by Dr Alex Melrose
When it comes to spaying or neutering, ti's quite incredible how often I hear the comment, 'that' is so cruel!'- especially from men. when you really think abou it, it is far crueler not to desex your pet. imagine a relentless, raging hormonal condition that overwhelms you on a dialy basis; driving you to escape from home and run rampant throughout the neighbourhood. a pet that isn't desexed feels stranded and anxious, with no control over their emotional state. Quite simply, it is cruel not to desex your pet
It's a fact of our accelerating lives that the rules of pet ownership will continue to get stricter, from dog rangers jumping out from behind shrubs with instant fines in hand, to cats being confined indoors to limit their negative impact on the native ecosystem. Fenced in, our unneutered furry kids will diligently dig under, break through, leap over and run faster than a speeding locomotive, fired by their hormones. Doors left fractionally open for a mere instant provide an escape to the promise of far-off adventrues.
Unneutered pets are much more likely to be targeted by other pets, and elicit an aggressive response more frequently. They are perceived as more of a threat, even when not initiating anything themselves. Many entire young cats and dogs come into teh clinic with serious rips and bite wounds for this reason. Unneutered pets are also more likely to bite people, especially young children, as sex hormones can drive predatory responses, and children below the age of aobut seven are often not clearly identified as 'people' by our pets. Feeling cats trigger similar predatory instincts and are also more likely to be targeted.
Getting male cats neutered decreases the likelihood of them fighting with other cats - a bigt plus for the mental health of your neighbours and for the physical health of all cats nearby, not only yours. This, in turn, reduces the risk of abscesses and blood-born bacteria, which cause damage to the herat, kidneys and liver. Fatal viruses such as leukemis and feline AIDS - spread by bites and now affecting more than 5% of all cats in NZ - are also much less likely to infect your furry friend. He will smell a lot less, as will his urine, and he will be less likely to cross dangerous roads while concentrating on something else. He is also unlikely to spray his scent and urine all over your house or expensive furniture.
In entire male dogs, the incidence of prostatic hyperplasia, a sort of benign overgrowth, and more malignant changes are much more common later on in life. The swollen prostate often leads to urinary disorders and severe constipation as it pushes forwards and upwards from its position in the pelvic canal. Obviousy the possibility of testicular disease is totally removed when a dog is desexed.
Spaying a female cat will prevent her from becoming pregnant. Cats are efficient breeding machines that can get pregnant very young - sometimes at less than five months old - and keep doing so many times a year. In a young cat, pregnancy prevnets full growth and development, eats up all body reserves and weakens the immune system. This in turn exposes the young female to lots of bacterial and viral illnesses. A female cat will also be much more prone to physical and infectious attacks from males, and will take off looking for a mate, increasing the risk of trauma from the road traffic, dog encounters and other hazards.
The less-drastic effects of not desexing your pet is that it will be harder to train; will emit a stronger musky, pheromonal smell; and will be much more inclined to mount male or female dogs, people and objects. As mentioned earlier, the drive to mark and spray urine around your house will also be high, - not a great enhancement to your home environment - and is not just restricted to male cats.
Another consideration is animal welfare. We've touched on the negative fallout for neighbouring pets and their owners. They can be terrorised, badly physically or mentally damaged, or even killed. Our considerations should also include the massive number of unwanted puppies and kittnes in the country, with dozens dumped at shelters on a daily baiss. It is unrealistic to believe that they all find loving homes becuase they don't, and adding to this problem is unforgivable.
Do the right thing: spay and neuter your pets
DESEXING MYTHS
My desexed pet will become fat. FALSE
My femal pet will be happier if she has one litter. FALSE
my male pet will be more masculine if he is left unneutered. FALSE
my pet will have a better personality if it's not desexed. FALSE
(我盲打好像打错好多字。。大家见谅！）