If you have owned a dog, chances are, at one time you had to (or will have to) decide whether to spay or neuter your pet. The idea of sterilization often intimidates many as it means to essentially eliminate any possibility of your pet producing an adorable offspring…somehow that seems sad. The truth is, there are a variety of positive and life-saving reasons to spay and neuter your dog! Here are our top 3 picks:
1. Spaying and Neutering can prevent major illness and may keep your dog healthy!
Spaying your female dog before their first heat cycle will help prevent uterine infections and breast cancer which is fatal in 50% of female dogs. In males, if neutering is performed before 6 months of age, it helps to prevent some tumors, testicular cancer, and the enlargement of the prostate gland.
2. In male dogs, neutering can make a positive impact on unwanted behaviors such as excessive marking, aggression towards other male dogs, roaming, and eliminate the need for sexual mounting.
Because of testosterone, unneutered males have a natural instinct to mark their areas with their urine, they have increased aggression towards other male dogs, and they will roam beyond their home in pursuit of a female dogs in heat to mount. Neutering helps to stabilize your dog’s hormones, reducing the desire to urinate excessively, they are less likely to engage in competition with other male dogs, and since sexually based mounting will diminish, so will the intense urge to roam! While neutering is no quick fix for behavior training, overall, you will have yourself a much less anxious pup!
3. Spaying and Neutering pets can help lower euthanasia rates in shelters!
After deciding that allowing their dog or cat to have puppies or kittens was an excellent idea, many people quickly become overwhelmed, and relinquish their litters to animal shelters to unburden themselves. As a result, private and public animal shelters are saddled with overpopulation of dogs, and even more cats. There simply are not enough people willing to adopt so many animals. Plus, there are not enough resources within these facilities and programs to care for each and every animal that comes through their doors. It is because of this, that euthanasia continues to be a method used in helping to control the pet population in shelters. Therefore, if most people sterilized their animals, this would help to ensure that a lot less lives would be lost, and the shelter systems can focus on rehabilitation, rather than making room (that they do not have) for more animals.
There ya have it folks! The next time you think “gosh, wouldn’t it be cool if my dog had a litter of pups just like him or her?” Remember, by sterilizing your dog, you are helping your dog to not only be healthier and so much happier, but you are contributing to the reduction of euthanasia rates, and helping to save the lives of countless dogs and cats. There is nothing sad about that!
For more information on spaying and neutering your pet, visit: fixit-foundation.org