Why is neutering important

It is important to monitor a pet's weight following surgery and adjust their diet appropriately with the help of a veterinarian to prevent weight gain. These are the best general recommendations that can be drawn from a thorough analysis of research currently available:. Sign up to receive our exclusive e-book full of training techniques, problem-solving and important information about caring for your pet.

Intact dogs are more prone to urine-marking than neutered dogs. Although urine-marking is usually associated with male dogs, females may do it too. Spaying or neutering your dog should reduce urine-marking and may even stop it altogether.

For cats, the urge to spray is extremely strong in those not altered, so the simplest solution is to alter by 5 months old before the problem arises.

It can also minimize howling, the urge to roam and fighting with other males. In both cats and dogs, the longer you wait, the greater the risk of the surgery not doing the trick because the animal has practiced the behavior for a longer period of time, thereby reinforcing the habit.

Also, while having your pets spayed or neutered may help curb certain undesirable behaviors, it will not change their fundamental personalities. Caring for a pet with reproductive system cancer or pyometra can easily run thousands of dollars—five to 10 times as much as a routine spay or neuter surgery. Newsletters Get the latest updates on your choice of veterinary topics delivered straight to your inbox. Media relations Press releases Leadership bios Media guide Media contacts.

Contact Contact us Media contacts. Site search. Breadcrumb Home resources Public resources petcare Spaying and neutering. Spaying and neutering. Gonadectomy: veterinary resources Stay up-to-date and educate clients about the changing landscape of elective gonadectomy. What are the options? This makes her unable to reproduce and eliminates her heat cycle and breeding instinct-related behavior. This makes him unable to reproduce and reduces or eliminates male breeding behaviors. Hysterectomy: the uterus and part of the fallopian tubes are removed from a female dog or cat.

This makes her unable to reproduce, but her ovaries remain and will produce hormones. Vasectomy: only the vas deferens, which conducts sperm from the testes, are removed. This procedure makes the dog or cat unable to reproduce, but his testes remain and will produce hormones.

There are a number of potentially fatal health conditions and transmissible diseases that animals can contract or develop as a result of being intact and breeding; for example, pyometra, TVT, and reproductive cancers.

These risks are eliminated when the animal is spayed or neutered. On the whole, animals who have been sterilized at an early age tend to live longer, healthier lives, potentially increasing their lifespans by an average of one to three years for dogs, and three to five years for cats. By spaying or neutering your pet, you save the cost of caring for future litters and reduce the likelihood of your pet needing veterinary treatment for injuries occurring when roaming or fighting.

Fact: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Applying human emotions to animals is neither realistic nor applicable when it comes to identifying a need for sterilization. Fact: Pets do not have any concept of sexual identity or ego. A spay can also be performed laparascopically usually with ovariectomies. Also performed under general anesthesia, it is a simpler surgery than a spay.

An incision is made near the front of the scrotum, then the testicles are removed through that incision. Why spay or neuter your dog? Jerry Klein: Prevent unplanned puppies. This can bring unwanted canine visitors to your yard and might produce a litter of unplanned puppies. Having a litter is expensive and involves a lot of time and energy on your part. The bitch will require veterinary care during pregnancy. Delivery can sometimes be difficult and involve costly surgery or result in the loss of the bitch or puppies.

The litter will also require veterinary care and shots after birth. On top of that, finding good homes for puppies can be very difficult.

Spaying and neutering is a responsible way to prevent accidental breeding resulting in unwanted puppies. Reduction of certain health risks. Spaying or neutering can lead to a reduction in certain health risks for both female and male dogs.

Unspayed females can develop a painful and life-threatening infection of the uterus called pyometra.