PawshPaws

Another question that seems to always come up with new dog owners is the decision to spay or neuter their dog…

The terms spaying and neutering are related to the surgical approaches of sterilization in case of females and males respectively.  Spaying and neutering of dogs is highly recommended if you don’t want to breed the dogs. Accidental pregnancies that are not wanted can be highly minimized by these procedures.

However, these procedures need to be carried out by a qualified veterinarian because anesthesia is required, along with proper surgical procedures.

Spaying helps to prevent occurrence of pyometra, which is a common reproductive disorder in female dogs.  In male dogs, the neutering helps to prevent the occurrence of prostate enlargement or cancer.

By spaying and neutering, the male dog’s desire in search of female dogs in heat is highly minimized hence wandering of the male dog is reduced. The animal becomes calm by these surgical remedies. Territorial behavior is also highly minimized in male dogs.

Spaying of your female dog before the occurrence of first heat is the best remedy to avoid the incidence of breast cancer. Research has proved that if the dog is spayed after the first heat, the chances of occurrence of breast cancer is higher. Therefore, younger dogs should be given these operations to avoid complications in future.

Many veterinarians prefer the spaying and neutering of dogs only at the age of five to six months. However, these can be performed even at the age of three to five months. Postoperative care needs to be followed meticulously to avoid the occurrence of infections by microbial organisms.