Why Spay & Neuter?
Pictured: Lucy-Fur & Oliver
When we think of altering your animals, we think of avoiding procreation (obviously, right?) - but what does the bigger picture mean? By spaying (female) and neutering (male) your pet, you can help control the intake at shelters around the world. Millions of healthy and happy animals are euthanized around the world due to a lack of available homes. However, there is a laundry list of health and behavioral benefits that also come from spaying and neutering your pets.
On average, 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized each year, simply because they do not have homes.
During the reproductive time in a cat's life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens. Theoretically, one cat and her offspring can produce more than 420,000 cats in seven years, and one dog and her offspring can produce more than 67,000 in sevens years. 80% of these animals would be euthanized due to overpopulation.
During the reproductive time in a rabbit's life, one female rabbit could have more than 1,000 bunnies. Theoretically, one rabbit and her offspring can produce more than 185 billion rabbits in seven years.
These numbers are astronomical, and reasons alone to spay and neuter your pets.
Health benefits of female animals - spaying helps prevent uterine infections and even mammary tumors (i.e., breast cancer) that can be cancerous. These tumors are 50% of the time malignant in dogs and 90% of the time in cats. Some believe that spaying your animals cause weight gain, and we are here to debunk that! Lack of exercise and overeating and poor nutrition are the causes of animals being overweight. If you are struggling to get your animal's weight under control due to diet, we are happy to help create a plan that will work for you and your animals.
For male animals, neutering your dogs can help prevent testicular cancer or potential prostate issues. Neutering your male animals can also reduce behavior issues caused by testosterone. Although the surgery will lessen the testosterone in a dog, it won't completely remove it. And that is important to note because this means that neutering your dog is not a fix it all solution for dogs with behavior issues.
*for undesired behaviors in your dog, contact a trainer who can assist you through the issues or consult your veterinarian. We are always here to refer you to professionals we trust.
However, with that being said, spaying and neutering too early can have health risks as well. The hormone estrogen, which is no longer produced in spayed or neutered dogs, plays a crucial role in bone growth and development. The removal of estrogen-producing organs in immature dogs can cause growth plates to remain open. The dogs continue to grow and wind up with abnormal growth patterns and bone structure, which can result in irregular body proportions. Many studies will suggest altering small breeds after one year and altering large breeds after two years of age. This allows for the animal to complete the stages of puberty and is associated with a decrease in joint problems and some decreased cancer incidence compared to dogs neutered before puberty.
If you are considering not altering your pets for a variety of reasons, we would suggest looking at the following options: Hysterectomy, Vasectomy, or Ovariectomy.
Hysterectomy is a surgery where 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 is where only the vas deferens, which conduct's sperm from the testes, are removed. This procedure makes the dog or cat unable to reproduce, but his testes remain and will produce hormones.
Ovariectomy is a surgery where the ovaries are removed from a female dog or cat, but the uterus remains.
If you chose to wait on altering your pets or even decide against it, the most important thing is to make sure we are all responsible owners to avoid any unplanned litters that could lead to more animals in the shelter system.
In the end, we all want our pets to be the healthiest possible and live the longest life possible. The more we study and learn better avenues, the better their diet, their health, and their overall life will become.
Most of this information is researched, read, or learned from; Dogs Naturally Magazine, ASPCA, AMVA, and other research articles.
