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Most pet owners know that True Care Veterinary Hospital recommends spaying or neutering your pet. Do you, though, as your pet’s advocate, understand why? The practice is not a new one, and there are actually quite a few benefits for both you and your four-legged friend in doing so. Read on to understand all the reasons that our veterinarians recommend spaying or neutering your pet.
The Act of Spaying or Neutering Your Pet
If you aren’t in the medical world, you may not understand what spaying or neutering your pet really means. A basic explanation seems like a great place to start.
Spaying or neutering is the act of surgically removing a pet’s reproductive organs, which ultimately results in sterilization.
For males, both testicles are typically removed through a single external incision on the underside, usually between the base of the penis and the scrotal sac. When female pets are spayed, an incision is typically made into the abdomen. The uterus and ovaries are then both retrieved and excised.
Most pets should be spayed or neutered unless they are actively enrolled in our breeding care services. Typically this surgery is done by around six months of age.
Let’s Hear it For the Boys
If you have a male dog or cat, there are certainly some compelling reasons for neutering. Some benefits of going forward with the big snip include:
- Decreased incidence of undesirable male behaviors like mounting and marking
- Decreased incidence of hormonally driven aggression
- Reduced desire to roam or bolt, which can result in lost or injured pets
- Lower risk of prostate issues such as benign prostatic hyperplasia
- No worrying about hormonally-driven tumors such as perineal adenomas or testicular tumors
- Less odor, especially from intact male cats
- Doing your part to decrease pet overpopulation
All the Single Ladies
Female pets may gain even more compelling benefits than males from being sexually altered. Reasons to spay your pet include:
- Dramatically decreased risk of development of mammary cancer later in life
- Elimination of life-threatening pyometra (uterine infection)
- No risk of uterine or ovarian tumors
- Decreased behavioral changes during heat cycles and incidence of false pregnancy
- No hormonally-induced aggression
- No messy and/or uncomfortable heat cycles
- No risk of an unwanted litter
- Less inter-pet aggression
While there are certainly some reasons to avoid spaying or neutering your pet, in most cases this preventive care practice is in the best interest of both the animal and family that they live in. If you have questions or concerns about this procedure, don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss further. You and your pet are important to us, and we are here to help every step of the way.