The Benefits of Neutering

The RSPCA, British Veterinary Association (BVA) and local rescue centres have previously always advised to neuter your pet, whether that’s a dog or a cat. Nowadays, however, we know a lot more about pet’s emotional health and how this relates to their behaviour.

For this reason, we will always discuss what the best option is for your pet as, in some instances, surgical neutering may not be the best option at that moment in time. If surgery is the best option though, we know that thinking about it may be scary. We are here to discuss the reasons why it’s advised and hopefully this will ease your mind.

Breeding from your pet is one reason not to neuter them, but it is important to consider both the practical and financial long-term  aspects of doing so, alongside the preparation and care involved for your pet. To discuss the best interests of your cat or dog further please contact us.

Benefits to the animal

By neutering you can reduce the risk or even prevent some conditions occurring:

  • Males – Testicular cancer and most prostate problems. Prostate problems can be seen at any age and neutering can help prevent them. And neutered dogs are also at much lower risk of going “roaming” looking for females, which puts them in increased danger from traffic.
  • Females – Mammary (breast) cancer and uterine (womb) infections, which can be fatal, pregnancies, and also phantom (false) pregnancies. The older a female gets the more at risk of a uterine infection which can often go undetected for some time. Mammary cancer can occur at younger ages as well.
  • Male cats – Neutering can reduce fighting amongst each other (due to lower testosterone levels) and therefore there will be fewer wounds/infections.

Benefits to the population

Rescue centres are full of pets and the demand for their services are higher than ever. Following the cost-of-living crisis and covid pandemic, many owners had no choice but to surrender their pet.

Dogs and cats in rescue centres are neutered before being re-homed to prevent them being used for breeding and increasing numbers of animals.

Benefits to you

There are positive things that can be seen when your pet is neutered as well as reducing diseases.

  • Male cats are less likely to spray urine (a form of territory marking) in the house or wander off.
  • Females will have less hormones so will not experience behavioural changes due to being in season (heat) regularly

If left entire:

  • Entire female cats will have a season every 3 weeks roughly and can be very vocal during this time which can upset a household.
  • Entire bitches (dogs) will have a bloody discharge during their season (every 6 months, on average) and be highly attractive to males. During this time, they will need to be separated and kept inside and kept clean.

The surgery/procedure

All neutering surgeries are day procedures, performed under a general anaesthetic. Your pet will be given medication to help anaesthetise them, alongside pain relief. For males the testicles are removed, but the outer scrotal sack of skin will remain (this will reduce in time).

For females there are different variations, but essentially the ovaries and usually the uterus are removed.

Any surgery can carry a risk; however, these are commonly performed procedures and very few complications or problems arise.

Your pet will have pain relief for after and a way of preventing them interfering with the wound for 10-14 days. Post operative check-ups are performed to check your pet is recovering well from surgery. The recovery is normally rapid, and your pet will be back to themselves again very quickly.

While it is true that there is some research suggesting long-term complications for dogs neutered too young, we will always assess our patients to make sure they don’t have surgery until they are mature enough for this not to be a significant concern.

Please feel free to contact us with any additional queries you have, and we can assist you further.

We look forward to seeing you and your pet soon!