Neutering Your Dog: It's Only A Matter Of Time (4)

Unwanted dogs and other pets are often times carelessly tossed on the side of the road where they are expected to pick up their instincts to live in the wild and survive. But it does not work that way. Those dogs that are abandoned in the woods are destined for a slow, painful death, usually by starvation.

Few can hunt well enough to support themselves and those that do usually can only catch some neighboring farmer's chickens. Half-starved strays often form packs, but this usually means that for self-preservation they will only cause more destruction by bringing down larger stock, such as deer, sheep and calves.

There has always been a question of how dangerous these wild packs of dogs are to humans. The Human Society of the United States in Washington, D. C. attributes only two deaths to children from dog packs in the Philadelphia area, but cases of maulings and maimings have occurred much more often.

A five-year old boy in South New Jersey had his left ear and part of his left leg bitten off by a savage pack of wild dogs early last year. Interbreeding and roaming the area for years, according to residents of the northern city where the incident happened, these starving wild dogs became desperate enough to try to kill and devour a small child.

Almost succeeding, they and approximately twenty five others were hunted down and killed or captured. Found also was a litter of puppies, "cute as could be", who paid the price with their lives for the actions of their wild parents and some past human who deserted one or two dogs to begin with.

Dogs left on our city streets to fend for themselves are just as bad off.

Owners thinking to give them a chance to survive rather than taking them to an animal shelter where there is a possibility of a happy home, leave their dogs to face garbage-bred disease, poison, starvation, highway death, and even mutilation by sadists. The stoning of dogs and cats by children in most cities is a daily occurrence, which usually produces painful injuries rather than death.

Several years ago In Philadelphia, four school children on their way to class were bitten by stray dogs, as was a policeman who went to their rescue. The dogs were rounded up by police and sent to the SPCA for rabies tests and observations. Starved and homeless, little provocation was needed for them to attack, and where there was a possibility of adoption if they had been taken immediately to a shelter, now there was no hope, no second chance.

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I don't want a show dog I want a working dog and I just noticed that there are so many rules to showing your dogs are they similar for working competitions. I don't want to breed and even if I did I would want to wait until I already had lots of experience in with competition dogs and was in a financial postion that would be way down the line. So there would be no reason for me not to have my dog spayed or neutered.

Neutering Your Dog: It's Only A Matter Of Time (2)

The first Humane Society was founded in England in 1824. The first in the United States, organized in New York by Henry Bergh and chartered by the state legislature in 1866, was the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). It is limited to that state only, and, though there is no national organization, there are about 600 similar societies in the United States.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is the name for many independent groups, which do important work in preventing the mistreatment of animals. These anti-cruelty societies influence governments to pass laws for the prosecution of persons who mistreat animals, and enforce these laws by investigating cases of cruelty.

They also perform periodic inspections of places where animals are kept. Ironically, these same groups have been put in the position of practicing executioners by today's society and its lack of conscience.

To combat the number of needless puppy lives wasted, the Pennsylvania SPCA announced that it would "neuterize" male dogs that it puts out for adoption as well as females. By spaying thousands of females since the mid-19 70s, the SPCA estimates that more than 100,000 potential litters have been prevented to date.

But a female dog can hardly produce more than two litters, or 10 puppies a year, while the male dog allowed to roam at will can impregnate as many females as he encounters. This fact alone changed their policy so that now every person adopting a dog of either sex is required to leave a deposit which takes care of the "neutering" expenses. This deposit was refunded as soon as a certificate from a veterinarian is produced to prove that the dog was spayed or neutered.

(Note: Not all organizations offer a refund on a deposit or fee for adoption so consult the individual animal shelter for their terms and policies.)

Unfortunately, many people are too unconcerned to follow through and have the operation performed when the puppy is of age. A change in personality and the possibility of obesity is feared, when, in fact, a change, if any, in personality, will make the animal a better companion since the desire to roam will have diminished, and obesity can be counteracted with proper exercise and diet.

Money, in many cases, is not the problem, even though the spaying of large dogs can cost as much as five hundred dollars. To eliminate even this at least one SPCA in New York had a special clinic set up just for the neutering of animals, and the state of California even had mobile units traveling to different locations to perform operations.

Most dog owners admit that there is a serious dog population explosion, but when it comes to spaying or neutering the family pet, that decision, as it's now personal, is much harder to make.

"Should I have my older female dog spayed since we don't want to have any more puppies?"

"My older female dog, Maggy, has been around for almost 10 years, has had 25 healthy puppies, and even earned her AKC niche. She has even made us enough income to have totally covered all of her dog food expenses and veterinarian care. Now that she's retired, wouldn't it be better to leave her baby-making-machine intact?"

"Wouldn't it be cruel to take away her femaleness? Could it make her mean, or let her get fat? I don't want her to suffer through an operation!"

Most of us have had thoughts like these when considering neutering of any of our pets. But the human psychological factors should not be the most important ones here. Think about it from the health standpoint of your dog.

Just what are the advantages of having an older dog spayed?

Many veterinarians and specialists in small animal care agree that there are dozens of reasons why you should have your non-producing female, five years or older, spayed. Here are a few great arguments for this decision:

Physical Harm Could Result From Accidental Breeding

Remember that female dogs never have a change of life or menopause as humans do. A very old female dog of 14 years could still bear puppies. Such unfortunate and accidental breeding could result in severe physical problems for the female.

By spaying an older female, especially one who has served her time as a producing unit in a kennel, the danger of indiscriminate breeding is eliminated as a physical reality, and as a worry for the owners.

Spaying Can Stop Health Defects

Spaying is an effective tool to stop congenital defects before they can be passed on through inheritance. Any severe physical problems such as hip dysplasia, undershot jaw, overshot jaw, deafness, blindness, hairlip, cleft palate, in a female, should be stopped in that generation.

If the female is not destroyed at birth, early spaying can stop the continuing procreation in that line. If your family pet has any of these characteristics or others which should not be reproduced, and the female is not spayed, such action should be considered at once.

Neutering Your Dog: It's Only A Matter Of Time (3)

Many dog owners consider it too costly to get their animal spayed or neutered, too much of an expense - one that is usually put off for a long period of time until either the dog gets pregnant or hurt trying to escape the yard and roam free outside while looking for a mate.

For that matter, when it comes to owning a dog, expenses in general are rarely considered. The everyday dog of an average family costs about $800 to ผ00 per year in just food an care alone, but from there the price goes up.

The Commerce Department statistics indicate that Americans spend billions per year for pets and their comforts. These comforts range from a Poodle's monthly beauty salon visit, complete with hair ribbon and nail polish, to a dog walker's fee from diamond collars, mink booties and lined raincoats to a personalized pillow and chair; from heated doghouses to chintz-covered casket in a pet memorial park. In fact, many pampered pooches live far better than a lot of people!

With birth control advocated and practiced by so many people today, it would seem only logical to include dogs, too.

Ecologists have brought the dangers of over-population to the attention of the public just as sympathetic animal lovers are trying to do in the case of a dog population - that has long since overflowed its boundaries. Due to the pill, legalized abortions, and a growing interest in vasectomies, the country's birth rate has declined steadily.

With the public so birth conscience about itself, there is hope that it will apply the same thinking to its pets. The population explosion so feared and still predicted for our future has long since become fact for man's best friend.

No place to go, no food, no man to love - they may live their life out in a matter of weeks.

In the future, with more apartments, fewer open acres, less food, and more polluted air, dogs and other pets might be limited to an even greater degree. A proposed ordinance to restrict pets to three dogs and/or three cats per residence was brought for action to the Reno, Nevada, city council. Other cities across the nation have followed suite with similar proposals.

Many unwanted pets are dropped along the roadside or abandoned in fields and woods. The belief that they will revert back to the wild and be able to support themselves is a falsehood that many pet owners think to be true.

Dogs, domesticated for so many generations, are the least likely animal to survive without human care. Usually, they are killed within minutes of being let out along the road by a passing motorist. Even hitchhikers standing by one of man's most lethal inventions - the highway - survive longer.

Neutering Your Dog: It's Only A Matter Of Time (7)

The neutering and spaying of male and female dogs, respectively, not only helps future generations of the animals but also contributes to the well-being of present pets.

The spaying of females is never given a second thought by most people, unless breeding is definite because of the problems when the female comes into season. Unfortunately, the male ego dominates the fate of the male dog and getting the boy "fixed" typically sends chills of anxiety through the minds of men dog owners.

"Go right ahead and spay my female dog, but don't touch my male!"

..says many men who associate their dogs with "themselves." The belief that the dog won't be a whole true male bothers them and they don't want to be responsible for its castration. Men stick together!

According to several veterinarians, there is no reason not to neuter a normal, healthy male dog and in fact provide many positive reasons for the operation. For example, altered males rarely roam the neighborhood or fight with other dogs, but are still protective of family and home.

Castrated at the preferred age of between eight and twelve months, there will be no personality change in the dog, only an elimination of the desire for the opposite sex. His male habits will not have developed yet and since he hasn't found out about females, he won't know what he is missing.

Be careful not to have the operation too soon!

If the operation is performed too early on the dog, his penis and urethra will not mature, causing stones that may develop in later years to be very painful and probably impossible to pass. Castration performed on a dog between one and three years may result in a change in his behavior pattern.

If the dog has been a wanderer (always searching for females) or a fighter or sexually aggressive, even toward people, especially children, the operation will take an edge off his obnoxious behavior. Suddenly beginning to wet in the house after 2 years, one male dog stopped this spraying behavior immediately after castration - reported his owner.

Older dogs may hot change at all.

Unfortunately, castration doesn't always succeed in making the older dog a nicer pet. If the dog is naturally a garbage hound or a runner, there will be no change in his behavior pattern. If the sex habits are ingrained in his make-up, he will continue them even though the reason has gone.

This is one excellent reason why castration should be done before the dog is a year old - to eliminate instincts before they become habits, habits impossible to change later in life.

I am interested in adopting a 2 month old chihuahua and I am trying to find a cheap place to spay/neuter him plus get shots etc... I am also looking for a good vet in or around the tokyo area. I am trying to calculate the cost before actually getting the dog!

If you have read our most recent studies and arguments for the positive health changes associated with the older female dog and spaying, we have indeed only talked about the benefits of spaying. But are there any drawbacks?

Some veterinarians think there are, but by comparison they are minor. Now and then a dog might show a very slight shedding condition after spaying. This usually is not a long-lasting problem.

Some just-spayed females develop swelling around the vulva, but this is usually of short duration and quite normal.

"We have not noticed any big increase in the neutering of dogs of either sex in our practice over the last ten years", says Dr. Gordon, of his private veterinarian practice, located in San Diego, CA. He goes on to say, "There is a great cry about the dog birth rate, but we have detected no large shifts."

Birth Control For Dogs?

Decades ago there was one large pharmaceutical company that came out with a shot that could be given to female dogs which would delay their heat periods for six months to a year. It worked very well, but in some cases the side effects were noticed. It turned out that many dogs so delayed had undergone ovarian and uterine changes that adversely affected their health. The drug was removed from the market, however, today these drugs come in various types and are readily available.

Are birth control pills safe for your older female dog? Not according to the possible side effects. While the pharmaceutical companies will boast about safety usage, use common sense before administering any chemicals to your dog and better yet - just have the operation done by your veterinarian. It's safe, effective, and will not lead to deadly side effects.

Birth Control Chemicals Added To Pet Food?

Now there is new talk of a new chemical which is added to pet food and is supposed to have the same effect as birth control pills. It does prevent conception. Pet food marketers would include the chemical in marked cans and it would cost reasonably cheap in order to induce pet owners to use it.

This idea is still not developed and quite honestly I am not sure how well the public would accept such a drug in their dog's food. Whatever happened to healthy living? And again, just like using common sense with any type of birth control drugs for your older female dog, refrain from using any chemicals if at all possible. Spaying is the safest route to take.

If your dearly beloved older female dog is not spayed, consider for a moment the positive reasons for having your vet perform the operation. Not only will this quick fix prevent health problems, potential diseases, and may even increase the dog's energy and well-being, it could also prove to be beneficial for the following reasons:

Prevention Of Cystic Ovaries

One physiological problem many older female dogs suffer from is cystic ovaries. This condition leads to what appears to be real pregnancy, but is actually a false pregnancy. The dog goes into all of the traits she normally would have during pregnancy, including lactating, putting on weight, becoming very protective of some object such as rug or a box - but the dog is not actually pregnant.

Treatment is required to correct this problem. While this condition is not limited to older dogs, it can be eliminated in them with a panhysterectomy.

Possible Elimination Of The Disease Known As Pyometra

Another illness of the older dog is pyometra, an infection of the two tubes in the reproductive tract. This is a serious problem and requires surgery to cure. If the condition is allowed to go untreated it can develop into peritonitis, and have fatal results. By removing the tubes during spaying, the possibility of this illness is eliminated.

Spaying Removes The Onset Of Many Uterine Infections

The older female dog is also subject to several types of uterine infections. While these are not fatal, all of them may take some time to clear up with medications. By spaying your older female dog, the operation removes this problem permanently.

The Connection Between Non-Spayed Female Dogs & Neoplasma

The older unspayed female can also develop mammary neoplasma. There is a high correlation between dogs having this condition and those that have not been spayed. While there is no hard-proof that your dog is guaranteed not to experience this disease if she is undergoes the operation, the odds are indeed in her favor.

Cancer Of The Reproductive System

A continuing problem with an older female dog is cancer of the reproductive tract. When the female reproductive organs are removed in spaying, this ailment can be eliminated. Again, such as that with the disease neoplasma, there is no guarantee that being spayed will eliminate the total possibility of getting cancer in the reproductive tract, but based on the research available and statistics of this kind, your dog's chances of being cancer-free in this area are greater when spayed.

Older female dogs should not be left to become pregnant, especially if by accident. While you may not agree with this notion, it can only enlighten your opinion by understanding a few solid reasons why these senior citizen lady dogs should be fixed.

In addition to the prevention of inheritable diseases and avoiding physical problems from have puppies at such an old age, the following arguments also stand a firm ground for the decision to have the older female dog spayed.

Spaying Can Help Prevent Your Dog From Being Exposed To Communicable Diseases

The overwhelming rush of male dogs at six-month periods often brings your female into contact or close proximity to a variety of dogs which could be infected. In some cases females will put down an aggressive male and result can be a biting, scratching, and fighting, which results in medical attention needed.

Spaying Will Reduce The Mess Of Heavy Discharge

If your dog has a heavy discharge during her heat period, you have probably spent your fair share of time cleaning up blood stains from rugs, floors, and furniture. A quick operation by your veterinarian can stop this problem. While this is not a major consideration, you'll appreciate this point if you've ever tried to get blood out of a soft, fuzzy, white bathroom rug.

No More Dog Riots Outside Your Front Door

One of the benefits of spaying any female is the elimination of the twice-yearly nuisance factor of other dogs in your neighborhood trying to break down your door or fence. The attractiveness of a female dog in heat is extremely powerful.

While you may have adequate means of restraining your female and warding off male dogs, there is still a nuisance factor to your neighbors from the barking, and urinating and defecating on lawns and shrubs. If your female is through producing, you can eliminate this twice-yearly problem easily.

Spaying Your Older Female Dog May Increase Her Energy Levels

Many older dogs go through this, especially females. If your dog is constantly thin and weary, it could be that spaying will release a new directional burst of energy for her. Their whole physical well-being takes on a different turn, which can even be noticed in their coat, appearances, responses, and attitude.