Spay Neutering of Your Irish Wolfhound
I am and have been a responsible and conscientious breeder who has kept a very careful and strict reign over my boutique breeding program across the decades. My position on early spay neutering had evolved over these many years from when I began as a mentee and its subsequent journey to today.
This topic is especially important for our giant hounds, as they are an extremely fast-growing breed who increase in size and metamorphose from approximately one and half pounds at birth to nearly 180 pounds by eighteen months of age. This is a phenomenal rate of growth in which hormones play critical roles in development. Herein lies the dilemma.
The role that hormones play in the development of such a fast-growing breed is not, in my opinion as well as some researchers, anecdotal. Included here are two reference papers that detail the significant findings of board certified Theriogenologists and researchers. The first is an opinion piece published on the Irish Wolfhound Foundation website titled, Early-Spay Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete.
The other is an important position paper on the subject from The American College of Theriogenologists (ACT), the certifying college for veterinarians board certified in reproduction (specialists) and the Society for Theriogenology (SFT), an organization of veterinarians with a special interest in reproduction in veterinary medicine.
At the bare minimum, in my opinion, Irish Wolfhounds must not be neutered until after puberty or 24 months of age.
Having said that, let us consider the Irish Wolfhound's reproductive phases. Estrus begins in the female Irish Wolfhound as early as nine months and as late as 16 months and may last from 17-21 days. The first estruses (heat cycles) of young, prepuberty, female Irish Wolfhounds can be erratic, though these also occur in adult bitches. Examples of an irregular heat cycle are:
'Short cycling' as the female enters proestrus for perhaps nine days and then goes out of her heat cycle never reaching anestrus.
'Split cycle' which is divided into two periods and occurs when the female enters heat or proestrus but does not progress into ovulation and then prematurely goes out of heat. Only to re-enter a fertile anestrus cycle days or weeks later.
'Silent heat' cycles which are when a female enters into heat but does not display any visible signs of estrus. She does not have discharge, her vulva does not swell, and she does not attract the attention of a male dog. However, this does not necessarily mean the female cannot be impregnated and, consequently, these silent heats have resulted in unplanned or accidental breedings and litters.
As for the Irish Wolfhound males, they can be fertile as early as six months of age so great caution must be exercised with an intact young male around an intact female.
Under ideal conditions, I would strongly suggest that Wolfhounds not be altered until well into their adult prime, around 4 to 5 years of age. Those differing from my opinion, indeed, have a well-founded argument. One that I formally subscribed to as well, however, my opinion has since developed.
If hounds are left intact, unaltered wolfhounds could propagate resulting in unwanted litters of Wolfhound puppies or mixed breed litters. Many breeders will not allow a wolfhound from their breeding program to be placed with new companion owners without protection by means of neutering. Their motive is to safeguard their breeding program from abuse or infiltration by a commercial dog breeder, or individuals who are unfit to reproduce such a giant, grand breed. I thoroughly understand their logic and motives.
Simultaneously, I also strongly believe that hormones are vital to the giant hound's proper maturation. We breeders are in a very tough position having to decide against the non-consensual, exploited use of one of our companion hounds and immediate bloodlines, and the health benefits of the hounds remaining intact.
One logical solution is that very careful vetting of any companion homes is standard policy for placing Wolfhound puppies.
I must state though that I would NEVER consider placing a female puppy in a companion home with an intact male, even if the owners were experienced with giant breeds.
During the home evaluation process, it must be made abundantly clear to all prospective owners that these are Sighthound hunters who should never be running loose beyond secure fencing, so that if they retain their sexual organs, they might mount or be impregnated by another dog. I stress to individual queries that this is an expressly unique breed and not to consider it the same as obtaining, for example, a Labrador Retriever or German Shepherd. It is an enormous responsibility, and newcomers must first learn and fully appreciate this sighthound's hunting qualities so that they too become guardians of the breed. I refer everyone to my Irish Wolfhound Breed Characteristics page for details, and I ask them to consider seriously if this is the breed for them.
If the wolfhound is to be altered, I stipulate that the procedure should only be performed well AFTER puberty or 24 months of age. Giant breeds do not fit neatly into the dog mold of the scientific community. These hounds do not physically or mentally mature as quickly as almost all other breeds. Many veterinarians will argue that it is safe and acceptable to alter a wolfhound before 24 months of age, and I fully disagree. They cite data stipulating that spaying bitches prior to 4 years of age will reduce the risk of mammary cancers and after this age, the cancer risk is nearly the same -- intact or not. To date, with the small amount of data that I have accumulated over 36 years experience, in addition to my breed mentors, I have not encountered this issue. Nonetheless, in the past decade, I have spayed all of my adult bitches at around six or seven years of age. My reasons are that my tail-female (maternal bloodlines) endure difficult episodes for at least three weeks concluding estrus (heat cycles). They stop eating, lose weight, and are depressed which has been very worrisome. This is, unfortunately, typical for my tail-female bloodlines, and I have chosen to spay them in their senior years to spare them continued distress.
In contrast, concerning males -- the scientists point to studies revealing that neutered males have a higher risk for cancers -- urinary bladder cancer and all prostate cancers. I have not neutered any of my "home kept" males in 33 years and therefore, to date, have not had such specific cancers. Here is an interesting excerpt from the NCBI Population Study.
Neutered males had a significantly increased risk for each form of cancer. Neutered males had an odds ratio of 3.56 (3.02-4.21) for urinary bladder TCC, 8.00 (5.60-11.42) for prostate TCC, 2.12 (1.80-2.49) for prostate adenocarcinoma, 3.86 (3.13-4.16) for prostate carcinoma, and 2.84 (2.57-3.14) for all prostate cancers. Relative risks were highly similar when cases were limited to those with a histologically confirmed diagnosis.
In my opinion, in a perfect world, companion owners who are required by their breeder to sterilize a female wolfhound should do so in her adult stages.
However, Realistically, these hounds are in companion homes, and spaying at this age is most likely impractical as it involves far too many variables that can affect the owners vigilance.
These issues include:
Young children in the home who may accidentally leave a door or gate open
Is the home in a busy neighborhood with many neighboring dogs?
Is there the required 5 to 6-foot tall (not an inadequate 4-footer) breed specific fencing enclosing the female's acreage to keep intruders out?
Consider the issue of having an intact female with estrus cycles, and her bloody vaginal discharge in the home. Many bitches will not wear a "doggie diaper" and will try to remove it.
Important and essential cleanliness of the female can be a burden on the companion owner. Keep in mind that the female's hygiene is mandatory to prevent bacteria migrating from the vaginal area into the uterus which may result in Pyometra.
Pyometra is a dangerous uterine infection that can go unnoticed until it is well advanced requiring surgical intervention to save the life of the wolfhound. More on this please see my Health page. The Irish Wolfhound female in estrus should never be delegated to an outdoor, or unfamiliar area so that the owner can keep their home clean. Females in season experience hormonal changes that in turn affect their moods. Many grow increasingly amorous for their owners attention and they also are easily stressed. If you have read my website you will already know that stress is dangerous for this breed -- it can and will kill the wolfhound.
As for those wolfhounds whose breeders sold or placed them in homes without proper acreage for the hound to self-exercise. These owners must use considerable caution when exercising their intact female on-lead during the entire estrus cycle for fear of a loose, intact dog mounting her. Have you ever had to fight off a male dog intent on breeding your bitch?
Most all dog owners have no experience with canine husbandry and are not familiar with regular or irregular estrus cycles. Many are unable to discern if a female Irish Wolfhound is in season and almost all owners mistakenly believe that their female Irish Wolfhound is no longer in estrus when, in fact, she may be at the height of fertilization!
All these concerns can be overwhelming for the average pet owner and I would only consider homes that are fully versed and experienced in these responsibilities to have an intact female wolfhound.
To the extent of cancer and the intact female dog, a study on Golden Retrievers finds that sex hormones have a protective effect against cancers throughout most of the dog's life. This same study most likely has significance in other breeds. See the following study from the University of California at Davis.
If absolutely necessary, male Wolfhounds should be neutered at around their prime age of 4 or 5 years, but in a perfect world should remain intact. Still, it is understandable that many breeders will disagree based on their legitimate desire to protect their breeding programs as well as the breed itself, despite the reported significant increased risk for the aforementioned cancers in neutered males.
Before you proceed with any elective surgery you MUST read my Irish Wolfhound Breed Health Concerns page. Scroll down to both Elective Surgery and Anesthesia. Both discussions include excellent articles that should be provided to and discussed with your veterinary surgeon before any surgery. "Post Operative Bleeding in Greyhounds and What it May Mean for Deerhounds" should be mandatory reading for you and your veterinarian, as soon as possible. Reasons being that the specific drug discussed in the article requires advance purchase and may take several weeks to obtain. In case of emergency, your veterinarian should have it on hand.
One may wonder as to why I supply health information concerning Scottish Deerhounds and Greyhounds and urge wolfhound owners to read the above health articles. Simply, Scottish Deerhounds are very closely related to the Irish Wolfhound breed. Indeed, the segment of Sighthounds that are Greyhound-like are a very small and exclusive genus consisting of Irish Wolfhounds, Greyhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Borzoi and Whippets. What we have found throughout the many decades is for the most part an interconnection, especially between the giants. See more at my Health page regarding anesthesia, to name just one of the linked concerns.
Note: Even the Scottish Deerhound Club of America recommends that members provide the benefits and risks of spaying/neutering to new owners but also to emphasize that Deerhounds should be at least 18-24 months of age before neutering. Again, I recommend 24 months age as the minimum since the Irish Wolfhound is a larger, much more massive and more slowly maturing animal.
If you have questions, please contact me via email link below.