What are the benefits of sterilization?
Decreased chance of mammary tumors
The animal medical community has found that bitches that are not spayed, or that have been in heat more than twice before spaying, are more likely to develop breast lumps.
During heat, some hormones (hormones) in the animal’s body spike, and the more this spike is experienced, the more likely mammary tumors are to develop.
Dogs
The risk of mammary tumors in dogs is not as high. The mortality rate for mammary tumors in dogs has been found to be only 6%*. The prevalence rates in dogs at 6, 8 and 10 years of age are 1%, 6% and 13% respectively. A comparison with humans is better understood, with a 55.6% chance of developing cardiovascular disease in a 45-year-old woman.
Cats
Mammary tumors are much less common in female cats than in dogs; as in dogs, spaying and neutering can reduce the chance of such disease. *However, unlike dogs, cats have a much higher risk of mammary tumors. If a middle-aged unspayed female cat develops a strange hard lump in her breast, she needs to be taken to a doctor immediately for investigation.
Preventing Uterine Pus
Uterine pus builds up in the reproductive system as a result of hormonal overstimulation in the animal’s body. This disease is seen in older unspayed female cats and dogs. The incidence of the disease is about 1-15% in older bitches and about 7% in cats. The disease can be treated surgically and the risk of early detection is low.
No longer in heat
Dogs
It’s hard to find the right word to describe a bitch in heat, but maybe “messy” will do? A bitch’s estrus lasts 6-11 days, with an interval of 5-10 months. During this time, bitches are jealous (eager for attention), urinate frequently, and shed blood. The scent emitted during estrus also attracts male dogs to your neighborhood.
Cats
More problematic than dogs, female cats are in heat much more frequently and do not even notice the resting period if they are not carefully observed. Rolling and night howling are constant. Unlike dogs, cats do not bleed during estrus. The entire estrous cycle lasts from 4-10 days.
Reduced chance of accidents outside
Spayed and neutered dogs and cats will try to stay around the house even when they are outside, while unspayed dogs and cats tend to run far away, and the chance of accidents, such as fights, car accidents, and predators, is greatly increased. But then again, it is irresponsible to let your pet wander off alone, neutered or not.
No more urine marking behavior
Male cats spray strong-smelling urine (vertically on the wall, not on the floor) during heat, and some females do too! When de-sexed, most male cats stop spraying urine.
Testicular Cancer
Cats
Male cats are very unlikely to get testicular cancer, and the chances are extremely low.
Dogs
Unneutered male dogs are at risk for testicular cancer, with a prevalence of about 7%. This means that 7 out of every 100 unneutered male dogs will develop testicular tumors in later life. These tumors can be removed surgically.
It is important to note that dogs with undescended testicles have a particularly high risk of developing testicular cancer* These dogs are best neutered as soon as they reach adulthood.
Reduce aggressive behavior
Dogs with aggressive tendencies, or cats that have very poor relationships with their “housemates,” tend to be calmer and more docile after neutering. However, there are many reasons for aggressive behavior in dogs and cats, so don’t think that de-sexing is a sure-fire solution.
Prostate disease
Prostate cancer is very rare in dogs and cats, but like humans, many older unneutered males can develop an enlarged prostate.
Male dogs
Dogs with an enlarged prostate usually have trouble passing urine (in humans, this is rarely the case in dogs). If you have an enlarged prostate, just have the testicles surgically removed immediately and the symptoms will go away quickly. In addition, there are good medications to control an enlarged prostate in dogs besides surgery
Male Cats
Prostate enlargement in unneutered male cats is almost uncommon
Reducing the prevalence of anal tumors
This type of tumor is called perianal adenoma. Older, unneutered males develop this disease from time to time. The good thing is that most of these tumors are benign, around 80%. It is one of the top 3 most common tumors in older male dogs, and also occurs occasionally in female dogs. Researchers have found that benign versions of this tumor are much less common in neutered male dogs, and that neutering largely prevents benign versions of paranal adenomas. But then, the incidence of the remaining 20%, potentially fatal malignant paranal adenomas made no difference whether they were spayed or not. *
Cats
No such problems exist in cats
Controlling the number of stray dogs and cats?
If you are an irresponsible owner, then this one definitely holds true. If dogs and cats are running around and breeding and mating, then direct de-sexing is really a good solution. We will talk more about this one below.
Longer life span?
There is no detailed scientific study that proves that neutered dogs and cats live longer than unneutered ones. Some statistics show that neutered dogs and cats live longer*, perhaps because owners who focus on neutering are more attentive to medical treatment and care, or because neutered cats and dogs have a smaller range of motion and a significantly lower chance of accidents; frankly, it is an illusion caused by statistics.
In a prudent manner, we cannot directly assert that “neutering necessarily leads to a longer life than non-neutering.”
(Evidence to the contrary exists, see later)
The downside of sterilization
Maybe no one told you, but I will tell you
Well, what are some of the problems scientific studies have found with spaying and neutering? Controlling the number of stray dogs and cats: a false inference
Yes, neutered dogs and cats cannot reproduce. But responsible owners are the most important line of defense to stop the overpopulation of stray dogs and cats. An owner who accepts the concept of “spaying and neutering” will not let their pets run loose whether they are spayed or not. Dogs can bite, should we pull all the teeth or keep the dog on a leash? The most important step to stop the excess of stray dogs and cats is to improve dog and cat owner education and strict laws and regulations – not to expect the scalpel to do it for you.
In the case of Sweden, controlling the number of stray dogs and cats does not care about spaying or neutering. In Sweden, the spay/neuter rate for female dogs is only 7%, while the number of stray dogs in the country is close to none; why? Simply because they have more responsible owners than we do.
Abnormal bone structure
Spaying and neutering pets too early can create a number of problems, and bones are one of them. As the animal grows, hormones secreted by the reproductive system are involved in determining the length and shape of the bones. When spaying or neutering is performed too early, the body loses these hormones at once, causing the bones to grow out of control, with longer growth cycles and out of proportion. This in turn makes the pet abnormally taller and the bones more abnormally shaped.
Doesn’t sound serious? This abnormal development makes the bones and ligaments deviate from nature’s blueprint and move more abnormally and fall more easily.
This puts the dog’s knees at serious risk. The presence of this phenomenon in dogs has not caused concern in the academic world, but the opposite is true for livestock.
Cats
Needless to say, the same applies to cats as above. Premature spaying and neutering of cats can trigger abnormal bone development.
Bone Cancer
First, the good news is that cats do not have a problem in this area; at least there is no reliable data to suggest that the problem exists.
Osteosarcoma is most often seen in large dogs, whose bones are already overgrown, making them more susceptible to osteosarcoma. Spaying or neutering before the first birthday significantly increases the chance of developing osteosarcoma.
Diabetes
There is a significant trend toward obesity in spayed and neutered animals. In cats, obesity increases the prevalence of diabetes dramatically.
Whether the same thing affects dogs as well we don’t know yet. We do know that these affect people, and studies suggesting a relationship between sex hormone deficiency and diabetes, obesity, and bone strength are not uncommon*. It is reasonable to assume that this link exists in cats and dogs as well.
Hypothyroidism
Ahem, note that it’s hypothyroidism and not hyperthyroidism. The chances of having this problem are higher in dogs than in cats. Neutered dogs are more likely to develop hypothyroidism than unneutered dogs.
Obesity
There is no doubt that neutered pets are more likely to gain weight. In particular, neutering before the first heat increases the chances of post-neutering obesity.
Yes, it is true that restricting calorie intake can prevent and curb this situation, but when you think about it, isn’t this just sitting and talking without pain? The actual doing is really much more difficult than the words.
How many owners know how many cups to use when pouring dry food?
Ligament, bone disease and concurrent arthritis
We can’t say for sure which is causing your pet’s cruciate ligament tears, hip problems and arthritis: obesity caused by neutering or reduced joint strength and structural abnormalities caused by neutering. Perhaps the sudden decrease in activity in many spayed and neutered pets has something to do with it? In any case, the animal medicine community has found that these problems are most common in spayed and neutered pets.
Urinary Incontinence
Spayed females are more likely to be incontinent, while cats do not seem to have this problem, at least rarely. Spayed female dogs that develop urinary incontinence will show improvement with the use of female hormone therapy. This hormone is the one that is missing after spaying.
Urinary tract problems
Dogs
Spayed females are more likely to develop urinary tract infections. Whether this is due to obesity from spaying or spaying itself remains to be considered
Cats
There are arguments, which have been increasing in recent years, that prematurely neutered male cats are more likely to develop urinary tract problems. But then again: the male cat’s naturally small urethra is already prone to obstruction due to lack of water and diet, and the fact that almost all male cats are de-sexed due to their heat – taking these two points into consideration, it is difficult to conclude that de-sexing necessarily increases the chance of urinary tract obstruction in male cats. What’s more, there are no scientific studies to support this, so stop at the urban legend.
Hemangioma/Cancer
This type of cancer is most often found in dogs. According to statistics, neutered dogs have a higher chance of developing this disease.
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