Pet Talk Tuesday – Spay and Neutering your pet

When we talk about preventative care for our pets, one of the most important things to talk about is spaying and neutering of our pets. There are not only medical and behavioral benefits to spaying and neutering of our pets but more importantly it helps to control the over population of animals in our area. Dr. Susan Wylegala says for those with female dogs you will not have to deal with the twice-yearly heat cycle that lasts ten to fourteen days. For those with female cats you won’t have to deal with the relentless behavior changes for a female cat when she is in heat. Male are less likely to mark territory with their urine. In females you decrease the risk of mammary tumors and remove the risk of life-threatening uterine infections. Although there are definitely medical benefits of neutering male dogs, decreased prostate problems, decreased risk of developing tumors around the rectum. The timing for the neutering is where there has been some recent research. In large breed dogs, the research is indicating that it may be medically beneficial to wait on neutering until they are at least over a year of age. She says there are a lot of other things to consider when you are talking about the timing for neutering in terms of behavioral issues that you may be seeing and other medical issues that might be arising; so the most important thing you need to do is discuss this with your veterinarian. Every case is individual and decisions on when to neuter you pets will be variable based on breed, your circumstances, and the behavior circumstances of your pet. Dr. Wylegala strongly recommends you have this discussion with your veterinarian because it really can make a difference in the overall quality of your pets life and one of the most important things that we really want to is not only improve the quality of their life but lengthen the quality of their life. Dr. Wylegala says there are many options as well locally for low cost spay and neuter clinics, so really take a look at options that are out there. She strongly recommends you do this for your pet for their overall health

Click here for the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society