Neutering is one of the common practices that involve the surgical removal of the reproductive organs in both male and female dogs. Being a pet-owner of a furry fellow, one of the most important health decisions you will make is to neuter or castration your dog or spay your cat. Pet-owners usually neuter most of their male animals like dogs, rams, tomcats, bulls, etc, that are kept for companionship, work or food production. This practice is usually done to prevent undesirable sexual behaviour, reduce aggressiveness, and avert accidental or indiscriminate breeding. Neutering is a veterinary procedure that requires minimal hospitalization but it offers lifelong health benefits to your pets. Spaying involves removing of the ovaries and uterus of a female pet whereas neutering or castration involves removing of the testicles of the male dogs. The process of neutering will also improve the behaviour of your dogs and keep them close to your homes.
Moreover, during the practice of neutering, testes are removed to sterilize the male animals but the penis is not operated as well as the outer sac is also left in place that once held the testes. The common age for neutering in dogs is from 8 weeks to 6 months. However, older dogs that are in good health can also undergo this procedure. The recovery time in male dogs following the practice of neutering is faster as compared to females. The reason is that the process of spaying is much more invasive and results in a larger incision. Immediately after following the surgery, a neutered male dog is not considered sterile as on average, 2 to 6 weeks is the time period for a neutered male to be considered sterile.
Benefits of Neutering or Spaying
There are many medical, health and behavioural benefits of spaying (for female pets) and neutering (for male pets). Some of them are listed below:
– The homelessness crisis for pets are rising day by day which results in millions of unwanted dogs are destroyed annually at animal shelters and many animal shelters are overcrowded. So when it comes to population control, neutering males as well as spaying females play an important role in this sense.
– Spaying will allow your female pets to live longer and healthier life as it helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs.
– The practice of neutering provides major health benefits to male pets as it reduces the chance of prostate disease and eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer, both are extremely common and serious problems of older male dogs.
– A neutered male dog will not escape from the house to find his mate and will cease roaming because his hormonal urge to do so has been removed.
– Neutered pets will show great improvements in their behaviour and they focus their attention on their human families. Spaying and neutering can reduce or eliminate dominance as well as aggression behaviours in animals and such pets are easier to manage.
– Neutering your pets is not only good for you but it is also good for community. Stray animals can cause many problems like they can cause car accidents, frighten children, damage the local fauna, etc.
– Neutering will not make your pet fat and your pet will remain fit and healthy.
