Leerburg / Ask Cindy / Recommended / I recently watched the Dr. Becker video about earl...

December 02, 2014

I recently watched the Dr. Becker video about early spay & neuter and had some additional questions.

Full Question:

I just watched the spay and neuter video with Karen Becker. It answers some questions and raises more. After losing my rescue GSD, adopted at 7 months, spayed, to severe knee problems at age three, my new companion Rott/Shep cross spayed (another rescue) female is on DES for incontinence at age 2. But my son's Yorkie/Bishon rescue male (neutered by 3 months) and my previous Border Collie female (spayed at 6 months by me) both suffer(ed) from serious allergies--complete with hair loss and intense itching. Fish oil helped my Border Collie but she still got progressively worse until her death at age 14. But my son's dog is only 3 and is very bad. Grain free food has helped, and they are considering a raw diet, but my question is: Are all the skin problems that we are seeing now also possibly related to early spaying and neutering? I keep looking around and seeing more and more of it when in my childhood (60's) it was unheard of and in my young adulthood it seemed rare. Thanks!

Cindy's Answer:

I think it's a combination of too many vaccines, early spay/neuter, poor diet of only processed foods (ie. Kibble) and chemical & pesticide use around and on dogs that play into this (Frontline type products, etc). Add to that the overuse of antibiotics and steroids and you set these dogs up for a lifetime of less than optimal health. It's very sad but is a reflection of what is happening to humans too.

Too many people follow current trends blindly without using common sense. Health doesn't come in a pill, injection, or pellet of processed food & surgically removing body parts just because has far reaching long term effects on health. Based on the emails I receive, a lot of vets also recommend spay/neuter as a solution for issues that are merely normal dog behaviors.

I feel very fortunate to have access to good vets that see the big picture and are well versed in alternative medicine. They are worth their weight in gold!

Cindy Rhodes

User Response:

Thank you! I guess our next step is a raw food diet. I keep thinking that GMO corn might be implicated also, esp since corn is a main component of the cheaper dog foods--corn always has been there, but before at least it was "real" corn. We do feed grain-free to our dogs now.

I have learned so much from your website and am buying videos as I can afford (and have time to work through them!). I recommend you to everyone that I can get to listen. Ya'll really know dogs.

Thanks!

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