Study links dog spaying with shorter lifespan
By David S. Greene
March 8, 2010
Study: Removal of ovaries could affect lifespan. A potentially groundbreaking study examined aging in Rottweilers. The work by a team led by Dr. David Waters of Purdue, published in the December 2009 issue of the journal Aging Cell, strongly indicates that the length of time a dog retains her ovaries is directly linked to how many years she will live.
Dr. Waters’ team spent a decade collecting and analyzing medical histories, longevity, and causes of death for 119 Rottweilers in the United States and Canada that survived to 13 years of age. These dogs were compared with a group of 186 Rottweilers with more typical longevity.
Researchers found that female Rottweilers have a distinct survival advantage over males—a trend also documented in humans. That advantage appears to be determined by whether the female dog is sexually intact, however. “Taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage,” Dr. Waters said.
This isn’t just an interesting factoid that will impact the spay-neuter debate with respect to dogs. It could have a lot to say about research into human longevity as well.
Dr. Parker’s group studied more than 29,000 women who underwent a hysterectomy for benign uterine disease. The findings showed that the benefits of ovary removal—protection against ovarian, uterine, and breast cancer—were outweighed by an increased mortality rate from other causes. As a result, longevity was cut short in women who lost their ovaries before the age of 50, compared with those who kept their ovaries for at least 50 years.
How ovaries affect longevity in Rottweilers is not understood, but Dr. Waters’ research points to a new set of research questions, recalibrating the conversation about removing ovaries.
Breed-specific legislation redux: Florida legislators are throwing the baby out with the bathwater by moving toward enacting sloppy, breed-specific laws again, substantively reversing their prohibition of such a thing more than 10 years ago. The bill under consideration is Florida HB 543 (Senate version: SB 1276).
In effect, they will be turning back the clock to a time when blaming the dog, independent of contextual evidence, was acceptable. State Rep. Thurston (D-Plantation) isn’t suggesting any move towards owner responsibility. And the fact that identifying breeds accurately is, at best, a crapshoot, has eluded Thurston, as well as his co-sponsors. Solving those problems can’t be done through the legislative process. The losers here will be good, innocent dogs and responsible owners. If you live in Florida, it ’s time to make your voice heard (thanks to Cathy A for the cite).
Cat killed despite microchip: Sorry, but we’re not done with the Sunshine State yet. A couple in Broward county lost their Bengal cat, O’Malley. Fortunately, O’Malley was microchipped. That’s good, right? If he is found by authorities, he can be quickly identified and returned to his anxious parents. Good news: O’Malley was found by the authorities. Bad news, according to the Sun-Sentinel: he was put to death anyway.
The cat’s death has the family and county commissioners wondering if the scandal-plagued agency – which was restructured in 2008 after facing criticism for animal abuse and misconduct – has reformed its ways. The county is apologizing, but officials aren’t sure what exactly happened and are waiting for an internal investigation to be completed.[...]
An audit of the agency two years ago found food for dogs and cats in short supply, animal carcasses rotted in maggot-infested bags and workers taking valuable dogs for their own profits. Officials were forced to change procedures to reduce the problems.
“I’m furious,” said Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl, who led the drive to reform the agency. “I’m tired of it – how many years will this keep going on?”
Excellent question, Mr. Mayor.
For some good news, we fly up to New York…
The angel of Union Square: Emelinda Narvaez has rescued 10,000 dogs out of her mobile van in lower Manhattan. You read that right. Ten thousand dogs. This profile of Ms. Narvaez, a cancer survivor herself, shows her to be a truly remarkable woman.
[She] believes dogs are the “Angels of This Earth.” But to the more than 10,000 dogs she’s rescued in New York, Emelinda is the angel. She does her miracle work through her nonprofit, Earth Angels, a no-kill canine rescue and adoption organization established to rescue homeless and abandoned dogs.
For the past 41 years, every single day, rain, shine or sleet, Emelinda has been saving dogs on the streets and taking canines from overcrowded shelters (that otherwise would’ve been euthanized). She then nurses the dogs back to health and finds happy, healthy homes for her four-legged friends.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Emelinda. I have to agree with the author of the Huffington Post article, on behalf of the 10,000 lucky dogs. You are the angel.
Bow to wow: Now let’s hop on the subway and head a little north, to midtown. We’re stopping at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. As part of the adoption drive for Animal Care & Control of NYC, a gorgeous golden retriever named Bailey was on the set of The Today Show last week. Also present was gold medal winning U.S. Olympian Steven Holcomb, pilot of the victorious and historic “Night Train” four-man bobsled team (the U.S. had never won a gold in bobsled before the Vancouver Games). Steve met Bailey, and promptly adopted her…a golden for a gold medal winner (a golden tip of the cap to Jennifer Fearing of the HSUS for the story).
Paws for poetry: Switching gears entirely … April is National Poetry Month. (I learn so many interesting tidbits on this beat.) In celebration, I’m volunteering you, so listen up. Paws for Poetry is running a contest, and you are invited. See rules and regulations here for prizes and details. The deadline is April 15, so you have a little more than a month. Good luck!
I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories. Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.
Photo credits: Chow and pit bull terrier: Laura Dapkus, examiner.com. Steve and Bailey: msnbc.com.
