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Some Facts & Myths about neutering

Male & Female dogs and cats mature quickly. In fact some may be able to reproduce when they are as young as six months old. As a result pet owners may observe undesirable behaviour in relatively young animals due to the natural heat cycles in females and territorialism in males.

Problems can include: A vast collection of lusty male dogs battling it out in your garden for a month. House soiling, persistent barking or meowing, pacing, dominance mounting, fighting, & being short tempered.
Neutering your pet can curb this behaviour and lead to a healthier, longer life. In addition to preventing cancer pyometra (womb disease) and behavioural problems neutering is crucial to decreasing the overpopulation of unwanted puppies and kittens which are cruelly drowned, dumped on the road or destroyed in vets and dog pounds every year.

In San Mateo county in California it is the law that you must have your dog or cat neutered unless you are a registered breeder. It is a pity Ireland would not do likewise!


Myth: Female pets should have a first litter before being spayed.
Fact: The best time to spay a female pet is before her first heat. This eliminates her risk of uterine and ovarian cancer and reduces the risk of mammary cancer.

		Myth: Spaying and neutering will change my pets personality. They will become fat & lazy.
		Fact: They are no negative changes after spaying and neutering. Any changes that do occur are positive ones. Changes in the desire to roam, Changes in marking their territory, changes in aggressive behaviour. There is no connection between a pets reproductive organs and their stomachs. Neutering will not make your pet fat. You may find that your pet needs less food after the operation , so if they are exercised regularly and fed sensibly the will not gain weight.

Myth: The operation will be painful for my pet.
Fact: With modern medicine and anaesthetics there is no pain during surgery. Most animals feel only minor discomfort afterwards. But by the following day they are back on their feet tearing around. And after ten days their stitches are removed and bob's your uncle.

	Myth: It is wrong to deprive the animal of the natural right to mate.
	Fact: An animal that is spayed or neutered does not have the urge to mate, consequently they are not deprived of anything.

Myth: If my pet has babies I will easily find good homes for them. Fact: This is one of the greatest myths of all. So many of the unwanted dogs and cats that end up in shelters come with the tag "Well my friends dog/cat had young and it seemed like a good idea". In fact, over 25,000 dogs are destroyed every year in Ireland's pounds. Cute Kittens and Puppies grow into big Cats and Dogs. Without proper training they can become destructive and undesirable. Finding good homes is a serious business and should not be taken lightly. You must 'vett' the people, get them to sign an official adoption form which gives you rights if the animal is being mistreated. You need to check up on the animal regularly. Homing is a full time job.

Myth: My pet is a male. So I don't need to neuter him.
Fact: Big Mistake.A male dog will roam for many, many miles after a bitch in heat. (I personally rescued a female from fourteen male dogs which had being pursuing and attacking her for five days in Newbridge last year). Male dogs will fight to the death over the right to mate. It is one sure way of losing your pet. And they are also prone to reproductive cancers. Besides, by neutering your pet you are ensuring you are in no way contributing to the pet overpopulation problem.

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