You spotted the cone of shame on your neighbor's dog and you might give a little chuckle but you instantly know: they were fixed. While we may laugh at that cone of shame, your neighbor actually did the community a favor by helping to stop the overpopulation of pets. Sure, it may just be one dog, but that one dog can produce (or help produce) multiples living on the street, overcrowding shelters and, unfortunately, multiple euthanizations. Animal shelters spay and neuter their dogs and cats before adoption and your veterinarian will push for you to have your pet fixed - but why? We dive into the pros and cons of spaying and neutering to help bring a clearer picture to the wide world of spay and neuter.
February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and World Spay day is also celebrated on the fourth Tuesday every year in February. Altering your pet can be a huge decision, but the month of February is dedicated to advocating for all pets to be fixed. The Humane Society of the United States has estimated that 6-8 million animals enter shelters every year; only half of those animals are adopted. Meaning that the rest of those animals - mostly healthy, adoptable dogs and cats - are, unfortunately, euthanized. February advocates for saving the lives of companion animals as well as feral or stray cats and dogs by bringing to attention a proven means to help stop this overpopulation: spay and neuter.
Let’s start with the first basic question: what is spaying and neutering?
Spaying and neutering are known as the common sterilization method for animals to stop reproducing. Spaying is performed on a female dog, where the ovaries and uterus are removed so she cannot reproduce. Neutering, also known as castration, is performed on a male dog, where the testi*cales are completely removed so he cannot help to reproduce. Compared to spaying, neutering is a far less invasive procedure and has a shorter recovery window.
So, what are the pros of these surgeries?
Pro #1: No unwanted pregnancy. You just want one dog or cat and that’s that? Your solution is to have your pet spayed or neutered to help prevent unwanted or surprise pregnancies. While puppies are cute and very very cuddly, not everyone wants to help care for those litters and they can end up in shelters or worse, on the street because one owner did not think about having their pet fixed. So to help prevent those surprise or unwanted pregnancies with your dog, have them fixed to fix that situation.
Pro #2: Help decrease pet overpopulation. Pets need loving and caring homes, yet we find millions in shelters every year and a lot of those animals never get to see a furever home. You can help be part of the solution to the pet overpopulation by having your pet fixed and reduce the number of animals that are brought into the world so we can find the ones who are here a loving home instead of the alternative.
Pro #3: There are health benefits with being fixed. Yes, having your pet fixed can help them out in the long run with medical issues. Females can no longer contract ovarian, uterine and cervical cancer or uterine infections after being spayed and neutering your male dog will help to significantly drop the risk of prostate problems and they can no longer develop testicular cancer.
Pro #4: There are behavioral benefits. Your spayed female won’t go into heat, which means no yowling to advertise to males that they are in heat and no diapering to avoid all the mess. Your neutered male will have reduced marking and a reduced sense to roam around and find females in heat, which can also cause some safety issues if they were to get out. There is also less mounting that will happen and aggression will be reduced as well.
How about the cons to these surgeries?
Con #1: The risks. As with any surgery, there are always going to be some risks. Your vet will assess the risk to your pet with spaying and neutering and make the call on whether your pet is good to go with the surgery. There are also risks with anesthesia, making some breeds more prone to having complications than others - this will be another risk assessed by your vet before surgery. And while surgery is never fun for anyone, it may be harder for your pet since they don’t understand what is happening and they may possibly have a long and painful recovery process where they are limited on what they can and cannot do for a while.
Con #2: Hormone imbalances can happen. By removing the organs primarily responsible for sex hormones, your dog’s endocrine system goes through a huge change and some dogs can experience imbalances with their hormones.
Con #3: Reduced metabolism can lead to weight gain. Some, not all, animals do gain a little weight after their surgery, but this is due to the pet’s basal metabolic rate that decreases after the procedures. As a result of the drop in their metabolic rate, they need to eat fewer calories to keep the weight gain to a minimum. Unless you adjust your pet’s diet accordingly, they may gain weight which has the ability to become a problem for their health.
But, is spaying and neutering the only way to go?
We may be led to believe that spaying and neutering are the only options when it comes to sterilizing our dogs, but there are other alternatives to look into if you are willing to put in the effort (and patience) to not have your dog go through surgery.
The first alternative route you can look into is birth control medications. Just like human birth control, dog birth control is available in various pills, injections and implants to help sterilize your dog. Some injections can offer permanent sterility for male dogs, but just like surgeries there are some risks that come with these medications that should be talked about with your veterinarian.
If you want a route that involves no pills or surgery, one path to take is creating a barrier with clothing during mating time. From pants to underwear to sweaters there is an endless supply of doggie clothes out there to try or you could be resourceful and use some of your old clothing. This path will need some creativity, but also remember that these barriers are not always accident proof. Another path that is probably the most foolproof way to prevent pregnancy without surgery or medication is management of your dog, which involves completely isolating your female dog when she is in heat. The part that gets tricky is keeping her away from males that have not been neutered because those males may be destructive when trying to get to a female in heat.
While we can’t make the decision for you when it comes to spaying or neutering your dog, we can say that each and every breed is different when it comes to the pros and cons so we highly suggest you have a conversation with your veterinarian before deciding. However, spaying and neutering are considered one of the most effective tools we have when it comes to combating overpopulation with pets and making sure all animals in shelters find loving homes.
When it comes to daily dog walking, there are no cons - just a huge pro of helping your dog get the exercise they need! Going Mutts Pet Services would love to help you set up some daily walks for an energy release and fresh air for your dog while you’re at the office. Contact us today to set up a free consultation!
Sources:
https://www.madisonanimalcare.com/pros-and-cons-of-spaying-and-neutering
