Dog Control

Question: Neutering Information and Common Myths?

What Do the Terms “Spaying” and “Neutering” Mean?: “Spaying” and “neutering” are surgical procedures used to prevent pets from reproducing. In a female animal, “spaying” consists of removing the uterus and ovaries. The technical term is ovario-hysterectomy. For a male animal, “neutering” involves the removal of the testicles, and this is known as castration.

Does It Hurt?: As the surgery is done under a general anaesthetic it is painless. The operation for both males and for females is straightforward and low risk.
Recovery is usually uneventful. The worst your pet might experience is some discomfort for a short time after the operation.

When Should It Be Done?:
The usual recommendation is at 6 to 7 months for both cats and dogs. Your veterinarian should be consulted to determine the best time for your
pet.

The Myth: “Shouldn’t A Female Pet Have One Litter First?”
The Facts: Allowing a female dog or cat to produce a litter does not have any benefits. There are health risks to the mother during the pregnancy and
when giving birth. Finding good homes for puppies and kittens isn’t easy. Plus, even if you manage to place your pet’s offspring, you are in essence condemning that number of unwanted shelter and pound animals. Irish local authorities have to destroy over 25,000 unwanted dogs every year. To help visualise this figure: If one dog was killed every five minutes, this would equal over two thousand continual hours of killing. This is equivalent to eight hours a day, 52 weeks a year of continual killing.

The Myth: Spaying and Neutering are not “natural”
Humans domesticated animals and brought them into our lives. The environment we and our pets live in is very different from the ‘natural’ one. We have made them dependent on us, which means we are responsible for their well being, just as we are with any other family member. What’s natural about getting ‘rid’ of the resultant litters of unspayed animals in dumpsters, drowning or destruction in the pound?

The Myth: My pet will become fat and lazy once he or she is sterilized
Pets become fat and lazy as a result of overeating and a lack of exercise, not from spaying or neutering. Your pet will actually benefit from spaying or neutering, because he or she will lead a healthier and longer life.  Furthermore, spaying a female eliminates the possibility of her developing uterine and/or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the chance of breast cancer. Neutering a male reduces the incidence of prostate enlargement and prostate cancer.

The Myth: It will change my pet’s personality
Generally not. For a female there is virtually no change at all. For males it usually results in a diminishing of some aggressive behaviours.
Spayed/neutered pets are free from sexual anxiety and are, therefore, calmer and more content to stay at home. You also have the peace of mind that you
are not adding to the pet overpopulation. Also, if you have more than one pet, you will find they get along much better if they are all spayed or
neutered.