Spaying or neutering your dog is part of responsible canine
care. Not only does it help with the overpopulation problem, saving lives of
countless animals, but it also has many benefits for the individual pup who has
the procedure done.
Here’s how you, your dog, and even your community can
benefit from this procedure.
Spaying can help to prevent your female dog from having many
serious health problems, such as uterine infections and breast cancer. Breast cancer
is particularly dangerous, resulting in death for about 50% of canine cases.
The most effective way to provide this protection is to ensure your dog is
spayed before her first heat.
Neutering helps to prevents testicular cancer, another
serious canine disease. For the best chance of prevention, you want to complete
the procedure as early as possible. The right age varies by breed, so consult
with your veterinarian.
3. Your gal will be better behaved
Typically, after about six months of age, un-spayed females
go into heat for two to three weeks at a time, usually twice a year, although
this varies with size and breed. This period of time can bring about a number
of troublesome behaviors, such as howling and even urinating more often (and in
the house). It will also attract the attention of every unneutered male within
smelling distance.
4. Your guy will be better behaved
An unneutered dog is more likely to display a number of
problem behaviors in an effort to woo a mate. He’ll want to roam, which can
mean digging his way out of the yard and running away from you. Marking is
another important mating behavior — but not a very pleasant one for a human
pack leader’s home. And unneutered dogs are also more likely to display
aggressive behaviors.
5. It saves you money
Huh? But doesn’t the surgery cost you money? Certainly, but
the cost of caring for a litter of puppies is much more, and so is handling the
medical and behavior issues that you can prevent by having the procedure done.
You can help keep the price down even further by looking into low-cost
spay/neuter programs in your area. Many animal shelters also require spaying or
neutering before they will release an animal, and the cost is built into the
adoption fee.
6. You’re benefiting the entire canine community
Spaying or neutering your pup means fewer dogs being
euthanized and also fewer unwanted animals roaming our streets. Strays are more
likely to cause trouble, such as destroying property, causing car accidents,
and scaring (or even biting) children and adults.
Issues like these can negatively influence an entire
community’s opinion about dogs, even though it’s only a few strays causing the
problem. If we can ensure that every dog has a responsible Pack Leader to care
for it, we’ll be more likely to see support and positive changes in our
communities for our pups!
