Sterilising your pets is always recommended by veterinarians because there are real risks to your animal’s health if it isn’t done. Here is why you should seriously consider spaying or neutering. It’s for their health, not ours.
- The mess
An unsterilised female will come into season about every 7 – 9 months. That means you will have to deal with the bleeding and mess almost twice a year. And with some bitches cycling for about 3 weeks, that’s a lot of mess.
2. The fights
A bitch on heat can attract males a few kilometres away. This often results in dog fight and dogs being hit by cars as they roam after a bitch on heat. Fights can even occur between castrated males that live in the same household that are usually the best of friends.
3. Unwanted pregnancies
Sterilising your pets helps to keep overpopulation under control The fact of the matter is that there are already too many dogs in the world. Welfare organisations are inundated with rescue dogs, and hundreds of thousands of dogs are euthanased every year because there are simply not enough homes for them. Most of these unwanted pups come from unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. It is also difficult to keep male dogs from on-heat females. It is amazing to what lengths a male will go to get to an on-heat female, and how much she will assist him.
Having puppies is also not a walk in the park. Risks include puppies getting stuck in the birth canal, problems with mommies not having enough milk, the cost of vaccinations and deworming and then finding homes for the puppies.
4. Pyometra
A pyometra is an infection that develops in a bitch’s uterus. In essence, they end up walking around with a bag of pus in the abdomen. It is very common in unspayed females and is a life-threatening emergency. Most will die without medical intervention. And medical intervention is not simply a course of antibiotics. The best chance of saving a pet’s life that has pyometra is emergency surgery. This can be costly, result in a long hospital stay, and does not always save the pet’s life. What makes matters worse, it that is usually develops in older bitches, when organ functions may already be deteriorating, and recovery is slower. Dogs that undergo surgery for pyometra have a higher risk of anaesthetic complications, longer hospital stays, and much longer recovery time compared to a healthy bitch that is spayed when she is younger.
5. Mammary tumours
Your pet is at high risk of mammary (breast) cancer if she is not sterilised before her first heat. This is the most common type of tumour in unspayed female dogs and in 85% of cases in cats, they’re malignant. Malignant tumours usually grow and metastasize quickly so it’s important to take your pet to the vet should you notice any lump on the abdomen. Mammary cancer can spread to lymph nodes and even the lungs before the owner realises there are nodules or ulcerated masses in the mammary tissue.
When comparing the benefits vs risks of sterilising a female dog, it really makes sense to do it when they are young. There is some discussion around the timing of sterilisation (chat with your vet about their recommendations), but sterilisation is still the best option for your four-legged friend.
