General Benefits of Neutering
BENEFITS OF NEUTERING ARE WELL KNOWN
The benefits of neutering are tremendous for both dogs and cats. If you want to breed a dog or cat fine but if not, I highly recommend neutering. The term neutering applies to both male and female. Neutering performed on a male animal is called a castrationWhen a castration is performed both testicles are removed from the scrotum through a small incision right above the scrotal sac. What is left is a stump that heals over. Castration removes the majority of testosterone plus effectively stops all sperm production; which happens in the testes. while a neuter performed on a female animal is called an ovariohysterectomyAn ovariohysterectomy is an abdominal surgical procedure. When this is done on a female both the 2 uterine horns and both ovaries are removed. This decreases estrogen production and prevents any chance of egg production. The only part of the reproductive tract that is left is the cervical stump. (OHE) or more commonly called a spay.
One of the obvious benefits of neutering to society is that neutering as many dogs or cats is the best way to prevent overpopulation of animals in this country. This is a major problem throughout the United States. You have to remember several differences in dog and cat reproduction. A dog will come into heat twice a year (every 6 months); usually early spring and late summer. A cat will come into heat as soon as the day-length is about 12-13 hours!! Sort of like how chickens work. This means most cats are not in heat throughout the winter but as soon as February hits away they go! That is why the benefits of neutering a female cat during the shortest days of the year is advantageous. Once they have their kittens they can immediately go back into heat. Both dogs and cats are usually “multiparous” which means they deliver multiple babies from 1-14 puppies or 1-6 kittens. Combine all of the above and it spells disaster for a tremendous amount of puppies and kittens born from just a few mature intact animals.
Particularly when it comes down to dogs, the benefits of neutering prevents any obstetrical problems of the sort called big dog/little dog mating syndrome. This usually means that a large male mates with a small female. Generally, the size of the puppies are similar to the size of the female but with a large male contributing his genes, increases the chance of a Cesarean Section at delivery time. This does become a problem though in planned matings. I once took care of a small female Yorkshire Terrier. The male was even smaller!! To penetrate the female he had to elevate himself by standing on the Columbus, OH Yellow pages!! And yes, it worked, he sired a litter of 5 puppies!
A PROBLEM WITH WEIGHT GAIN
One of the major considerations after having a pet neutered is weight gain. This is usually more of a problem with the female animal rather than the male. Going through heat & pregnancy requires a tremendous amount of calories. Take away all that estrogen and the animal becomes more sedentary. If fed the same amount of food after the surgery, many female dogs and cats will gain weight. Just watch your pets weight after surgery and adjust the diet as needed. If you let the weight gain “stick” it will predispose your pet to Diabetes mellitus, liver disease, arthritis and other conditions associated with obesity.
