Every year, when it’s mating season, the question of whether to spay or neuter your female dog must leave many parents torn until their heads are bald. In fact, there are good and bad things about spaying and neutering, so let’s list the pros and cons first, and then parents can choose whether or not to do it according to their dog’s situation.
The benefits of spaying and neutering
1. to the female dog spayed can be free from the troubles of the estrus period.
The genitals of a female dog in heat are swollen and bleeding, which can easily contaminate fur, floors, and furniture. Dogs will constantly lick their private parts and seize every opportunity to flirt with other male dogs and even female dogs to achieve mating purposes, if you are ready to let the dog pregnant with a baby okay, but for the time being do not want to let the dog family is a big worry it.
2. Spaying can avoid the accumulation of pus in the uterus.
One in four unspayed bitches will develop uterine sepsis at some point. Such symptoms can be life-threatening: the uterus is filled with pus and the only cure is an emergency removal of the uterus, while your dog may already be old or dying of infection, making surgery even riskier. The way to avoid this is to spay or neuter your dog while he is young and healthy.
3. Spaying and neutering can avoid false pregnancy.
The so-called false pregnancy, is that some dogs in heat, although not mated, but also appear pregnant symptoms, such as abdominal bulge, swollen nipples, and even milk production. False pregnancy can lead to metabolic disorders in dogs and, in severe cases, serious mastitis.
4. Spaying and neutering can greatly reduce the risk of mammary cancer.
If your dog is spayed before two and a half years of age, it can greatly reduce the risk of mammary tumors (the most common malignancy in female dogs). In addition, the fewer times a dog goes into heat, the lower the chance of developing mammary tumors. Therefore, spaying before the first heat is the ideal choice.
Spaying and neutering can prevent uterine and ovarian cancer.
In fact, uterine and ovarian cancers are not common in dogs, so consider this as an added benefit.
Disadvantages of spaying and neutering
1. Spaying and neutering doubles the chance of obesity in dogs.
Being overweight can lead to arthritis, heart disease, pancreatitis, and diabetes. After a dog is spayed or neutered, if the owner continues to feed the same amount of food as before the spay, the dog will tend to gain weight. This is because the hormonal metabolism of a neutered dog has changed and therefore does not require as much food. The owner should pay attention to observe the change in the dog’s body when feeding, appropriate reduction, and ensure sufficient exercise, the dog will not become fat it.
2. Neutering increases the risk of hemangioma.
Hemangiomas are usually found in the heart and spleen. Spayed dogs are twice as likely to develop hemangiomas of the spleen and four times more likely to develop hemangiomas of the heart compared to unspayed dogs.
However, it is important to note that hemangiomas occur in all breeds, but are more common and more likely in individual breeds, including Afghan Hound, Bernese Mountain Dog, Belgian Shepherd, Boston Terrier, Bulldog, Doberman Pinscher, Flat-coated Touring Dog, French Bulldog, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Labrador, Rottweiler, and Scottish Terrier.
3. Neutering triples the chance of developing hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism can cause obesity, lethargy, and hair loss, but these symptoms can be controlled with daily thyroid medication.
4. There are risks associated with sterilization surgery.
Twenty percent of spay/neuter procedures are associated with at least one complication, such as adverse anesthesia reactions, internal bleeding, inflammation or infection, abscesses, incomplete sutures, and so on. Fortunately, most complications are minor, less than five percent are life-threatening, but the mortality rate is very low, less than one percent.
5. If sterilization is performed at the wrong age, there is an increased risk of hip dysplasia, ligament rupture, osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and urinary incontinence.
Timing of spaying
Spaying after the first heat is recommended for bitches because after a heat, the pituitary gland, ovaries and the entire hormonal cycle have gone through once. At this time, the bitch’s aptitudes are stable and all aspects of her personality and development are at their most complete, making it the best time to perform spaying surgery.
Spaying method.
Spaying of female dogs is an ovariohysterectomy.
A 5-8 cm incision is made in the midline of the dog’s belly (depending on the size of the dog and, of course, the level of the surgeon will determine the size of the incision) and the ovaries and uterus are removed.
Post-neuter performance.
Most of the female dog after spaying and spaying before the character of little change, or can be said to change little. This situation will be more easily accepted by the owner, the dog as before, can eat, drink and sleep, or the same heartless baby.
2. Some dogs will become docile after neutering. Many pooper scoopers want their dogs to become more stable, so they choose the spay and neuter surgery. But to tell you that this situation is not 100%.
2. the situation of irritable personality after spaying and neutering. A small number of dogs will appear this situation, small dogs are more common, such as Teddy, Pug. Mostly due to the dog’s own personality is more sensitive, more cautious after neutering, there will be raw people or other dogs close to barking. There are also owners who react to the dog after neutering to the owner appeared distant or even bite behavior, this is because the dog for neutering caused by the injury expressed very pain, and he feels that this injury is caused by the owner.
Post-operative care.
After a dog is spayed or neutered, surgical care has a lot to do with the recovery time. Post-neuter care for female dogs requires putting an Elizabethan collar on the dog, avoiding strenuous exercise for the dog, and not touching water in the location of the surgical wound.
1. Wound care
The dog spay surgery although the wound is not large, but care is not in place or easy to red swelling inflammation. So the dog post-operative wound do not touch the water, not bath. Avoid the dog climbing stairs or bouncing and other strains wound, avoid the dog strenuous exercise. Put an Elizabethan ring on the dog to prevent the dog from licking the wound. The owner should check the dog’s wound healing every day and do preventive work.
2. Reasonable post-operative diet
The dog sterilization surgery bleeding is not large, belongs to the category of minor surgery, so do not need special tonic. But pay attention to the post-operative anesthesia before the expiration of the dog do not give food, to avoid the dog vomiting. For female dogs, it is recommended to reduce the amount of food by half before defecation after surgery, and return to normal after defecation. The amount and frequency of daily feedings will remain the same. If the owner wants to give the dog nutritional supplements, you can buy some animal liver to give the dog a blood supplement.
3. Pay attention to the emotional changes of the dog
Sterilization surgery is bound to be accompanied by a certain amount of pain, so it has a certain impact on the dog’s psychological and emotional state. In addition, the dog’s body hormone level changes because of the surgery, will also affect its temperament change. Therefore, the owner should be more understanding, do not reprimand, should be more with the dog, soothing it, let it restore the old happy.
4. Increase the amount of exercise
When the dog’s neuter wound is recovered, the owner should increase its walking exercise time to help its energy consumption and reduce the chances of obesity.
Attention
1. nutritional supplements: nutritional supplements after the surgery is very important, the owner can make vegetables and meat for the dog cooked and stirred for the bitch to eat.
2. Hygiene and cleanliness: The owner needs to clean the home regularly, clean hygiene to avoid the bitch from getting infected with bacteria.
