Happy Friday Everyone,
This week we will talk about MYTHS vs. FACTS. The majority of animals are spayed or neutered; and with these important procedures come a lot of “what ifs” and concerns in a pet owner’s mind. Hopefully these clarifications can help everyone to the truth about spay/neuter procedures, and make the best decisions as a pet owner in the future. Spaying and neutering animals helps to reduce animal homelessness and euthanizing perfectly healthy animals due to shelter overcrowding.
Check out this graphic of how many dogs and cats can be produced starting with just one pair of unaltered animals. The impact in numbers is quick shocking and eye opening:
Now, here are a few clarifications on the myths of spaying and neutering your pet:
MYTH #1: PETS GAIN WEIGHT WHEN SPAYED OR NEUTERED
- It is about the post-procedure management that determines your pet’s overall health. Lack of exercise and poor eating habits will lead your pet to gain weight after surgery. To avoid this, choose healthy foods to feed your pets and encourage exercise and going for walks once your pet has recovered.
MYTH #2: SPAYING OR NEUTERING YOUR PET WILL CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR
- This is mostly beneficial behavior change, if anything. Before your male or female pet is spayed/neutered, behaviors such as marking territory by urinating in the house, aggression problems, and mounting practically anything are common. I know that my cat LITERALLY would hump anything before being neutered, and was always aggressive before the procedure. Behavioral changes aren’t guaranteed, but there is always a possibility of these changes being positive.
This ecard does a great job of relating this issue into our everyday lives. Treat your pets like you would treat your daughter…
MYTH #3: SPAY/NEUTER PROCEDURES ARE EXPENSIVE
- Cheap Megan fun fact: I lied to Animal Kingdom that my cat was a stray so that I got a huge discount on his neutering (whoops). Let’s start by saying that the cost of getting your pet spayed or neutered is definitely cheaper than having to care for a new litter or find each of them a new home. There are optional discounted spay and neuter services for pet owners offered by organizations, including the ASPCA.
MYTH #4: SPAYING AND NEUTERING IS UNHEALTHY FOR PETS
- Actually, neutering your pet prevents the chances of testicular cancer and prostate issues. Spaying helps prevent urinary infections and breast tumors. If anything, these procedures serve to help your pet live a healthier and happier life.
Spaying and neutering your pets helps the issue of euthanizing millions of dogs and cats each year. According to The Humane Society, every 10 seconds a cat or dog is put down in a United States shelter because of overpopulation. Know the benefits of these procedures so that none of us have to contribute to the euthanization of innocent animals every single day. Did any of these myths come as a surprise to you? Were there any interesting facts that you found throughout this week’s blog?
My dog was spayed at the age recommended by the vet, and although she was pretty sore for about a week following the procedure, the effects have only been positive. From what I understand, non-spayed female animals can have periods, which are very difficult to manage. She hasn’t suffered at all physically from the procedure (and considering that she was spayed 7 years ago, I think we’d know by now if something negative was going to come from it), and she’s a very happy, healthy dog. I was already pro-spaying/neutering, but I came to support it more after reading how quickly animals can populate and the effects this has on shelters. I hadn’t thought of it in a broader context like that before – I had mainly just been focused on my own dog – so this post gave me some nice perspective on the issue.
I learned a lot too, the graphic of how many animals produced by one pair of animals is absolutely insane and those are numbers thast we really don’t think about and that’s not our fault!
I liked your story about lying to Animal Kingdom to get a discount on your cat! I’ve owned a few dogs over the years, and they’ve always been neutered. It’s just something that we did and I never thought much of it. Your post has given me some solid background for the whole thing and great justifications for the procedure in general.
I also had to act like I didn’t give him a name, which means supressing the urge to talk to my cat like he’s my child and concern everyone around me about my mental healt.
I really enjoyed this blog post (as you are aware). As I already told you, my cats don’t hump anything, and I really don’t remember them doing that before we got them spayed/neutered. But my dog Sammy used to hump her bed pretty often. We got her spayed, but she still does it every now and then. As for Bella, she’s still too young to be spayed, so she just runs around and humps whatever she wants, which often tends to be Sammy. Let’s just say it’s an interesting time with both the dogs.
Nothing bothers me more than when people (besides breeders who healthily and properly take care of their animals) don’t get their animals fixed. There are enough strays and shelter animals as is, we don’t need to add more by letting dogs and cats run around with everything intact. While I disagree on pretty much all cosmetic procedures on animals, spaying and neutering are much, much more than that. Their lasting health benefits are definitely important. I knew these myths already, and it’s important for all future or current pet owners to know them as well.
Some common myths about dogs are
Dogs are colorblind
Dogs eat grass when they are sick
A wagging tail means a friendly dog
One dog year equals seven human years
A cold wet nose means a dog is healthy
A dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human mouth
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks