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by Dianne Watson, DVM
People often ask why they
should spay or castrate their pets. There are numerous reasons why all
pets should be neutered. Besides the obvious reason of decreasing the
unwanted pet population, it just makes good sense. You don’t have the
hassle of bleeding females in your house or neighborhood Romeos in your
yard. You decrease the incidence of breast cancer by 95% if your female
is spayed before her first heat cycle, and you don’t have to worry about
pyometra, a potentially life threatening uterine infection. Your castrated
male is more likely to stay at home and not roam. Roaming males are
more likely to be injured by fighting, automobiles, angry neighbors,
etc. Castration cuts down the incidence of testicular cancer and prostate
problems. A neutered male tends to be less aggressive than an intact
male also.
The excuses for not neutering
your pet are endless, but that is just what they are, EXCUSES. "I
want a puppy just like my dog"—Just because your dog is the sire
or dam does not guarantee the puppy will be anything like the parent.
"I want my children to experience the birthing process"—Most
animals like privacy. Many hide to have their litters, and most are
born at night while children are sleeping. Buy a book or surf the net
for this experience. "I don’t want to put them through surgery"—Granted,
there is a minimal risk involved with any procedure where anesthesia
is required, but it is truly minimal when the pet is healthy. Whelping
puppies or kittens has its risks also. Here’s the excuse I love. "I
wouldn’t want that done to me!" Let’s get real here folks. It is
not quite the same thing. If you got pregnant twice a year and had six
babies to nurse each time, you may want it done to you. Or for you men
out there with this excuse. Please, come up with a better reason. A
male dog is still a male dog, neutered or not. "I don’t want my
pet to get fat." If they put on weight, have them eat less and
exercise more. The same is true for you and me.
If I haven’t convinced you
so far, then just do the math. Let’s say one intact female roams free
and she has six surviving puppies or kittens each year. (Realize, she
will probably have two litters per year and she could have more than
six each litter, but we will be very conservative and say only six babies
survive each year.) Then say that each of these six have six surviving
puppies or kittens each year. (Or males father six babies each year.)
In only seven years time, that one intact animal has turned into 823,543
animals. If you don’t think this is possible, just do the math. Or visit
the Mississippi Animal Rescue League (not the Brookhaven Animal Rescue
League) and watch them euthanize somewhere around 40 animals a day during
the busy times of the year. Or better yet, just have your pet neutered.
Then, make a donation to the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League so they
can continue to neuter animals and place them in loving homes.
(Dr. Dianne Watson is
in practice with her husband Dr. Bob Watson at the Brookhaven Animal
Clinic. In coming issues we will feature articles by other local veterinarians.)
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