SPAYING AND NEUTERING YOUR DOG, DANGER OR HEALTH BENEFIT

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Last Updated on June 24, 2023 by Thee Puppypreneur

Table Of Contents

SPAYING AND NEUTERING YOUR DOG

I have always spayed or neutered my pets and this post is probably going to be bias with facts supporting the opposite of spaying and neutering your pets. I have heard things like they are calmer, or they live longer but is this really true?

I personally have had several dogs and cats neutered and spayed in my lifetime and I have found that calmer absolutely doesn’t apply to my dogs or cats after they have had that procedure and yes, they have been different breeds as well from small to large.

WHY SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR DOG

There are a couple of different reasons for spaying and neutering. Obviously the main one being overpopulation of pets in animal shelters.

Another being females will go into heat cycles therefore bleed for about 2-4 weeks about twice a year.¹ if this doesn’t sound appealing to you then this is another reason you should spay your dog.

Behavioral problems have been reported to be reduced by 74% in male and 59% in female and they state that hypersexuality problems are effectively changed.²

I have a little one now that after being spayed all she does is hump pillows, beds and stuffed animals so clearly, she’s not part of that percentage but she is a Scorpio, so I expected it, I guess. (Yes, I use astrology for all my animal’s zodiac signs as it helps me better understand their unique personality traits)

WHEN TO SPAY A DOG AND WHEN TO NEUTER A DOG

Male and female small, medium and large breed dogs should be neutered/spayed before they are 5 months of age and giant breed dogs should be neutered or spayed after they have stopped growing around 12-15 months.³

COMPLICATIONS FROM SPAYING AND NEUTERING YOUR DOG

Scientific research has evaluated and conducted several studies on intact and spayed/neutered animals, and the results are in.

WEIGHT GAIN

42% of male and 32% of female dogs end up eating more and thus gaining weight which in turn leads to less play time as they become lazier.⁴

INCONTINENCE

Urinary incontinence was actually diagnosed in 7% of female dogs who were spayed before 1 year of age.⁵

JOINT DISORDERS

Joint disorders have been evaluated in several breeds 5% of intact females and males had joint disorders but if they were spayed or neutered before 6 months old the increase in joint disorders was 4-5 times greater than dogs that were not surgically altered.⁶

CANCER

While there might not have been an increase in joint disorders in small dogs there actually was an increase in cancer among small dogs being spayed and neutered, especially Boston Terrier and Shih Tzu.⁷

Whatever you choose to do with your furbaby, it’s your choice and I am sure there are many different reasons you are for or against spaying and neutering. As you can see, I have done it in all my pets but now looking back some I would have still spayed and neutered and some I would not have chosen too.

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HOW TO DISCIPLINE A PUPPY, HELPFUL TIPS AND THE DO’S AND DONT’S