At some point in time, most dog owners ask themselves “should I neuter my dog?”. Neutering dogs is a hot topic, and with many conflicting theories out there, you might be feeling overwhelmed or nervous about making the decision. We are here to cut through the noise, present the facts and help you to make an informed choice that is best for your dog. So why should you neuter your dog?
Spaying and neutering is good for population control.
Shelters and rescues typically require that cats and dogs be “de-sexed” before being rehomed. Sadly, these rescues are often overcrowded, and puppies from unplanned litters or “back yard breeders” are likely to end up there. With this in mind, we strongly advise breeding is left to responsible individuals who will make sure their litters go to loving, lifelong homes before they are even born. As such, there is a strong argument to suggest neutering dogs will prevent the stress, worry and financial responsibility of unplanned pregnancies and raising puppies.
Neutering improves the overall health of your dog whether female or male.
The girls: Complications in pregnancy and giving birth can be a huge risk if you are not planning on breeding your dog. If you are not a registered breeder, it is worth noting the significant benefits to spaying female dogs. What age should a female dog be spayed? We recommend before their first or second heat (oestrus) cycle. Apart from the obvious result of stopping their monthly cycle and pregnancy, there are some additional positive side effects of spaying a female dog that are less well known. Spaying can prevent some cancers including mammary tumours which can be very expensive to treat and potentially fatal. The removal of the uterus will also eradicate the risk of a potentially life-threatening infection called pyometra as well as uterine cancers.
The boys: Neutering dogs is a two way responsibility and not just for girls. While age plays less of a factor with males, neutering your dog will mean they are less likely to suffer from testicular or prostate diseases. Intact males are also less likely to get caught up in fights with other dogs. No matter how calm and friendly your boy may be, his testosterone may inadvertently elicit aggression and subsequent injury.
When should I neuter my dog?
Waiting until bone density is fully developed before neutering may help your dog in the long-run. While your puppy is growing, sex hormones like oestrogen and testosterone get to work at closing their growth plates and building bone density. If a puppy is spayed or neutered before their bones are fully grown, the closure of the growth plates is delayed. This means they may be more susceptible to tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in their knees. A recent study* found Labradors, Poodles, Bichon Frise, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers, and their relevant crossbreds are most commonly diagnosed with ACL. In an ideal world, dogs wouldn’t be spayed or neutered until their skeleton is fully developed and while this is something to be aware of the reality is that there are many other factors that will impact your decision on when to spay or neuter your dog. Be sure to discuss the ideal breed-specific timing for the procedure with your vet.
Does neutering a dog make it less aggressive?
At the Pet Centre we are frequently asked if a problem behaviour may diminish or stop once a dog is neutered or spayed and we’re here to tell you that in those instances the answer is almost always “no”. However, you will find that after your dog is neutered, they’re less likely to show certain mate-seeking behaviours. This will include things like “humping” and roaming behaviours whereby your dog may be looking for potential mates or being distracted by unneutered dogs who they may feel in competition with. As you can imagine, these behaviours could present certain safety risks, for example if your unneutered male dog may attempt to cross a busy road to reach a female who was in season.
EVERYONE will have an opinion.
“The snip” is something that tends to get tongue’s wagging, and some can be quite damning. The most important thing to remember is that you are researching what is the best choice for your pet and the best person to speak to is your vet about how neutering may impact your dog as an individual.