Spay and Neuter Myths BUSTED!

Pretty much everyone knows that dogs and cats should be spayed or neutered to help control the pet population, but what about all those other reasons? Believe it or not, the prevention of breeding is not the only reason to have your pet altered. And, believe it or not, many of those old wives tales or myths about spaying and neutered are false! Read on and you'll learn more.

Ok, so to get it out of the way we'll start with the pet population. True, having your pet spayed or neutered helps control the pet population by reducing the number of unwanted dogs and cats, strays and in shelters, across the country. But there is one myth that often comes up that thousands of people believe to be true. These people realize the importance of alteration for the control of the number of animals but they also, for some reason, believe in this misconception:

My dog (or cat) will feel more natural or satisfied if she is allowed to have one litter first.

This is simply wrong. There are a couple of ways to think about this. First of all, put yourself in the dog's shoes, or paws for that matter. Would you want someone to force you to breed with some other dog that you most likely do not know only to later be constantly drained of energy from providing for unborn puppies? When the puppies are born you're pushed to raise multiple puppies, puppies that nurse and have teeth, puppies that need constant care and attention. It doesn't sound like fun to me!

Another way to look at it is from the health standpoint. Studies show that female dogs and cats who are allowed to have a litter prior to being altered are at a higher risk for developing certain cancers later on in life. Now, it just seems easier to go ahead and have the pet spayed at a young age rather than dealing with heartbreaking and expensive health problems when she gets older.

Spaying or neutering will make my dog (or cat) fat!

Again, wrong! The procedure itself does, in no way, make a pet gain weight. In order to understand this, you first have to fully understand what a spay or neuter is.

Spaying and neutering one cat or dog can prevent hundreds of homeless puppies and kittens, but it can also improve the health of your pet.

Credit: Faith Eversole

Copyright: Faith Eversole