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Why should you spay or neuter your new pet?
Neutering, ovariohysterectomy (spaying) of females or orchiectomy (castration) of males is the most effective, least expensive, safest, and only permanent method of birth control for pets. The procedures are well tolerated by dogs, cats, and most exotic pets; and are routinely performed at Stoneridge Animal Hospital. Dogs and cats can have the surgery as young as 6 to 8 weeks of age. Optimally, the surgery should be perfomed before 5 months of age to help avoid some behavioural issues (marking behavior in males and vaginal discharge in females) and common surgical complications (excessive bleeding due to engorged vessels caused by the female being "in heat").
Do I want to breed my pet?
The only valid reason to avoid neutering as a birth control method is that the pet has value as a breeding animal. A valuable breeding animal has desirable physical and behavoral traits for its breed. This animal should have undergone appropriate testing and found not to have evidence of any known genetic defects. In addition, the owner of that pet must be willing and able to take responsibility for managing breeding, whelping or queening, weaning, socializing, and placing the offspring produced. Breeding animals for a novice is not a financially rewarding undertaking- much the opposite! Financial setbacks are common, raising puppies, kittens, etc. can be quite time consuming, and finding desirable homes for the offspring is a major responsibility. The pet over population problem is a gigantic and serious reality in the United States that underscores the need for responsible breeding. Breeding animals should be neutered for health reasons when there reproductive carreers are complete.
Will my pet's behaviour change after surgery?
While neutering your pet will reduce the levels of testosterone or estrogen, it does not dramatically change the behaviour of your pet. It can, in some cases, help to reduce unwanted behaviour such as roaming, scent marking, and aggression. However, some behaviours are learned behaviours, and will require additional training. Neutered animals have the same capacity to perform as hunting, herding, and guard animals.
What are the medical benefits?
Breast cancer is at least as common in dogs and cats as in people, and spaying a female before her first "heat" (which occurs between 5 and 6 months of age) virtually eliminates risk of breast cancer in dogs and cats. Spaying between the first and second cycles dramatically decreases the risk of breast cancer. Obviously, spaying also eliminates risk of diseases of the ovaries or uterus, which are relativley common. Prostate and testicular diseases are also common, and neutering of males decreases the risk of these problems as well.
What are the medical complications of having my pet neutered?
Neutered animals should be fed approximately 25% fewer calories to prevent obesity; otherwise, their physique remains normal. Urinary incontinence occasionally occurs in spayed female dogs, however, this condition is treatable.
Are there other birth control methods?
Alternatives to neutering for temporary birth control in pets are few. Most products available in the United States are not licensed for use in pets or are not recommended for pets intended for breeding. None have have current application to the male. Birth control in females is accomplished by preventing estrous cycles can be prevented in bitches or queens by appropriate administration of commercially available veterinary progestin or testosterone compounds. Progestin compounds work to prevent estrous cycles by keeping the female in a "pregnant-like" condition. Unfortunately, the administration of progrsterone to an intact (unspayed) bitch or queen can cause uterine wall disease, leading to the later developement of a severe and potentially life-threatening uterine infection called "pyometra" or infertility. Progesterone medications can also cause or contribute to the developement of serious diseases (diabetes, growth hormone disorders) and anatomic problems (mammary masses, gallbladder disorders). Therefore, we do not recommend the use of progesterones to prevent estrous cycles. Testerone-like compounds prevent estrous cycles in bitches by keeping the female in an anestrus-like (no ovarian activity) condition. Behavioral side effects (aggression), tearing of the eyes, malodorous skin, liver problems, and subfertility during subsequent estrous cycles are common consequenses of the use of testoserone compounds. Clearly, these are not ideal compounds for use in valuable breeding animals.
Methods for preventing estrous cycles by administering synthetic hormones with fewer side effects or immunizing the animal against egg membranes or endogenous hormones have not been perfected to the point where they are commercially available. Methods for preventing pregnancy by interfering with egg travel in the fallopian tubes or embryo implanation in the uterus with estrogen compounds are not recommended because of their potential for causing life threatening bone marrow suppression (the bone marrow is the sole source of red and white blood cells and cells that help clotting, called platelets). Estrogens may also promote later developement of pyometra, clearly undesireable in an animal intented for breeding. Application of newer human birth control agents, such as carbergoline and mifepristone, in pets is limited by availability in the United States, but these agents have the best promise for providing effective birth control with minimal side effects.
The best current nonpermanent methods for preventing pregnancy in intact pets is simply to prevent breeding (copulation) by confining the individual indoors, away from intact (un-neutered) males. Female dogs and cats should be let into an enclosed yard only with direct supervision or on leash for the entire time while "in heat". This could be as long as 3 weeks in dogs and up to 10 weeks in cats.
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