterinarians to defer elective procedures to preserve vital medical supplies for human use. Some veterinarians consider pet… Read more
Spaying and neutering can lead to long-term health problems in dogs. A recent review article summarizes these problems and illuminates the role of luteinizing hormone (LH). Ovaries and testes — the gonads — produce hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Research has shown that removal of the gonads through spaying and neutering is associated with… Read more
In a novel study using canine brain scans, scientists have reported that spayed females had an increased relative risk of brain tumors — 11 times that of intact females. The authors cited the importance of estrogen to brain health, and related their work in dogs to findings in women regarding higher incidence of dementia than… Read more
The Parsemus Foundation was awarded the 2019 Editor’s Choice Innovation Award in Complementary Medicine by the Innovative Veterinary Care Journal. This award recognizes the work that the foundation has done in the area of hormone-sparing dog sterilization. Our goal is to serve as an educational resource for pet owners and veterinarians about the research on… Read more
That’s the question posed by dog expert and cognitive scientist Dr. Alexandra Horowitz in an opinion piece in the New York Times titled “Dogs are not here for our convenience.” Central to her article is the issue of spaying and neutering dogs as a matter of standard practice. She argues that we domesticated canines to… Read more
The 2019 annual conference of the Society for Theriogenology, held in July in Savannah, Georgia, gathered veterinarians from around the globe who specialize in animal reproduction. A full day was dedicated to discussing the impacts of the loss of natural hormones through spay and neuter on the health of dogs and cats. In recognition of… Read more
We’ve all seen it – pet parents who waltz into dog parks and let their canines run amok without any consideration. Here’s how hormones and training play a role in this social environment, and what you can do to keep your pup safe. The dog park can be an idyllic setting for you and your… Read more
Innovative Veterinary Care Journal publishes a review of research on the consequences of canine gonadectomy and of methods to sterilize dogs while preserving hormones for long-term health. In the United States, spaying or neutering a dog has become standard practice to reduce pet overpopulation. Yet recent research has shed light on the long-term health impacts… Read more
We’ve all heard that spaying or neutering your dog (gonadectomy, or removal of the gonads, i.e. the ovaries or testes) will help reduce its aggressiveness. However, a recent study including over 13,000 dogs concluded that this assumption is incorrect. In the U.S., veterinarians and animal welfare organizations have long supported gonadectomy as a way to… Read more
Want the latest information on research regarding ovary-sparing spay? Check out this paper by Oregon State University veterinary student Megan Mattravers for an excellent overview. One size doesn’t necessarily fit all (dogs, that is). Parsemus Foundation has been at the forefront of providing information on a variety of options for pet sterilization. Ovary-sparing spay, or… Read more