Why should I spay or neuter my pet?

By Dr. Steve Ting, DVM

I would like to discuss why it is important to have your pet spayed or neutered. I hope to give you some facts as to the advantages of spaying and neutering and dispel some of the myths out there regarding having your pet spayed or neutered.

Pet overpopulation. Millions of pets are euthanized annually due to that fact that there are not enough homes for these animals.

Prevention of mammary cancer. Mammary cancer is the leading cancer in female dogs. Spaying prior to the first heat virtually eliminates the risk of mammary cancer. The benefit of spaying to decrease the risk of mammary cancer decreases after that, but some reduction in the risk is gained as long as the dog is spayed before 2-1/2 years of age. If a dog is spayed after that, it may still reduce the risk of benign tumors, but will have little or no affect on the risk of malignant tumors. This is also true in cats.

Prevention of testicular and prostate cancer. Testicular and prostate cancer is common in male dogs. By neutering, you eliminate the risk of testicular cancer and greatly reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Prevention of prostate infections. Prostate infections are very common and can be life-threatening in intact male dogs. Neutering almost eliminates the risk of prostate infections.

Prevention of uterine infections. Pyometra (uterine infection) is a very common and life-threatening problem in intact females. The treatment often requires emergency surgery and comes with a very large vet bill.

Reducing the risk of being hit by a car. Yes, this is true: The majority of pets that have been hit by car are intact animals. By spaying or neutering, you reduce the desire to roam and therefore reduce the chances of your pet being on the street.

Myth: Spaying/neutering makes your pet fat and lazy.
Not enough exercise and too many calories make dogs fat. As mentioned above spaying/neutering reduces the tendency to roam. You may have to be more conscious of making sure your pet gets enough exercise and does not overeat, but you have to do this with all pets.

Myth: Females need to have one litter to be good pets.
This is simply not true.

Myth: My dog is AKC registered, therefore I should breed him.
Just because your pet is AKC registered does not make him/her a quality breeding animal. Dogs should be bred based on disposition, breed standards and ability to place puppies.

As you can see, there is very little reason to not spay/neuter your pet and there are many good, even life-saving reasons to have your pet spayed/neutered.