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Quiz: Are You Ready For A Dog?

Good reasons for neutering:

Neutering is important for a dog's health, but most important, it prevents unwanted pregnancy. A 1991 study found that between 10 percent and 25 percent of the offspring of U.S. dogs and cats are destroyed annually.

Other reasons to spay female pets are that it:

Neutering male pets is beneficial because it:

You should spay or neuter a pet at 6 months of age, before the pet reaches sexual maturity. This is especially important for female dogs, because the likelihood of developing mammary  (breast) cancer later on increases once a dog has gone through heat. The incidence increases greatly with each additional heat cycle.

Pets are under general anesthesia for their castration or spay, so fasting is required for 10 to 12 hours before the surgery. This decreases the risk that the pet will vomit—and aspirate the vomit, which can be deadly—during anesthesia. Dogs—especially puppies—which are very active after their surgery, may also need a sedative to keep them calm.

The spaying procedure:

In both dogs and cats, ovariohysterectomy is a major surgery. The ovaries and uterus are removed through an abdominal incision, which is then sutured.

The neutering procedure:

Neutering a dog is generally a simple procedure. Once the dog is asleep, the surgeon makes a small incision at the front of the scrotum and removes the testicles. The incision is then sutured. The dog should be kept calm and quiet for several days and should not run off-leash for two weeks. Walking on-leash is also recommended.

Most pets, male or female, recover rapidly from their surgery. In no time at all, they're acting as if nothing happened!  Besides helping create a better relationship between you and your pet, neutering your pet definitely increases his or her chances of living a longer and healthier life. Having your pet neutered is one of the most responsible, loving thing

Top 3 reasons you should spay or neuter your pet:

1. Spaying or neutering increases your pet's chances for a longer, healthier life.  Spaying your pet before her first estrous cycle (that is, before she reaches sexual maturity) greatly reduces her chances of developing breast cancer and completely eliminates the threat of uterine and ovarian cancer and uterine infection, which are common occurrences in unaltered females.  Neutering your male dog or cat prevents testicular tumors and may prevent prostate problems. Neutering also decreases the possibility of perianal tumors and hernias, which are commonly observed in older, unaltered dogs.

2. An altered dog is a better pet for your family.  Males neutered early in life are less aggressive toward other males and are not distracted by females in heat. Therefore, a neutered male will be less tempted to leave your property and cross that dangerous highway searching for a mate. Neutered males also are less likely to mark every one of your (or your neighbor's) expensive shrubs with his urine as well as inside the house.  Spaying your female pet eliminates the problem of stray males camping in your yard and decreases her desire to roam and breed.

3. You are helping to alleviate the dog overpopulation problem.  Each year, millions of unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized (killed) at shelters across the country. Although pet behavioral problems are the main reasons animals are given to shelters, many orphans are the result of accidental breeding by free-roaming, unaltered pets. The more pets spayed or neutered, the fewer pets will have to be destroyed. Some shelters do not euthanize but hundreds of animals are turned away each year because there is simply not enough room at the shelter to accommodate them.