Neutering Dogs & Cats: Addressing Male Owners’ Reluctance

When it comes to neutering cats and dogs, many veterinarians will tell you that their male customers are often reluctant to have their male pets neutered. When the veterinarian asks why, the answer is focused on them putting themselves in their dog’s shoes and they say that they just can’t do that to their dog. Although people can understand this knee-jerk reaction that some men have, it really comes from not examining the situation fully. It comes from them projecting their own feelings onto a totally different situation and this of course is a mistake. If you are not going to let the dog breed, then he can smell every female in heat from 2-3 or more kilometres away. Given that he will not be able to act on those urges, SURELY it is fairer that those urges not be there at all. Furthermore many non-neutered males that cannot mate, exhibit very undesirable behaviours for us humans. Just a few of these behaviours include indoor marking (spraying their urine) and destructive behaviours like chewing. These behaviours stem from the excess testosterone rushing through the dog’s body.

The answer to this scenario, of course should NOT be to let your dog mate to fulfill its urges. Firstly, those urges will not be satisfied by mating just once. The urges will re-occur and re-occur and the bad behaviours will continue. Secondly, not sterilizing males gives them the opportunity to escape and have ‘accidents’ which happen all the time. Thirdly not neutering males adds to the pet over-population crisis which results in the DAILY euthanizing of thousands of dogs and cats in North America alone. Most men (and women) are aware that shelters and humane societies are filled to capacity and so most people don’t end up breeding their pets. This is a good thing since only reputable professional breeders should be breeding to better the breed. People that just put 2 pets together are of course adding to the pet overpopulation crisis and a large percentage of the offspring won’t get sterilized and again contribute to this dreadful problem.

Aside from destructive behaviours and marking behaviours, other non desirable behaviours that are greatly diminished or eliminated through neutering include roaming behaviours and general aggressive behaviours. In general, neutered males are much calmer. The are also the medical advantages of neutering males which are very significant as well. These advantages include relative freedom from all prostate problems which is a huge problem in unneutered males. Testicular tumours are eliminated when puppies and kittens are neutered. Many types of anal tumours are practically eliminated and many types of hernias are drastically eliminated when dogs and cats are neutered.

Although dogs and cats can be neutered at any age, the greatest advantages come when they are neutered before puberty. Most vets suggest neutering cats and dogs at around 5-6 months of age.