Saturday, November 24, 2012

The Importance of Neutering!

All Balls Out: the importance of neutering your male dog!

By: O Jefferson

One of the most common reasons that a male dog is not neutered is that a male owner or male member of a household (husband, son) resists the procedure. It is something that they would dread having done to them and they just can’t bring themselves to do it to their pet.

They may think that it will rob their dog of its masculinity or change its temperament and turn it into a "wimp". Male owners often times want a large, "tough" dog to enhance their own macho image.

Other reasons owners site for not neutering male dogs is that they are afraid it will either not grow as big and muscular as it could if neutered when very young, or that it will gain a lot of weight if it’s neutered when already an adult.

Some owners think that they will get around to breeding the animal
someday so that they can "have one of its pups".

Although their reasons may seem valid at the time an owner decides not to neuter their pet, almost always they end up regretting their decision sometime later in the pet’s life.

Neutering male dogs benefits the animal in several ways. It virtually eliminates unwanted "male behaviors" including marking territory (urinating) in the house and decreasing aggression. This is very important when there are young children in the household.

Neutering also decreases the animal’s tendency to escape from the yard and wander off. Male dogs can sense a female dog in heat from great distances and will do anything to find her. Animals that get loose frequently get injured or killed fighting with other dogs, by being hit by a car, or by being shot by a cruel and heartless human.

Neutering also has direct benefits on the animal’s health. By removing the testicles, the procedure eliminates the possibility of the animal developing testicular cancer and other testicular diseases. It also significantly reduces the chance of the animal ever developing prostate gland disease such as prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement), infection, cysts, or cancer.

Older, intact male dogs often develop cancer of glands that are located in the skin around the anus (perianal adenocarcinoma). This condition can lead to severe and very painful ulcers around the anus which may require extensive surgery to repair. They are also more prone to developing a "perineal hernia", which is a tear in the pelvic wall. Abdominal organs such as the rectum or bladder can travel through this hole and become entrapped. Both of these conditions can be prevented by early neutering.

Cat owners know that it is virtually impossible to keep an unneutered male cat indoors. Male cats will start to spray urine around the time they become sexually mature. The strong odor is unacceptable to people and for this reason virtually every male housecat is neutered. Unfortunately,
there are still many people who do not neuter their male cat and just turn it into an outdoor cat once it starts to spray.

Unneutered male cats are more aggressive and often develop abcesses from fighting. They are also more likely to be exposed to serious diseases such as feline leukemia and feline AIDS. And since they are more likely to wander their neighborhood, they are more likely to be injured or killed by dogs or vehicles.

Lastly, in addition to the significant health benefits to the individual
animal, neutering male cats and dogs also helps to reduce the number of unwanted animals that have to be euthanized across the country.

The statistics are staggering! In the time that it has taken you to read this article, about ten homeless animals have been put to sleep. Over 5000 a day! TWO MILLION a year!!!

Every pet owner that allows their pet to breed, contributes to this horrible situation. Many humane facilities offer free or reduced cost spays and neuters, so cost should not be a factor for owners that are on a tight budget.

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