The Importance of Spay and/or Neutering

The Importance of Spay and/or Neutering

The animal population is exploding. Each year millions of unwanted
pets are born and most are treated like "living garbage" and disposed
of. The primary causes of pet euthanasia are the failure by owners to
have their pets spayed or neutered and animals that are abandoned
or relinquished to shelters because of obedience problems. This is
tragic and reprehensible... but also preventable. A simple procedure
with overwhelming results

The Procedure
The procedure of removing the reproductive organs of either a male
or a female animal is called neutering. Specifically, the procedure for
females is call spaying. The procedure for males is called castration or
altering, but is also loosely called neutering.
The obvious reason spaying and neutering is to prevent unwanted,
accidental pregnancies. There are many more benefits, though, that
are good for the pet as well as the owner.

Females
This preventive surgery can be performed as early as 2 to 4 months of
age. Recent scientific research shows evidence that a younger puppy
or kitten does better with the anesthesia and the surgical process.
Talk to your veterinarian about when your particular pet should be
spayed. Many veterinarians still choose to perform this routine
procedure at about 5 to 6 months of age.
For their own sakes, all female dogs or cats should be spayed unless
they are going be professionally bred or shown. It does not matter if
she will ever be allowed outdoors unsupervised, the physical benefits
of an early spaying operation are so great that there is no valid
reason not to have it performed. In addition, behavioral problems that
are related to sexual drive are avoided in a spayed female pet.
Physical Benefits of an Early Spay
There simply is no truth to the old belief that a female puppy should
be allowed to have one heat or one litter before she's spayed. There
are no benefits to be gained from waiting and many to be gained by
an early spaying operation.
A pet in heat will bleed, and consequently spot the carpet and
furniture. Owners who have indoor pets have to cover the furniture to
avoid this spotting. Carpet also will need to be neutralized to remove
the smell and the stain. Although there are little pads that can be
worn with a strap, most pets find them uncomfortable and try to take
them off.
A female pet that is spayed before her first heat has a greatly
reduced risk of developing ovarian, uterine, or breast cancer, the
second most common malignancy in pets. In addition, she will never
develop pyometra (an infection of the uterus). Pyometra can become
seriously life-threatening and require an emergency spay operation.
These infections very commonly occur in older, unspayed females.
Of course, an early spay operation also prevents an unplanned,
unwanted pregnancy. If your unspayed female puppy does become
accidentally pregnant, it can be potentially damaging to her health,
since she is very young. A six-month-old puppy is, in no way, suited
for motherhood.
As to the argument that spayed female pets always get fat, this is not
necessarily the case. It is true that spayed pets can be more prone to
obesity, but that's because as a female puppy nears physical
maturity, she becomes somewhat less physically active and requires
fewer calories for energy. Physical maturity often follows shortly
behind a spaying operation. Therefore, the spaying is often blamed if
a puppy begins to put on weight. If you do not overfeed your pet and
give her plenty of daily exercise, she will not gain too much weight. If
you don't, she'll get fat, whether or not she's been spayed.
Behavior Benefits of an Early Spay
During the stage in the heat cycle when a female is receptive toward
males, she may attempt to escape from the house. She may also
indulge in territorial urine marking, especially if there are other pets
(male or female) in the household or immediate neighborhood.
An unspayed female also may suffer from a disorder known as "false
pregnancy" which mimics all of the physical and behavioral stages of
pregnancy, even though there are no fertilized eggs. It is quite
common in pets that are very dependent on their owners, and can
occur even when no mating has taken place. Some females go
through a false pregnancy every time they come into heat.
A very troublesome side effect of having an unspayed female is the
necessity of keeping her away from unwelcome Romeos and keeping
them away from her. Males will appear on your doorstep, hang around
your yard, and fight one another.
In addition to these problems, female cats and even some dogs may
"cry." You think your pet is in pain and take it to the vet only to find
out it is in heat and looking for a mate.

Males
At around six or seven months of age, your male will become sexually
mature. The operation is best performed when the animal is young,
although it can be done at any age in a pet's life. As with spaying,
this procedure is now considered preventive surgery.
Neutering does not change the male's masculine appearance. He will
still acquire his secondary sex characteristics, regardless of his age
when the procedure is done.
Castration doesn't affect hunting ability or watchdog behavior. He
most likely will be less aggressive in some areas, especially toward
other males . As with altered females, male pets will not get fat if given
a good, balanced diet and enough exercise.
Physical Benefits of an Early Neuter
Unaltered males are subject to a number of hormone-related medical
problems as they age. They may develop prostate, perianal, and
testicular tumors and cancers. Neutering greatly reduces the risk of
these medical problems.
Behavior Benefits of an Early Neuter
Neutering is particularly effective as a preventive measure against a
number of common behavioral problems.
One aspect of male canine behavior is aggression towards other
males. As a male reaches full physical and sexual maturity, he
becomes more and more protective of what he considers "his"
territory. His definition of "his" area tends to change, and the
boundaries enlarge, until sometimes an entire square block or country
mile falls within his territory.
Often, owners are not aware of this until a tragedy occurs, and their
male or another male is severely hurt or even killed. "But he's always
so gentle" is a common cry of an upset owner in these circumstances.
And he is nice until another male invades property that he considers
his own. Then his male territorial instinct overrides any social behavior
he may have learned, and he defends his turf, sometimes to the
death.
Along with this instinct comes roaming behavior. A sexually active
male must patrol the boundaries of his property and constantly widen
them. In addition, he's always on the lookout for receptive females
and, if there is a female in heat within many miles, he'll find her. Along
with this comes the potential to be hit by a car or otherwise injured, or
become lost. Often, a male hangs around the area for days on end,
apparently forgetting that he even has a home. Terrible fights can
occur when several males pursue a female in heat, even if she is
confined indoors, and the resulting veterinarian bills may be
staggering. Research shows us that of all the positive behavior
changes that are a result of neutering, roaming shows the greatest
degree of change.
An uncastrated male may indulge in territorial urine marking and
urinating on every upright surface he can find. This is usually related
either to a female coming into heat somewhere within his range or
another male moving into the neighborhood. You may not be aware
of either occurrence, but you soon will know it when your
housetrained pet has suddenly "broken training" and is marking up
your house. In the absence of other male animals, males may also
take out their aggressive territorial protection on humans.
Overprotectiveness of family members may manifest itself by growling
or nipping at visitors in your home.
Other sexually related behaviors of male dogs can include mounting
human legs, climbing up on people, and even knocking children down
and climbing on top of them. This is especially frightening and
dangerous if a dog is large.
For male cats, a neutered male is less likely to spray (almost all
unneutered male cats spray). They also yowl as if in terrible pain. You
may think your cat is in pain and take it to the vet only to find out it is
in search of a mate.
All of these behaviors can usually be corrected by a combination of
neutering and training, but it's difficult to break a habit that has
become ingrained.
Neutering makes life more pleasant because it removes some of the
behavioral traits with which people find it difficult to live and traits that
may land the pet in a shelter.
The Surgery
The operation itself is certainly not cruel, but a fairly simple and
routine procedure that actuallyhelps the pet. When done on a young
animal, it entails at most one or two days of discomfort.
Owners will be given instructions about withholding food and water to
the pet prior to the surgery. Follow these directions carefully.
Most veterinarians will give a thorough physical prior to the
anesthesia. It often includes a blood test and urinalysis. These tests
are necessary to make sure there aren't underlying medical problems
such as kidney or liver disease, diabetes or chronic infection that
would put the patient at greater risk during surgery.
For females, the ovaries and uterus will be removed, thus, eliminating
the production of eggs. For males, the testes will be removed, thus,
eliminating the source of sperm.
After the operation, the animal will continue to be monitored. Some
veterinarians choose to keep the animal overnight for observation, but
most animals that go in the morning for surgery can go home late in
the afternoon to rest and recuperate.
Again, there will be specific instructions given to the owner about the
care of the pet for the next several days. Follow these directions
carefully and your pet will recover quickly and completely in a short
while.
To Summarize, Spaying and Neutering is Good For Everyone:
1.It's good for your pet. It reduces the risk of certain
reproductive cancers and diseases for both males and
females. Spayed or neutered pets also generally live longer
lives. For females, it eliminates the heat cycle and therefore,
the nervousness, blood and unwelcome males. For males, it
stops the mating desire, reduces mounting and the tendency
to roam.
2.It's good for you. Usually less expensive to license, a
discount is given if your pet is spayed or neutered. It reduces
the risk of unwanted litters. There will be no more problems
with blood stains, males breaking into your yard, pets running
away in search of a mate, and the job of taking care of and
finding homes for an unwanted litter. Your pet will be happier,
and so will you.
3.It's good for the community. Homeless pets often create
serious problems. They destroy property, spread disease and
cost a lot of money to control. It's an agonizing job to
euthanize animals because of irresponsible breeding.
Reasons People Do Not Spay Or Neuter Their Pet
"It would be too cruel to do that to my pet!"
Your pet does not have the ability to hold a grudge against you
because you made this decision. If your pet could talk, he/she would
thank you for it!
"I'm afraid of putting my pet under. Won't it be painful?"
Although neutering and spaying is a surgical procedure that does
require general anesthesia, the pet feels nothing during the
procedure, and the risks are minimal. Certainly the benefits far
outweigh the risks. There is only a slight discomfort and the pet will
usually be back on their feet with normal activities within 24 to 72
hours.
"I don't have enough money for this procedure."
You can't afford not to do it. Most communities have humane shelters
and low-cost spay/neuter clinics that offer affordable services. Contact
your veterinarian, your local shelter, or the PETsMART nearest you. It
can be much more costly to you if you have a pregnant female with
pups to take care of, or if you have to split the veterinarian bills with
your neighbor because your male got their female pregnant.
"I want to breed my pet...it's a purebred."
Purebred breeding is very complicated. There are some things you
should ask yourself before you do this. Do you have a five-generation
pedigree for the animal? Is there a minimum of 8 titles (AKC/UKC:
Champions, Obedience CD, CDX, etc.) in the last three generations?
Does the animal have a stable temperament? Does the animal fit the
breed standard? Are the animal and prospective mate healthy? Is the
animal certified free of genetic diseases? Do you have the time it
takes to breed? A good breeder will be careful about the animals they
breed, and will offer to take an animal back if it does not work out.
"I can make some extra money selling the puppies/kittens."
Breeding dogs and cats isn't always a money making experience.
There are the veterinary bills, shots, food, and advertising costs.
There is also the time spent caring for the puppies and kittens and
showing them to prospective owners. Don't forget the temptation to
keep "just one" that often happens with the first litter. What if the
pregnancy puts the mother in medical danger that causes her to
suffer or even die -- can you put a price on the loss of a pet? Also, for
every heat cycle a female goes through, her odds of having medical
problems later multiplies by ten. By the time the puppies or kittens are
sold, has a significant amount of money really been made?
"My male cat/dog will be kept indoors away from any females."
Male pets will smell females in heat and many have been known to
escape their homes to reach the female.
"I want my male dog to be a guard dog and I need to keep him
aggressive."
Most pets will be more reliable and responsible after neutering and
are often easier to train because of stabilized hormones. What makes
a male dog a good guard dog is training, not hormones.
"My kids need to learn about the birds and the bees - I want them
to see the birth process."
Children can experience the birthing process in other ways rather than
at the expense of the family pet.