How many times have we heard people saying that they hesitate to neuter their pets? How many times have we heard people arguing they don't want to go against nature by having them neutered? And how many times have we found puppies or kittens in trash cans by the same exact people saying these things?
Unfortunately, the answer for all these questions is "Way too many."
This is why I have decided to make here a list of all the reasons that ALL those who have pets MUST neuter them.
Neutering is by no means inhumane; instead it is an act of responsibility and a humane intervention to the normal development of your pet's life. This intervention is simple, painless and harmless.
On the long term it is the best for everyone in the family but mostly for the pet itself. I should hereby point out that all service and working dogs including guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs, rescue dogs hearing dogs for the hearing impaired etc have been neutered in all cases!
Why should I neuter my companion pet?
To begin with, so as to narrow down the increase of stray animals that already exist in the streets ending up in brutal deaths.
But you will argue... "I will find responsible people to adopt the babies".
Yeah... sure, OK. But how can you be so sure that there won't be 8 or 10 puppies / kittens? And how consciously will all these people adopt the offspring of your pet? Do they all know what it means to adopt an animal?
Or are they under the impression that by buying a doghouse to which they will tie up their dog and throw some food at it every day then everything will be OK?
Because sadly people who do exactly these things are WAY TOO MANY... In fact, those people who simply leave them at their homes' gardens or even worse at their holiday homes' garden all alone during most of their lives, with no love and attention whatsoever are even more.
Not to mention that taking care of animals doesn't simply mean providing food and shelter but also vaccinating them on a yearly basis, de-worming or de-parisiting, blood tests etc.
Neutering benefits your pet
Hormonal activity on non neutered animals leads to bad mental and physical attitude and negatively affects its behavior – given that effectively, it’s nothing more than just unfulfilled estruses.
In addition, neutering makes animals’ life easier alongside humans, as there are no longer issues with females’ dirty spots during their menstrual cycles, there are no longer tendencies of running away as well as no more pissing for territory marking for male cats and dogs. This also causes an exceptionally bad smell to their tail and other body parts that are sprayed in the process, which is difficult to remove. Finally, the animals’ nervousness and aggressiveness is also taken out.
Problems with non-neutered (spayed) female animals
Non-neutered female animals are in danger of suffering several health issues which if not diagnosed early, can be fatal:
-Pseudocyesis
-Pyometra
-Breast cancer
(there is actually a mathematical loop that shows the possibility of a female animal getting breast cancer in connection with her estruses and births. The more estruses and births, the larger the possibility for her to get breast cancer.)
-Uterus and ovaries cancer
Thus, neutering of female animals shouldn’t take place only in case that his owner wishes to have her mate with a male animal in order to give birth to new puppies or kittens.
In any other case, neutering should take place two months after her first estrus (and appearance of blood) so as to drastically reduce the possibility of getting breast cancer and in the future to totally remove the possibility of getting pyometra and additionally uterus and ovaries cancer.
When numbers speak:
-It should be noted that female dogs have estrus twice a year lasting three weeks while female cats have estrus thrice a year lasting seven to twenty days. Therefore, if you don’t neuter your female dog or cat and if those who will adopt their puppies or kittens do not in turn neuter them and consequently their own puppies or kittens, then you would do well to remember these numbers:
-During the first six years of your female dog and her puppies, approximately 67, 000 new puppies will be born.
-Within 7 years, a female cat and her kittens will be possibly able to deliver no less than 420.000 kittens!
Problems with non-neutered male animals: