When animals are spayed or neutered, they live longer. When you get your pet neutered or spayed, you not only give them a better and healthier life but also help reduce the number of stray animals in the country. A bad pet owner is someone who loves animals but doesn’t spay or neuter them. How? First, they are putting their pets at risk for diseases that could be prevented if they were spayed or neutered. They are also making them go through the painful heat cycle. Second, unplanned pregnancies are possible. There are currently too many homeless dogs in shelters, pounds, and on the streets. Why bring more people into the world?
Why should you spay or neuter your dog?
Here are three strong reasons why you should spay or neuter your dog.
Prevent unwanted puppies.
If you don’t have your female dog spayed, she will go into “heat,” or breeding season, for a few weeks once or twice a year. Whenever this happens, male dogs who can smell her scent from far away will be very interested in her. This can attract dogs you don’t want in your yard, leading to an unplanned litter of puppies.
Having a litter costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time and work. During her pregnancy, the doe will need to go to the vet. Delivery can be hard and expensive, which can cause you to lose the dog or puppies. The litter will also need a routine checkup and shots after it is born.
Also, it can be hard to find good homes for puppies. Spaying and neutering pets is a responsible way to stop them from getting pregnant by accident and having puppies that no one wants. Breeding should only be done by people who have a well-thought-out plan, know about canine genetics, and want to keep the best qualities of a breed alive for future generations.
Reduction of certain health risks.
Male and female dogs can reduce some health risks by getting spayed or neutered. Pyometra is a painful and potentially fatal uterine infection that can happen to women who haven’t been spayed. Mammary tumors are more likely to happen in women who haven’t been spayed than in women who have. When a male pooch is neutered, it is less likely for him to get testicular cancer and other health problems, like prostate disease that could lead to soft tissue surgery. A neutered male dog might also want to go outside less.
Prevention of certain behavioral issues.
Neutering male dogs can stop them from wandering, and it can often, but not always, help stop or reduce bad behaviors like lifting their legs and mounting. Neutering could also make some dogs less aggressive which means less after-hours emergency vet visits. When females are spayed, they are less likely to wander.
Conclusion
A lot of canines end up in shelters every year. Getting your pet neutered or spayed will help cut down on the number of animals that need a home. This makes it possible for shelter resources to go further. Dogs have offspring 15 times faster than people do, and in places where spaying and neutering aren’t available, euthanasia rates are much higher. About one-third of all female dogs will get pyometra, a uterus infection. If you don’t treat the symptoms, they can come on quickly and kill you. The best way to treat the dog is to spay it, but this is a much riskier surgery than one for a young, healthy dog.
