6 Benefits of spaying and neutering

Video: 370,000 Reasons to Spay and Neuter | An Animated Short

By Juliana Weiss-Roessler

Spaying or neutering your dog is part of responsible canine care. Not only does it help with the overpopulation problem, saving lives of countless animals, but it also has many benefits for the individual pup who has the procedure done.

Here’s how you, your dog, and even your community can benefit from this procedure.

Video: Spay or Neuter Care - The First Week After Surgery

1. Your female pup will live longer
   Spaying can help to prevent your female dog from having many serious health problems, such as uterine infections and breast cancer. Breast cancer is particularly dangerous, resulting in death for about 50% of canine cases. The most effective way to provide this protection is to ensure your dog is spayed before her first heat.
   
2. Your male dog gets health benefits, too
   Neutering helps to prevents testicular cancer, another serious canine disease. For the best chance of prevention, you want to complete the procedure as early as possible. The right age varies by breed, so consult with your veterinarian.
   
3. Your gal will be better behaved
   Typically, after about six months of age, un-spayed females go into heat for two to three weeks at a time, usually twice a year, although this varies with size and breed. This period of time can bring about a number of troublesome behaviors, such as howling and even urinating more often (and in the house). It will also attract the attention of every unneutered male within smelling distance.
   
4. Your guy will be better behaved
   An unneutered dog is more likely to display a number of problem behaviors in an effort to woo a mate. He’ll want to roam, which can mean digging his way out of the yard and running away from you. Marking is another important mating behavior — but not a very pleasant one for a human pack leader’s home. And unneutered dogs are also more likely to display aggressive behaviors.
   
5. It saves you money
   Huh? But doesn’t the surgery cost you money? Certainly, but the cost of caring for a litter of puppies is much more, and so is handling the medical and behavior issues that you can prevent by having the procedure done. You can help keep the price down even further by looking into low-cost spay/neuter programs in your area. Many animal shelters also require spaying or neutering before they will release an animal, and the cost is built into the adoption fee.
   
6. You’re benefiting the entire canine community
   Spaying or neutering your pup means fewer dogs being euthanized and also fewer unwanted animals roaming our streets. Strays are more likely to cause trouble, such as destroying property, causing car accidents, and scaring (or even biting) children and adults. Issues like these can negatively influence an entire community’s opinion about dogs, even though it’s only a few strays causing the problem. If we can ensure that every dog has a responsible Pack Leader to care for it, we’ll be more likely to see support and positive changes in our communities for our pups!

Video: Should You Spay / Neuter Your Rabbit? | Pet Rabbits

If you haven’t had your dog spayed or neutered yet, what are you waiting for? Unless you’re using your dog specifically for breeding, there’s no reason not to. Thanks to the ASPCA, you can easily find low-cost spay and neuter clinics near you.

Reviews & Comments