Spaying and Neutering: Pros and Cons

By Michele Welton, Copyright © 2008. May not be reprinted without permission.

For a female, you can call it spaying or neutering. Both terms refer to a hysterectomy -- removal of the ovaries and uterus so your female no longer comes into heat and cannot be bred or have puppies.

Spaying prevents future health problems.

• Spaying offers 100% protection against uterine infections. Pyometra and endometritis are common in unspayed females, and these infections can strike quickly and kill your dog.

• Spaying offers 100% protection against false pregnancy. Some unspayed females react to their heat period by acting as if they've been bred. Their belly actually gets larger and they may produce milk. It sounds harmless, but the hormonal changes associated with false pregnancy are very stressful and can leave your female more susceptible to illness and infection.

• Spaying offers partial protection against breast cancer. Unspayed females have a 1-in-4 chance of developing a breast tumor at some point in their lives. In spayed females, the chances drop to 1-in-15.

• Spaying prevents all the risks of pregnancy. Giving birth can endanger your dog's life.

Spaying prevents all the nuisances and inconveniences of heat periods.

• Heat periods can be messy and embarrassing. During a heat period, the genitals swell. She will have a bloody discharge, which can stain her coat and your carpets and furniture. She may spend a lot of time licking her private parts. She may flirt shamelessly with other dogs (even other females), presenting her rump and encouraging other dogs to mount her. She may mount other dogs herself or hump pillows or stuffed toys.

• Heat periods require vigilant confinement. If your dog is in heat, you can?t leave her alone in the yard for a single minute. A female in heat can be smelled from a long distance away and fences mean nothing to a lust-crazed male. Indeed, you may have to curtail walks altogether.

• Heat periods can upset your plans. Vacations and trips may have to wait, since there are too many opportunities for your dog to escape. Friends and relatives may not appreciate a visit when your dog has a discharge or will leave tempting scents on their doorstep. And leaving an unspayed female with a pet sitter or boarding kennel is extremely risky because of the extreme requirements for vigilance.

In many communities, license fees are lower for spayed females.

Good reasons to neuter your male dog

You can call it castration or neutering. Both terms refer to the removal of the testicles so your male can't breed or sire puppies. (Most people tend to say neutering because it doesn't sound so graphic!)

Neutering helps prevent behavior problems.

• Marking. Unneutered males tend to spray their urine on vertical objects so that other males can smell it -- it's their way of marking their territory. Marking can become an obsession with some unneutered males, who will tow you toward every fire hydrant and telephone pole. Some unneutered males will even mark inside your house.

• Fighting. Unneutered males are more likely to pick fights with other unneutered males. That means your unneutered male may become the aggressor -- or the victim of an aggressor.

• Sexual arousal. The signs of sexual arousal can be embarrassing in mixed company. Unneutered males often lick their genitals and hump other dogs, pillows, stuffed animals, and sometimes people's legs or ankles.

• Distractibility. The eyeballs of an unneutered male tend to rove up and down the street looking for females or potential male rivals -- rather than focusing on YOU.

• Distress around females in heat. Females in heat give off chemical pheromones that can be scented from a mile away and unneutered males can become extremely agitated -- whining, drooling, pacing, sometimes escaping their house or yard.

• Dominance. Unneutered males are more likely to challenge your rules and commands, because their increased testosterone goads them into resisting authority.

Neutering helps prevent health problems.

Neutering offers 100% protection against testicular tumors and partial protection against prostate disease and perianal tumors, both of which are stimulated by testosterone.

In many communities, license fees are lower for neutered males.

Disadvantages of spaying and neutering

Some owners fear obesity as a disadvantage of spaying or neutering, but that isn't true. Spayed and neutered dogs simply don't require as much food because their hormonal make-up has been changed and their metabolism is lower. So just keep an eye on your dog's shape as you feed and provide plenty of physical exercise. Then your dog will not become fat.

Spayed and neutered dogs can't be shown in conformation classes at dog shows, but I don't consider this a disadvantage because I don't think much of those classes. If you're really interested in competing in canine activities, rest assured that you CAN show your spayed or neutered dog in meaningful canine activities such as obedience, agility, tracking, herding, field trials, and so on.

• Spaying and neutering costs money. There's no getting around this disadvantage. The surgery can cost two or three hundred dollars when the safest anesthetic is used and all possible safety precautions taken. (I do NOT recommend using low-cost spay/neuter clinics, which must cut corners in order to provide affordable prices.)

• Spaying and neutering requires general anesthesia, which is always a risk.

Everything you need to know about safe spaying and neutering

How old your dog should be for spaying or neutering. (HINT: It's NOT the age many breeders and vets suggest!) Why spaying or neutering at the WRONG age is a big mistake. FIVE things your vet should do -- but often doesn't unless you ASK -- for maximum safety during the surgery. Should you consider breeding your dog first? 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy