The Myths and Facts of Spaying and Neutering
 Reprinted with permission of PETsMART.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.
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 so critical 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 are no valid reasons not to have
it performed. In addition, you avoid behavioral problems that are related to
sexual drive in an unspayed female pet.
Physical Benefits of an Early Spay
It is simply not reasonable 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 will also 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 accidentally become 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 may also 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's especial 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 toward 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
– 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
– 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 will soon 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. Over protectiveness 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 males 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 he 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
– 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 actually helps 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 have surgery in the morning 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:
- 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. 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.
- 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.
- 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 or 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 store 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 eight 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 a 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.
Information compiled by
PETsMART.com staff and
PETsMART Inc. experts. For questions or comments, email
cs@petsmart.com or visit
www.petsmart.com. |
