Is it Humane to Spay or Neuter Your Dog?

Is it humane to spay or neuter your dog? This is a controversial topic among pet owners but it's an important decision to make. I understand how hard the choice can be because we recently had to make the same choice about our purebred puppy that had offers for breeding.

If your dog is not of breeding stock, then the decision is even easier for you to make. There is no logical reason not to spay or neuter a dog who will not be bred. The earlier you spay or neuter your dog, the easier it will be for him or her and also for you. Veterinarians suggest you spay or neuter after your dog is 6 months old.

One way to help you make this decision is to consider what will happen if she gets pregnant. Will you be able to take care of the puppies and if not, what will you do with them? What will happen to the puppies if you cannot find them a good home?

Providing shelter, food and water is not the end of your responsibilities as a pet owner. Dogs need you, the owner, to make important decisions concerning them to help reduce the number of homeless animals roaming the streets, neighborhoods and found in shelters in every community.

Did you know that the Humane Society estimates that six to eight million animals are homeless and sent to animal shelters every single year in the United States alone? At least half of them must be euthanized simply because dogs were left to breed puppies that the pet owners couldn't take care of.

Consider all of the loving and adorable homeless dogs that must be locked up in a cage and ultimately euthanized when you're trying to determine whether or not it's humane to spray or neuter your dog. Add in the ones that are abused and left to fend for themselves by eating out of garbage cans, eventually starving to death and the answer becomes even clearer.

It's expensive to take care of a dog properly. Vetinfo estimates the vet costs to run between $150 and $300 a year to take care of a healthy, adult dog. Puppies and aging dogs can be more expensive and this doesn't cover any type of extra medical costs or accidents that may occur. Multiply that by three or four when your dog has puppies and you can see how it would easily get too expensive to keep multiple pets.

So what happens to them? Since it's so difficult to find homes for puppies, they will most likely end up in a shelter where they will be put to sleep after a short period of time. They'll never know the joys of having a good home with loving owners who treat them like part of the family. All they will know is the cold and loneliness of being in a cage until their life ends prematurely.

Some people are concerned that the procedure is painful or harmful to the dog but when you look at it in this perspective, it seems more humane to spray or neuter your dog than it would not to have the procedure done.

In the end, spaying and neutering your dog saves lives and reduces the number of sad, unwanted dogs found aimlessly roaming the streets and in shelters. It also reduces stress and complications that come when your dog wants to mate and is unable to.

There are many health benefits associated with neutering your male dog, such as:

• Reduced risk of prostate problems
• No risk of testicular cancer
• Less likely to develop perianal tumors
• Fewer behavior issues
• Prevents running away or aggressive behaviors from chasing a female in heat
• Fewer dominance issues and less aggressive towards humans and dogs

Health benefits to spaying include:

• Prevents unwanted pregnancy
• Prevents pregnancy complications and death
• Eliminates the heat cycle
• Reduces the urge to roam/run away
• Eliminates sexual discomfort
• Reduces/eliminates diseases of the reproductive system

With all of these facts considered, most dog owners will agree that it is more humane to spay or neuter your dog than to allow a dog that will not breed to go without or to accidentally have unwanted puppies.