Busting Common Dog Neutering Myths

Neutering is a dog population control mechanism where either the male animal is castrated or professional veterinarians perform an ovariohysterectomy of the female animals by a process called Spaying. Pet owners usually have little understanding of these processes and lack of information usually breeds myths and rumours regarding the topic. Now we all know that misinformation is worse than no information. Thus, in this post, we have tried to resolve or bust some of the common myths that surround the topic of neutering of dogs. Read on and enlighten yourself:

 Myth 1. You should let your dog go through her first heat before getting her spayed.

 Truth- There is no specific reason to believe that. Alternatively, practicing veterinarians in Windsor recommend spaying a dog before their first heat. This has several benefits:

1. This notably reduces the chances of a female dog developing breast cancer. According to the statistics, the chances of malignant tumour developing in a female dog spayed before her first heat are 0.05%, 8% for those spayed after their first heat and an astounding 26% in dogs spayed after their second heat.
2. If your dog mates during her first heat, there are chances of pregnancy and that can adversely affect the health of young females.
3. Females also go through vaginal bleeding for 7- 14 days after their first heat, which can become a little messy for both pet and their owners. This can be easily avoided or resolved with early spaying.

 

Myth 2. Neutering procedure can be done by anybody.

 Truth- NO! Neutering is a surgical procedure and requires professionals with proper qualification and training to handle pre and post operation care of the dog. It is advised to contact a professional, qualified vet or licensed animal hospital to get your dog castrated or spayed.

 Myth 3. Will neutering make my pet obese and lazy?

 Truth- Spaying or neutering DOES change the metabolism of animals and they usually do not require that much food to maintain their weight as unneutered pets. But you can easily manage that with a balanced diet and regular exercise of your pet like how you used to do before spaying. Just make sure you consult a qualified vet or animal dietician to advice on the right diet for your pet.

 Hope these points helped to bust some of the commonly believed myths regarding the neutering procedure of pets, which is very common with dogs. This is a safe and effective way to keep population of pet dogs in check and takes away the stress of owners to keep an eye out for unplanned pet mating.