Pet Care: Why Do We Need to Neuter and Spay?

Having an animal spayed or neutered increases its lifespan. If you get your pet spayed or neutered, you’ll be giving them a healthier and happier life, and you’ll be helping to reduce the number of unwanted animals worldwide. Animal rights activists who believe they can avoid their pets’ spay/neuter requirement are irresponsible. How? First, by not spaying or neutering their animals, they are putting their dogs at risk of contracting infections. They’re putting them through the torture of a constant hot and cold cycle. The second point is that it is possible to become pregnant without intending to. There are already an excessive number of dogs without homes that end up in shelters, pounds, or on the streets. Why do we need a bigger population?

Why should you spay or neuter your dog?

A detailed break down here on this page are three strong arguments in favor of sterilizing your dog.

Prevent unwanted puppies.

If you don’t spay your female dog, she’ll go into “heat” once or twice a year and can reproduce. When this happens, she attracts the attention of male dogs, who can track scents from great distances. This could attract strays to your yard, leading to the unexpected arrival of new puppies.

 

It is time-consuming and labor-intensive to raise a litter and takes a large financial investment. For the duration of her pregnancy, the buck will need veterinary care. Losing the  baby dog or the litter of puppies is a real possibility due to the high cost and complexity of the delivery. The newborn litter will also need routine exams and vaccinations.

 

And it’s not easy to find loving homes for puppies. Spaying and neutering are the humane and effective ways to stop unwanted litter from being born. Responsible breeders that care about passing on the best characteristics of the breed they’re working with to future generations should be the ones who do the breeding.

Reduction of certain health risks.

Spaying and neutering dogs can lessen the likelihood of some diseases in both sexes. Females who have not had sterilization are at risk for pyometra, a painful and potentially lethal uterine infection. Compared to spayed females, non-sterilized females have a higher risk of developing breast cancer and having veterinary surgery in Santa Barbara. The danger of cancer of the testicles and other diseases, like prostate illness, is greatly reduced when a male dog is neutered. Neutering a male dog may also make him less restless.

Prevention of certain behavioral issues.

In addition to decreasing the likelihood that a male dog may wander off, neutering often (though not always) results in a marked decrease in or complete elimination of undesired behaviors like mounting and leg-lifting. Some dogs may exhibit less aggressive behavior after being neutered. Spayed females are statistically less likely to become strays.

 

Conclusion

Millions of dogs are abandoned each year and placed in shelters. Fewer would end up in shelters if more animals could be spayed or neutered. By doing so, we can make our limited shelter funds go further. In places where spaying and neutering are not readily available, the euthanasia rate for dogs is far greater than that for humans. Pyometra, a uterus infection, affects around a third of all female dogs. When untreated, the symptoms can develop rapidly and prove fatal. Although spaying is the best treatment option, it is a considerably riskier procedure for an older dog.