The Importance of Spaying and Neutering

One of the most important things that you can do when getting a pet is have them spayed or neutered. This is something that should be done whether the pet is going to spend their all of their time in the outdoors or none of their time there. It can also lead to a longer and healthier life as well as having a positive effect on their behavior so if you have not chosen to do so or are considering getting a pet this may be something that you need to hear.

What happens when they are spayed/neutered?

So what happens when a pet is spayed or neutered? Spaying, or ovariohysterectomy, removes the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus from a female. With those organs removed she is unable to go into heat and reproduce. Neutering, or orchiectomy, removed the testes from a male eliminating their ability to reproduce. Both is done by a veterinarian surgically and is probably the most common procedure performed on pets in the United States.

Why Is it Important?

The most important reason to have your pets spayed or neutered is quite simple: Nature. The urge to reproduce can be intense in cats and dogs. Male cats or dogs my become more restless and will do seemingly whatever they can do to escape to find a mate to satisfy those urges. This can result in an injury from something like being hit by a car or from a fight with another male and these injuries can be life threatening. If a female is spayed she will not go into heat. When in heat they will do everything that they can to attract males and they will become extremely vocal. They will also urinate more often and they may do it where they should not. By spaying and neutering your pet you are making their lives better and saving yourself a lot of time cleaning up after them.

Spaying and neutering can also be beneficial to their health. Spaying can help to prevent uterine infections and breast tumors and this can be done before a female goes into heat for the first time. This is especially important since about half of all tumors in dogs and nearly all tumors in cats turn out to be cancerous. Along the same lines neutering can help to prevent prostate issues and testicular cancer in males.

Positive Effects

By spaying or neutering a pet it will have a positive effect on their behavior. Unneutered pets will mark their territory by spraying urine throughout the house. To say the least this stinks and cleaning it up can be even worse. Neutering stops that. Male pets will also be better behaved as they will no longer have the urge to mount other animals, people and even inanimate objects. Neutering can also remove aggressive behavior or lessen the amount of it. Less barking and biting is a good thing for a dog and its owner.

Spaying and neutering can also be a money saver. A litter of kittens or puppies is not necessarily cheap. They should have veterinary care to make sure that they are healthy and now all of a sudden you have a lot more mouths to feed. Caring for that costs money, more so than the cost of having a pet spayed or neutered.

The most heartrending reason to have your pet spayed or neutered is to simply control the homeless pet population. There are millions of healthy and deserving pets in the United States that cannot find a home and as such have to be euthanized. Animal shelters work hard to find these animals a good home but at times they are overwhelmed and sometimes cannot match an animal to a family. This is a shame but it is reality so if there is any reason to do it, do it to help control the pet population.

Myths

There is a myth that by having a pet spayed or neutered they will gain weight and die sooner than expected. This is not true. Pets who are spayed or neutered can and probably will live long and healthy lives and in most cases your pet will live a longer life. A pet’s weight is determined by the quality and quantity of the food that they eat and the amount of exercise that they get and not by whether they still have their reproductive organs. A visit with a veterinarian can help determine if your pet is eating the right food and if they are at a proper weight. At Doggie DoLittle we stock some of the best quality pet foods on the market so if you want your four-legged friend to eat right check out our selection.

The Right Time

For some pet owners the big question is when is the right time to have their pet spayed or neutered. Dogs can be spayed or neutered usually between six and nine months but some can have it done earlier as long as they are healthy. Cats should be spayed or neutered after eight weeks. It is also possible to spay a female cat in heat. You veterinarian will give you instructions on what needs to be done pre and post op as well as perform a wellness check and run some bloodwork to make sure that your pet is healthy enough to undergo the surgery. In many cases spaying or neutering an animal is not expensive and there are many low cost programs that exist to help control the pet population. So help control the pet population and have your pets spayed or neutered.

Reference links:

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/spayneuter-your-pet

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/why_spay_neuter.html

https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/spay-neuter.aspx

https://pets.webmd.com/reasons-spay-neuter-pet

In article links:

Low cost spay and neuter programs – https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/low-cost-spayneuter-programs

Motherhood is tough. If you just want a wonderful little creature to love, you can get a puppy. –Barbara Walters