Why should I have my pet spayed or neutered?
Spaying or Neutering should be considered if you are keeping any pet as a pet. The benefits to your pet’s health and to help reduce the pet overpopulation crisis make this decision easier.
What are the advantages of neutering my male pet?
- Reduces the risk of prostate cancer and prostatitis
- Reduces the risk of hormone-related diseases such as perianal adenoma
- Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer, the second most common cancer in intact dogs
- Removal of sexual urges, which usually decreases roaming behaviors
- Reduction of certain types of aggression
What are the advantages of spaying in the female pet?
- Prevention of “heat” or estrus
- When in “heat”, the female experiences an urge to escape in order to find a mate. This unwanted and dangerous behavior is eliminated.
- It eliminates the possibility of false pregnancy following the “heat cycle”
- Prevention of uterine infection known as pyometra
- The prevention of breast cancer. Pets spayed before the first “heat” have less than 0.5% chance of developing breast cancer.
- Elimination of the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer
What are the disadvantages of spaying/neutering?
Most of the perceived disadvantages are false. The most quoted of these are that the pet will become fat, lazy, and useless. Obesity is probably the most commonly quoted disadvantage of neutering. Obesity is the result of overfeeding and not exercising enough. By regulating your pet’s diet and caloric intake, you can prevent obesity in neutered or intact males.
Spaying/Neutering does not cause a change in personality, guarding instincts, intelligence, playfulness and affection.
