Pros and cons of spaying a dog?

Question

I don't want to cause my dog any pain; she is already two years old, and very attached to our family (spending a nigh in an animal clinic would be extremely stressful for her). I didn't spay her before because I wanted to breed her, but now I am finding out that is not such a good idea after all. What are the risks of NOT spaying her? Are ovarian cysts or cancers that popular in female dogs? It's a Yorkshire Terrier.

Answer 1

Spaying – The Positive Side

Spaying removes the risk of pregnancy.

Pet overpopulation is a serious issue and by allowing your dog to have litters, you are adding to the problem. Finding homes for your new family additions is not as easy as you may think. Even if you choose to keep the puppies, you now have the additional cost of vaccines, parasite control, toys and food for several pets. In addition to costs, the health of the mother can be in jeopardy during delivery. Some new mothers can have serious complications delivering puppies and can even develop health problems during nursing. All these potential problems can be avoided by spaying your dog.


Spaying makes for a cleaner, calmer dog.

Without the drive to mate, your dog may be quieter and not prone to an incessant need to seek out a mate. The spayed dog no longer attracts males and their annoying advances and serenades. Dogs won’t have a bloody discharge for several days while they are in heat. Without proper protective products, the discharge can stain sofas, bedding and carpets. Spayed pets are also easier to get along with. They tend to be more gentle and affectionate.


Spaying keeps your dog healthier.

A final positive aspect of spaying your dog is that spayed pets tend to have fewer health problems. Spaying is the removal of the ovaries and uterus. Without these organs, ovarian cysts, uterine infections and cancer of the reproductive tract are no longer a concern. Studies have shown that dogs spayed before puberty have a significantly lower chance of developing breast cancer than unspayed dogs or dogs spayed later in life.

Spaying – The Negative Side


Spaying means sterilization.

Spaying will result in the sterilization of your dog, and she will no longer have the ability to become pregnant. If you wish to breed your dog, spaying should not be done.


Spaying may cause weight gain.

Some pets may gain weight after spaying. Unspayed animals typically have a strong mating desire and can expend a lot of energy seeking a mate and reproducing. Without this energy burden, your dog may eat the same amount but not burn off as many calories. Cutting back on her food can help reduce the weight gain but it is still something to be concerned about.


Spaying makes some dogs less active.

Pets that have been spayed tend to be less active. If a more sedentary dog is not for you, spaying may not be the best option.

Answer 2

Pros And Cons Of Spaying

Answer 3

If you intent to show Gretel in AKC conformation shows, she must be intact. So neuter the male now to prevent any accidental inbreedings. No, they don't lose their personalities. Tones them down just a wee bit, but they will still have "fantastic" personalities. What will change them more than anything is becoming mature, starting about 10 months through 2 years or so. "I have heard that spayed dogs can still get cancer in the private part" What private part? They can't get cancer of the uterus because it isn't there anymore. A dog spayed prior to her first season has almost no chance of developing mammary tumors, whereas a dog that is intact has a 25% chance of developing mammary tumors. She also has a 25% chance of developing pyometra, a deadly uterine infection. So basically she has a 50% chance of having something really serious by the time she is 10 years old--and it could happen anytime. I had a showdog develop pyo at age 2.... "But neither of my dogs are territorial or aggressive" Your dogs are PUPPIES. You might not know if they will be territorial and/or aggressive until about 2 years of age....

Answer 4

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RE:
Pros and cons of spaying a dog?
I don't want to cause my dog any pain; she is already two years old, and very attached to our family (spending a nigh in an animal clinic would be extremely stressful for her). I didn't spay her before because I wanted to breed her, but now I am finding out that is not such a good idea...

Answer 5

First of all, don't worry about causing your dog pain. It's minor surgery done under general anesthetic and the dog's are very well looked after at the vet's office.

Good for you for not wanting to breed her as there is already a huge number of dogs in shelter who have to be euthanized because they're unwanted. By spaying her you will greatly reduce her risk of getting cancer.

I've had several spayed females and it didn't change their habits or behaviours a bit. Nor did they gain weight. Weight gain may be more of a breed thing than because of spaying.

You can set your mind at rest - spaying will be healthier for your dog.

Answer 6

Ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and more unwanted pups that will end up in shelters. If you are looking to make a few extra bucks by breeding and selling dogs, it's best to get a part-time job instead.

Sure, the spay surgery is somewhat painful; but it is necessary.

There are a lot of people who just want to cut off their dog's ears and tails, and that serves NO purpose. Pain for no reason. Though spaying is invasive surgery, it has purpose.

Love her and spoil her during this time.

When I had my first female spayed, I felt guilty. But I knew in my heart, it was the right thing to do.

Answer 7

As far as I'm concerned there are no cons to spaying, only pros. And alot of spay/neuter clinics can do it on an out patient basis as long as there are no complications. Bring her in the morning and pick her up the same afternoon, so she doesn't have to stay overnight.
I'm a firm believer in spaying and neutering. There are too many unwanted little babies out there with nobody to love them.

Answer 8

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The first is simple; you must win your dogs mind. If you don't achieve this first then you will be struggling the all the way. When I talk about winning your dogs mind what I really mean is that your dog looks to you for all the decisions. Before you do anything else watch one of the amazing video sites that show you the 5 Golden rules to establishing yourself as the pack leader. If you aren't putting these in place then you are setting yourself up to fail. Just at the crucial point where you really want your dog to listen they will go and do their own thing. For sure your dog may play ball occasionally or even most of the time, you may even have a dog that is obedient 99% of the time, however if you want a dog who always listens to you and does as you ask then you need to win your dogs mind.

The second key to success is to motivate your dog. It is really important that you discover what it is that your dog enjoys both in terms of exercise and play but also in terms of a reward. If you can make the experience enjoyable then you will both achieve more and look forward to training.

Some dogs love to fetch, others love agility, and other dogs simply love obedience training, or swimming out into water and retrieve. At least to start with find out what your dogs love is and help them develop this, what I am saying is work with your dog. The other point to recognize is to make training enjoyable reward your dog.

Answer 9

Cancer is a big risk in female dogs who haven't been spayed. You're better off spaying her. The only con is that the animal's metabolism slows down, so you have to be careful and keep her weight managed. They do tend to gain weight after being spayed.

Answer 10

First of all, there are no cons to having your dog spayed. The chances of something bad happening because you did NOT spay her far outweigh your worries that she might not want to spend the night in the hospital. I you love your dog, spay her.

Second: Don't believe Tito and ILOVECOLE when they say dogs do not feel or understand pain. Of course they do. But when your dog is spayed the vet manages the pain with medication. And we're talking one time pain as opposed to frequent painful heat cycles, the possibility of getting accidentally bred by a dog that was too big, possible death during the birthing process, etc. I once had to put a stray year old pup to sleep because she had been bred by too large a dog and he pulled her uterus out. She could have been saved by major surgery but she couldn't have that because she was already dying of heartworms. She died because she wasn't spayed or treated with heartworm prevention. (But that's another soapbox.)

Third: Lizard says you should not spay her if you aren't comfortable with it. Go to your local shelter and count 9 out of every ten dogs. Those are the ones who will die because their owners "weren't comfortable" with spaying and neutering. She believes dogs shouldn't be spayed because her mom owns a puppy mill.

And finally: AND THIS IS FOR LIZARD SPECIFICALLY: The word is SPAY. Spades are a type of shovel or a suit of cards.