This is National Pet Week. Each day has a theme. Today in spaying and neutering.
We all know that spaying and neutering are important for reducing pet overpopulation. Every year, millions of unwanted dogs and cats, including puppies and kittens, are euthanized. By having your dog or cat spayed or neutered, you’ll do your part to prevent the birth of unwanted puppies and kittens.
It used to be very simple: Dogs and cats, male and female, all had surgery at 6 months at age. This has changed in the last decade to a wider range of ages. Many dogs and cats are spayed (ovarian-hysterectomy) and neutered (castration) through shelters, often at 8-12 weeks of age. This solves the problem of adopting a pet that hasn’t had surgery, the owner NOT getting around to spay/neuter, and accidental pregnancy happening. This early surgery has been shown to decrease behavior problems associated with sexual hormones and improves adoption retention rates. It also helps prevent some cancers, especially breast cancer.
We have also learned from the large Golden Retriever study that early neutering was associated with an increase in the occurrence of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and lymphosarcoma in males and of cranial cruciate ligament tear in females. The new recommendation on giant and large breed dogs is to wait to 12-18 month before neutering. And some of these dogs also get an elective gastropexy (stomach tacking surgery) to prevent bloat!
Cats seem to do well getting spayed or neutered at a young age OR at the standard 6 months. Just get it done!
If you have a puppy or kitten that isn’t “pre-neutered”, I recommend discussing your options with your veterinarian to make the right decision for your pet. http://bit.ly/1qpuVXG #LifetimeofLove #PetWeek
