Why is spaying or neutering a dog so important?

There are many health issues that we can prevent, and it's much better for your pets to prevent disease than it is to treat it when it happens. One of the most common things we see in a female cat or dog is breast cancer or mammary tumors. These are very expensive to remove, and in some cases, they get too big and we can't remove them. There are many pets that suffer, as the tissue becomes swollen, it ulcerates, and they can get very sick and this can eventually spread and metastasize through the body. There is another very common condition called pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus. It occurs after their heat cycle. It's life-threatening and can kill them within a few days. It’s very preventable with a simple procedure to spay the female cat or dog. In a male dog, there are fewer hidden reasons. An obvious one would be if you don't have testicles, you cannot get testicular cancer. Older dogs and cats can get a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. The enlarged prostate makes it very uncomfortable for them to urinate or defecate. We can fix that at the time by castrating them, but it takes a few months for the prostate to shrink and they suffer in that period. It can also prevent straying. Intact male animals will be more likely to go and look for a female, and they can get into trouble fighting other neighborhood cats, spraying, marking the territory, and getting into road traffic accidents. Unless you're breeding, there's really no reason to leave your pets intact unless you have a police dog, a working dog, or a field trial pet—they're just more baby-like easier to, and more fun to have around if you fix them.

Dogs that are not spayed or neutered will be under the influence of testosterone or estrogen depending on their sex. We were all 18 once. You remember what those things made you want to do, so dogs are no different. So it can avoid any unwanted behaviors, any unwanted litters to overpopulate our little pet community. And it also prevents several medical issues that are very, very undesirable as well. Uterine infections, aggression, unwanted marking, all those kinds of things can be avoided if they are spayed or neutered at an early age.

It can make them be healthier and have a far better quality of life. It decreases the risk of cancers such as ovarian and uterine, and testicular cancer. It also helps prostate issues in male dogs, and it reduces the risk of a very deadly infection of the uterus called pyometra in female dogs.

It really can help to decrease the overpopulation problem that we are dealing with. Shelters are absolutely full of animals right now, both dogs and cats, whether they are mixed breed or purebred. We are seeing many shelters being overrun and dogs being euthanized, simply because they can't find a home. By spaying your dog, you are helping to decrease that overpopulation problem. You're also helping to reduce problems regarding your own dog's health later on down the road, especially concerning pyometra, which is an infected uterus, and even some types of mammary tumors that can occur as well. As far as neutering goes, the same token. You are preventing the issue of overpopulation. Males do contribute to that problem as well, even though they're not the ones having the puppies. But we can see some prostate issues with them later on that can be prevented by neutering them.

Spaying or neutering is important for several reasons, such as preventing or reducing the risk of certain diseases like infections of the uterus, cancer of the mammary glands, and cancer of the testicles and prostate. It also prevents unwanted pregnancies, helps with aggression issues, and reduces the likelihood of your pet running away due to being attracted to intact pets.

There are a lot of health risks for female dogs, such as ovarian and mammary cancer, and a uterine infection called pyometra. Spaying your dog will remove all of those issues. For male dogs, neutering removes the risk of testicular cancer, decreases the chance of benign prostatic hyperplasia - a painful condition that can cause urinary issues - and reduces the likelihood of prostatic abscesses and hernias in the perineum. Overall, it's very helpful to increase the life expectancy of your dog.