What are the pros and cons for giving your dog the snip?

Question

Apart from the obvious of unwanted pregnancies. Pros and cons for both dog and b*tch, please.

Answer 1

Neutering a male eliminates the possibility of testicular tumors and greatly reduces the chance of prostate problems. Neutering decreases the incidence of perianal tumors and hernias, which are commonly observed in older, unaltered males. Neutered males are less likely to try to escape a yard to find a female in season. This reduces the likelihood of them being hit by cars, getting into fights or lost. (Neutering is no substitute for a securely fenced yard, however).

Females spayed before their first estrous cycle ("heat") greatly reduces her chance of mammary tumors, ovarian cancer and uterine infection (all of which can be fatal and costly to treat). A spayed female eliminates the neighborhood stray males from camping out on your lawn trying to get at your female when she comes into "heat." Giving birth to a litter can be dangerous to your female. Some breeds have a high rate of cesarean sections, which are expensive and can be risky.

Temperament:

Spaying and neutering before sexual maturity also offers a temperament benefit. Males neutered early in life tend to be less aggressive and less distracted. Neutered males are less likely to scent mark (real problem when they decide to mark inside the house). A spayed female also does not hormonally based swings and will be more focused on you as well. A female with a litter can become very aggressive, even to family members. Spaying also makes your female a better companion. However, altering a pet is NOT a substitute or a cureall for behavioral issues. It may only affect those hormonally related.

Unwanted litters:

Do you know that a single male and female and their offspring can produce thousands of offspring in six years? Think, a female can have a litter as young as six months and then have one every six months after that. Each litter can have an average of six offspring and each female offspring will be able to breed at about six months of age, the math can be overwhelming! A male dog can impregnate as many females as he can get to in a day. Sit down and really play around with numbers... It gives me a headache... In addition, just because a puppy is cute, does not mean it will find a home. Every year, tens of thousands of dogs and puppies, purebred and crosses are euthanized in shelters. More die on the streets or live shortened lives of neglect, abuse and horrors.

Risks associated with breeding

If this has not convinced you, let us look at some risks associated with breeding. What you see on Lassie and Disney with a loving mother dog (or cat) and her fat, healthy brood is Hollywood. Reality is that there can be serious risks involved with breeding. The mother may develop complications and require immediate medical intervention. Mothers may abandon puppies leaving you to hand rear. This include feeding a special formula every two hours, round the clock, stimulating the puppies to eliminate, checking weights daily, maintaining proper temperatures and humidity, etc. Even puppies whose mother cares for them may require supplemental feedings. Puppies can be stillborn or born horribly deformed. I know one breeder whose female gave birth to puppies that were no more than sacks of tissue and visible bone. Are you prepared to deal with things such as cleft palate, hydrocephaly or other problems some breeds may be prone to? Are you willing to face the fact you could have to euthanize puppies? Are you willing to make certain the mother is up to date on all inoculations and have the puppies get their's as well before going to homes? Diseases such as Parvovirus can kill puppies fast. Are you willing to risk your wonderful female becoming a biting terror as she protects puppies?

Myths

My pet will get fat and lazy.

Spay and neutering may diminish your pet's want to roam. Inactivity and poor feeding habits are generally the culprits in your pet's weight gain. Feed a good quality food, give your pet exercise and adjust the food level to your pet's activity level.

My pet's personality will change.

The change may be for the better as explained above.

My children should witness the miracle of birth.

Get videotape. It is less expensive. In addition, as illustrated above, your children can witness far more than you wish... Avoid this excuse.

We can make money selling the babies.

The cost of raising a litter properly will consume the majority of your "profit." There are too many puppies and kittens that need homes. Why contribute to this? Finding good homes can be difficult. What will you do with "surplus" offspring? Can you afford to keep multiple animals? Are you zoned to keep multiple animals?

I am concerned about anesthesia.

This is a common concern. There is always a risk with any procedure that requiring anesthesia. Many vets use monitors to kept track of heart rate and respiration during surgery. Talk to you vet about your concerns. The medical benefits far outweigh the slight risk involved with spaying or neutering.

I hope I have given you something to think about and you will make the right choice. Just because a pet is purebred or cute does not mean it should be bred. Your dog can compete in almost all canine sports if spayed or neutered: obedience, agility, herding, tracking, field trials, and terrier trials. Your pet will enjoy a longer, happier life as well.


Hope This Helps

Answer 2

Snip Dog

Answer 3

Pros of castration:

Decreases likelihood of peeing in the house due to marking behavior, aggression towards anything he things is in his territory, sexual pleasure behaviors like licking himself or humping everything.

Benign prostatic hypertrophy: in older intact dogs, is normal for the prostate to enlarge. The prostate is between the urethra and the rectum, and part of it surrounds the urethra. When the prostate gets big, this cause problems defecating and urinating. A blocked dog is an emergency. Straining dog is painful for him.

Decreases the likelihood of prostatic cancer to almost nothing. Eliminates completely the risks of testicular cancer.

Dogs don't realize they are castrated, they dont get depressed. They do get "blue" when they have their desires intact, but they can't have what their raging hormones want. This may lead to aggression and anxiety.

An intact dog is much more likely to run away and get hit by car or lost in search for a mate.

Cons of castration:
Cost. Although some shelters may provide low cost spay/neuter.

Some people don't like the aesthetic of a castrated dog. There are implants (neuticles) to fix this.

Because they are not as anxious and become more laid back after the castration, the risk of overeating and gaining weight is possible. Need to adjust intake and provide more exercise.

Pros of spaying:
Dogs are the 2nd species most prone to mammary cancer (2nd to mice). Spaying before first heat decreases the chance to almost nothing. Eliminates risk of ovarian cancer (highly malignant) and uterine cancer.

Pyometra: is an emergency. Sometimes a dog can remain without showing clinical signs until is too late. Surgery on a dog w pyometra is much more expensive, not to mention the serious risks.

Accidental litters: no matter how careful you are, their instincts force them to try to escape no matter what and sometimes they succeed. Then you have risks of complications during pregnancy, possible c-section, finding home for the puppies, risk of having to bottle feed the pups if mom can't, etc.

They don't go into "menopause" when you spay them. Heat cycles however, occur twice a year. She will have a swollen vulva, attract males around, bleed and will require panties or some other protection to prevent blood stains everywhere. After the heat cycle, many females go into "pseudopregnancy" where they construct nests, hide all their toys, think their toys are their pups, some of them become aggressive even to their owners.

cons:
as castration above.

More serious surgery, dog will need pain medication and takes longer to recover than castration.

Answer 4

Dani had a good response but missed one risk I know of. A female dog who is fixed before she has developed the muscle control over bladder may have problems with bladder control. It can also occur in females who appeared to have developed bladder control but this is rarer.

If this does occur you can administer hormones at the cost of about 10 dollars a month that will solve this problems. This is rare but is not unheard of.