Neutering: Making the Right Decision for Your Pet's Health
Omokoroa Pet Vets strongly supports the decision to neuter pets to aid in reducing the population of unwanted pets. But what does this involve and what do you need to know? This article is a guide to the pro’s and cons of neutering and the best timing of neutering for your pet.
Neutering of males, whether cats, dogs, rabbits or guinea pigs, consists of a general anaesthetic to surgically remove the testicles. After a few weeks of surgery, he will no longer be fertile.
Neutering of females, whether cats, dogs or rabbits, the surgery under a general anaesthesia is more complex as the abdominal cavity is entered to remove the ovaries and uterus.
Cats:
Benefits of neutering a male cat include:
Reduction of stray cat population
Reduction in roaming
Reduction of fighting and aggression
Reduction of spraying urine
Reduces transfer of FIV through fighting
Reduces the risk of testicular and prostatic cancers of older male cats
Increased affection
Disadvantages of neutering a male cat may include:
Increased weight gain, however this may be controlled through dietary management
The advantages of neutering significantly surpass the drawbacks, and we encourage responsible owners to desex and microchip their male cats.
Benefits of neutering a female cat include:
Reduction of stray cat population
Reduction in roaming to seek a mate
Reduction in mammary cancers and elimination of uterine and ovarian cancers
Reduce in spraying
Eliminates management of stressful heats
Disadvantages of neutering a female cat may include:
Increased weight gain, however this may be controlled through dietary management
Again, the advantages of neutering significantly surpass the drawbacks, and we encourage responsible owners to desex and microchip their female cats.
Timing of neutering a cat:
To avoid unplanned litters, it is advisable to neuter both male and female cats between 4 to 6 months of age. However, many breeders and rescue organizations often require that kittens be neutered before they are adopted into new homes. In such cases, to ensure a smooth recovery from surgery, Omokoroa Pet Vets Policy requires that kittens must weigh at least 1kg at the time of neutering.
Please note: For larger dog breeds, it is advisable to postpone neutering until their growth plates have closed to prevent potential joint issues, such as hip dysplasia. The research suggests a different skeletal complication in cats neutered early as there is increased risk of femoral capitus fracture, needing removal of the femoral head to resolve.
In the case of larger breeds like the Maine Coon, neutering at 6-8 months might be more appropriate. However, this choice carries the risk of prolonged heat cycles in females, which can be challenging for both pets and their owners to handle.
Dogs:
Benefits of neutering a male dog include:
Reduction of stray and unwanted population
Reduction in roaming
Reduction of fighting and aggression
Reduction of urine marking
Reduces the risk of testicular cancer
Reduces prostatic cancers and benign prostatic hypertrophy (which causes pain and urethral obstruction of older male intact dogs that is treated by neutering anyway).
Reduces risk of perianal hernia and tumours
Reduces misdirected sexual behaviour
Disadvantages of neutering a male dog include:
Increased weight gain, however this may be controlled through dietary management
The advantages of neutering significantly surpass the drawbacks, and we encourage responsible owners to desex and microchip their male dogs.
Benefits of neutering a female dog include:
Reduction of stray and unwanted population
Reduction in mammary cancers and elimination of uterine and ovarian cancers
Eliminates management of stressful heats
Reduces the risk of a life-threatening uterine infection
Eliminated behavioural and physical changes associated with false (phantom) pregnancies
Disadvantages of neutering a female dog may include:
Increased weight gain, however this may be controlled through dietary management
Some research suggests there is a link between neutering a female dog and an underactive thyroid
Some cancer risk increases with neutering female dogs, such as lymphoma and mast cell tumors, osteosarcoma. However, the breed type also plays a part in this risk factor.
Again, the advantages of neutering significantly surpass the drawbacks, and we encourage responsible owners to desex and microchip their female dogs.
What age to neuter your dog
Research provides clearer insights into the impacts of early neutering on male and female dogs.
For female dogs, the likelihood of developing hormonal urinary incontinence rises when neutering occurs before three months of age. Therefore, our policy for small and medium breed female dogs is to postpone neutering until they are over six months old.
In small male dog breeds the recommendation is to neuter at approximately 6 months of age. If unwanted sexual behaviour or aggression are becoming problematic, neutering may be performed from 4 months onwards.
In larger breeds, it has been recommended to delay neutering until the growth plates within their bones are closed. For medium breeds, this may be 8-10 months, for large breeds 12 months of age and giant breeds 18months+.
In a study of golden retrievers that were neutered at less then 6 months of age, both sexes were found to be 2-3 times more likely to develop a cruciate rupture than an intact golden retriever. Similarly, golden retriever males neutered at less than 6 months of age were 1.5 times more likely to develop hip dysplasia. This was not the finding in female golden retrievers.
If you have any concerns regarding neutering your dog, please give our friendly team a call to discuss making the right decision for your pet.