5 Good Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

Lately, I have seen more and more dogs at the dog park that are not neutered, and I found out some of the females are also not spayed.

Almost every dog park has a sign saying that dogs should be neutered before coming into the park. One dog owner's reply recently: “My dog is balanced.”

Allow me to explain. Just because your dog is “balanced,” it does not mean that other dogs will like him. Other dogs tend to go into frenzy when a male dog that is still intact enters the dog park. They smell the excessive testosterone, and that causes a problem.  

One dog owner at the park recently said neutering a dog would take away its reason for living. Another wanted to have the option of having puppies someday.

How are their dogs getting along? The first dog is friendly and nice, but the other dogs have a problem with him. The second dog protects his adopted sibling and attacks any dog that gets close.  

Five Reasons to Spay or Neuter

In addition to helping a dog get along with others, here are five reasons to have your dog spayed or neutered: 

• Having female dogs spayed helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer. Spaying before the first heat provides the best protection.
• Neutering a male dog helps prevent testicular cancer. Neutering before 6 months of age is best.
• Neutering could improve your dog's safety. A male dog that is not neutered will roam away from home, looking for ways to release his frustration. That increases the dog's risk of being hit by a car, getting in a fight with another dog, or even being captured by animal control!
• Neutered males are better behaved and less aggressive.
• Spaying your pet helps with overpopulation of dogs. So many healthy dogs are being put to sleep because there's no room at the shelter.

Don't Fall for Spay and Neuter Myths 

Two common spay and neuter myths:

• "My dog will get fat." Spaying or neutering your dog will NOT make it fat! The dog will start to calm down, and you still need to monitor exercise and diet.
• "The operation isn't worth the expense." It is not as expensive to have your pet spayed or neutered as it is to care for a litter and pay vet bills for the dog's escapes and fights.

I understand that some dog owners want the option of having a litter, but when you look at the list, I would want the option of keeping my dog healthy versus a chance of having a litter. 

Please, spay or neuter your pet!

For information on local spay/neuter programs, visit , SPCA Tampa Bay, Pinellas County Animal Services or a local veterinarian.