By Amy Burnett
There a lot of wonderful things that you can do for your dog, and believe it or not, having your pet spayed or neutered is one of the best. There are several important reasons for wanting this done. Understandably, some owners may have reservations about doing this; after all, it is a surgical procedure. However, this operation is perfectly safe; usually the dog can be dropped off on your way to work and picked up on your way home since it requires no overnight hospitalization.
This first advantage to 'fixing' your dog is that it suppresses the need to find a mate. If you have had a dog that has not been fixed, you know the difficulties that can come with this intense biological drive. Both males and females can succumb to these urges; once a female goes into 'heat' - enters her menstrual cycle - she will do anything to satisfy her need to mate. Slipping out at every opportunity, jumping the backyard fence or darting out an open door or window, she'll try them all, and she can get hurt in her escape attempts. Once outside, she may be hurt by other animals, while facing the danger of getting hit by a car. Males can sense a female in 'heat' from up to a mile away, and will rip apart fences and doors alike to get to a possible mate. He can become aggressive during this time, fighting any other male dog that he deems as a threat. Having your dog spayed or neutered will actually make your dog less aggressive, and will keep them from running away to find a mate.
Failing to spay or neuter your pet contributes to the overpopulation of dogs that have no place to go. To eliminate accidental breeding and overpopulation as well, it is highly recommended to have all puppies fixed before they are 6 months of age. Veterinarians will usually require that a puppy have its entire series of shots and weigh a minimum of two pounds before performing the procedure. Also, having your puppy fixed early has been shown to decrease the chance of certain illnesses, including numerous cancers and uterine diseases.
Furthermore, males and females alike are very unclean when not fixed. Males spray everything with a very powerful, offensive-smelling urine. This can actually be eliminated at a young age: if a male dog is neutered before they learn to hike their leg, they will never have the urge to spray anything. As for females, when they go into heat they experience menstruation. This will leave you cleaning up blood stains throughout your home, potentially damaging carpets and furnishings. Having her spayed completely eliminates this situation. Please review this information, and make the humane decision to do what's best for your dog and spay/neuter your pet.
Reference
"Top 10 Reasons to Spay/Neuter Your Pet", American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Unattributed, 2011
"Spaying/Neutering", The American Humane Association, Unattributed, 2011
Spay Neuter Price List, Animal Birth Control of Tucson Inc.
"Why You Should Spay or Neuter Your Pet: Stopping pet overpopulation starts with you!" , Unattributed, The Humane Society of the United States