Spaying and Neutering

 I can't emphasize enough the importance of spaying or neutering your pets. The question is never whether or not to spay or neuter-it's only when and why.

Ask any animal shelter volunteer if there's any lack of dogs or cats to go around and they'll either laugh or cry in front of you. Shelters are filled with animals desperate to be someone's friend-there's no need to add to their numbers.

Most private practitioners recommend having females spayed by six months of age, preferably before their first heat. Some may recommend spaying soon after the first heat but definitely before the second heat, which usually comes by 14 months of age.

Consider this: breast cancer in dogs is 7 to 10 times more prevalent than in humans. But spaying prior to a dog's first heat reduces the risk of breast cancer by 98%! Spaying before the second heat reduces that risk by about 90%. But if the animal has a second heat, then there is no risk reduction. The message? Get your pets spayed early.

The advantages to neutering male dogs early-other than controlling the pet population-are mainly behavioral. Non-neutered male dogs tend to roam. In fact, 75% of dogs found dead on or near roads and highways are non-neutered males. That's an astonishing and preventable-statistic. There are also numerous medical reasons to neuter dogs, including the possible prevention of certain types of hernias and tumors that more frequently occur as dogs age. 

I'm sometimes asked whether it isn't cruel to deprive a pet of raising a litter? My answer is always, "No." In reality, animals don't experience maternal or paternal joys the way humans do. Not to mention that breeding comes with its own host of costs and complications. So unless you're preserving the line of a pedigreed proven champion like Lassie, I don't recommend you breed your dog. Instead, please have it spayed or neutered.

I'm also asked about the rumor that spaying or neutering leads to fat pets. That's a myth. Pets gain weight for the same reasons humans do-too much food and not enough exercise.

Finally, let me again point out that because so many animals are not spayed or neutered, shelters are overflowing with loving, healthy and amazing pets. Let's be part of the solution, not the problem, and do what we can to give these great pets a chance at what they all deserve-a lifetime filled with love. 

Article by Dr. Jeff Werber, DVM