Pet parents are often conflicted when it comes to spaying. While some rave about its benefits, others are strictly against taking away their right to reproduce.
The Focus spoke to Dr. Joanna Woodnutt, a certified veterinarian with over 10 years of experience, to get more insight on the much-debated topic. The expert thinks choosing to neuter your pet is complicated, with several associated myths.
Should you spay your pet cat or dog?
Dr. Joanna tells The Focus that spaying cats is more beneficial as the pet parents “have less control over cats and the risk of unplanned pregnancy is very high.”
However, she also says it’s challenging to make one rule to fit all dogs when considering spaying because the procedure has its pros and cons. “Generally, the advice is still to spay, but exactly when this should happen is up for debate,” the vet says.
The expert explains it’s advisable to spay large breed dogs later in life because doing the procedure early on results in the removal of hormones “that tell the growth plates to close during puberty.”
Due to this, dogs that get spayed in the early years of their life are more likely to have “delayed growth plate closure and joint problems related to this.”
But in general, the vet says, “neutering is still beneficial due to the risks of mammary cancer, pyometra, and other hormone-driven diseases – including false pregnancy in female dogs, which can make their behavior challenging.”
Vet debunks myths about neutering dogs
It’s a common conception that spaying changes a dog’s temperament. But that’s not true with both genders. Dr. Joanna tells The Focus:
“In female dogs, there is little to no evidence that spaying makes them more timid or changes their personality, although in male dogs there is definitely a correlation between nervous aggression and removal of the testosterone after neutering.”
As far as the quality of the coat is concerned, it’s likely to change in about 1 in 5 female dogs. “It can make them appear ‘woolier’ and require more grooming,” she notes.
Weight gain is common among pets after spaying, so the vet recommends limiting their calorie intake by “10-30% immediately after they get home and keeping it low will avoid this.”
Owing to the complexity surrounding the topic of spaying, Dr. Joanna has penned an e-learning course for pet parents, which is updated as and when new evidence about neutering becomes available. You can sign up for the paid course on Petlearnia’s official website.
