Share on:. By Josie F. Turner , Journalist specialized in Animal Welfare. October 24, You may also be interested in: How to Know if a Cat is Sterilized. Advantages: It inhibits the male sex drive and prevents associated conflicts.
It possibly decreases the dog's dominance as testosterone production is stopped. It decreases the likelihood of prostate diseases. It is easier to socialize and educate castrated dogs to be tamer. It will get along better with other pets. Disadvantages: There is a risk with anesthesia, as there is with any surgery. The recovery process is slower than with sterilization. It can cause obesity if its diet is not properly restructured. Advantages: It stops hormone production and the estrus cycle disappears.
It prevents breast cancer and tumors in the reproductive organs. It is important to consider spaying and castration as options to avoid procreation, provided that new litters are not desired. Animal shelters across the country are full of unwanted puppies.
This alarming figure means an average of three animals abandoned every five minutes in Spain. Spaying and neutering reduce the number of unwanted litters, which in turn helps reduce the number of unwanted pets or stray animals that enter shelters or kennels. These procedures also have specific health benefits that can help a dog or cat live a healthier and longer life, and can also minimize behavior problems coupled with heat.
Spaying your pet helps prevent serious health problems, such as breast cancer and pyometra, a life-threatening uterine infection. Spaying male dogs helps prevent them from developing testicular cancer. Neutered male dogs are also generally less aggressive and less likely to stray from home.
On the other hand, some diseases, such as prostate cancer and certain orthopedic conditions, are slightly more common in dogs and cats that have been spayed or neutered. For most pet owners, the benefits of spaying or neutering their animals outweigh the disadvantages. The age to spay or neuter a pet can vary depending on the size of the pet, but in general terms, the procedure can be practiced from 4 months.
Each owner should discuss their specific circumstances with their personal veterinarians, as there are several factors that can influence the timing of spaying and neutering. In the US, sterilization involves removal of the reproductive organs gonadectomy , usually through ovariohysterectomy spay of females and orchiectomy castration of males. These procedures eliminate the hormones produced by these organs. While gonadectomy makes it impossible for the pet to reproduce, what other impacts does a lack of sex hormones have on the pet?
Research projects to answer this question first evaluated the difference between early and later gonadectomy, usually supporting the early sterilization practice of sheltered pets. This area of study is relatively new, but the research indicates that gonadectomy confers a mixture of benefits and adverse effects, depending on age at neutering, breed and sex.
Intact dogs have a higher incidence of infectious disease and sterilized dogs have higher cancer rates, with the latter often reported as having longer lifespans. A significant contributor to the negative health impacts of removing the gonads in dogs is that the natural hormone feedback mechanisms become unregulated.
Normally, the pituitary gland releases luteinizing hormone LH , which then stimulates the production of steroid hormones from the gonads. Receptors for LH are present in the urinary tract, skin, thyroid, blood vessels, ligaments, bone, synovium, immune cells and brain.
It is interesting to note that while gonadectomy is viewed as the standard in the US, it is relatively uncommon in other regions of the world. In Norway and Sweden, for example, there are virtually no stray dogs and neutering is very uncommon, usually only allowable due to health concerns. To avoid unwanted pregnancies, responsible pet owners of intact dogs must take special precautions. Females go into heat for a few days once or twice a year and need to be confined in an area without access to intact males.
Male dogs should not be allowed to roam freely, as they are incredibly persistent in reaching a female in heat. Other issues to consider include females bleeding while in heat; behavior changes that may be triggered by changing hormones; the logistics of having both male and female intact dogs in the same house; and health monitoring for diseases of the reproductive organs. Responsible dog owners are expected to manage these issues.
Not all pet owners are ready to keep an intact dog and guarantee that no unwanted pregnancies will occur. Females : A hormone-sparing option that sterilizes a female dog involves conducting a hysterectomy also called ovary-sparing spay or partial spay by removing the uterus and leaving the ovaries intact.
It is important to remove all the uterus to ensure that stump pyometra does not occur. After the procedure, the female dog is sterile and bleeding is eliminated. The female will still go into heat due to the influence of hormones produced by her ovaries, possibly showing behavioral changes around this time.
Ovarian cancer is often cited as an argument for removing ovaries — but ovarian cancer is rare, and the small risk does not outweigh the health benefits of preserving hormones.
However, the dog should be monitored for mammary tumors after middle age. These tumors are usually benign but should be removed promptly. Tubal ligation has also been practiced in dogs, but pyometra remains an issue, as well as bleeding during heat, making ovary-sparing spay a better option.
Males: For male dogs, a vasectomy sterilizes while sparing testosterone. The procedure involves severing or ligating the vas deferens , the duct that transports sperm.
The procedure is quick, less invasive than castration, and not difficult for veterinarians to master. What are the downsides of testicular preservation? Leaving the testicles and hormones intact means that testicular cancer, perianal gland tumor, and enlarged prostate may occur — but if they arise later in life, they are typically treated via castration. Other experimental approaches: The epididymis is the sperm maturation and storage area, making it an ideal target for hormone-sparing sterilization procedures.
In addition, neutering is a permanent procedure which makes it irreversible. The procedure causes changes to metabolism and the risk of excess weight increases. That is why you should give your neutered cat less food or low-calorie food in order to prevent it from gaining excess weight. Make sure it gets enough exercise by playing with your cat on a regular basis. Stray cats are sometimes neutered early: between 8 and 14 weeks.
This prevents the problem of explosive stray cat population growth. Some shelters may also neuter their population early. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Dogs Cats Probeer nu. Tools Food guide Food calculator. Store locator Customer service. Search for:. Delivery times may be longer in the run-up to the holidays.
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