When you bring your pet to see your veterinarian for the very first time, you may be asked about whether your creature has been spayed/neutered. This refers to the removal of the reproductive organs so that your animal can no longer produce offspring. Whether or not to get your pet spayed/neutered is a decision that every pet owner has to make, with some believing that if they keep their pet at home, they don’t need to worry too much about putting them through this elective procedure. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. There are actually a number of other important reasons why you should ensure that you get your pet spayed/neutered fairly early on in their lives.
Prevention of Diseases
Just like us, our pets can be affected by numerous diseases during their lifetime. Whilst it is impossible to protect our animals against every condition that could make them unwell, research has found that spaying/neutering can significantly reduce the likelihood of some of them affecting our adored creatures. In a female, the removal of the uterus and ovaries reduces the levels of hormones than encourage the growth of cancerous tumors, eliminating their risk of ovarian cancer, and greatly reducing their risk of cervical and breast cancer. This is particularly important where breast cancer is concerned since this type of cancer is fatal in around 50% of dogs and 90% of cats. Females can also avoid a deadly uterine infection called pyometra. In males, the risk of testicular cancer is eliminated, whilst prostate problems are also considerably reduced.
Finally, you can reduce your pet’s risk of developing diseases that can result following the mating process, such as feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) which can affect both males and females.
Reduce Roaming
Even if your pet is usually very happy at home, when their hormonal instincts kick in, they will be all too willing to roam away from home if it means that they can attract a mate. The trouble with this is that is dramatic increases the risk of something happening to your pet whilst they are away from the home, particularly if they aren’t used to the surrounding environment. Animals have been known to become lost and injured because they have roamed away from home in pursuit of a mate. Neutering has been proven to reduce the desire to roam, which means you can keep your pet safely indoors.
Prevent Other Undesirable Behaviors
Roaming isn’t the only thing you have to worry about when your pet is unneutered. There are also some other behaviors that are less than desirable that you might experience and that you will want to curb. Some of the unwanted behaviors that you may wish to avoid could include:
Urine marking and spraying
Excessive urination
Excessive vocalization – yowling, whining, screeching and yapping
Aggression
Unsurprisingly, they can make your home and live with your pet rather unpleasant. However, neutering can significantly reduce the likelihood that your pet will develop such issues.
Reduce Overpopulation
Shelters around the country are fit to burst with animals waiting for homes, and sadly, many creatures are put to sleep each year because there isn’t the space to accommodate them whilst they are waiting for a new family to give them the love that they deserve. This heartbreaking situation can’t be rectified overnight, but by choosing not to contribute towards the overpopulation crisis by preventing your pet from reproducing, you will be taking a small but vital stand against shopping for pets and the desirability of baby animals over older furbabies looking for their forever homes.
Confused about spaying/neutering about would like more information? Our expert veterinary team in Bozeman, MT would be happy to help. Please get in touch to speak to us or to schedule an appointment.
