Why Should I Desex My Dog?
People
buy their puppies from many different places. They are cute and grow
into adorable juveniles around 6 months of age. At this stage the
question of desexing arises.
Let’s look at why you would breed from a bitch and mate your dog. Firstly, can you answer yes to all the questions below?
- Have you bought a purebred dog?
- Is it registered with a reputable breeder who is registered through the CCCQ (Canine Control Council, Queensland)
- Are you going to show your dog?
- Are
you going to be breeding specifically to help strengthen this breed,
ie. are you breeding for better confirmation or temperament?
If you can’t answer yes to the above questions, you should NOT be breeding. Breeding is best left to the experts.
At a certain time in a young pet’s life, their thoughts turn to
the topic of romance. Although the idea of the pitter-patter of little
feet may seem like a good idea at the time, the ongoing care for baby
cats and dogs can be quite harrowing and expensive! It is for this
reason and many others that we recommend desexing of all domestic pets
Sexual maturity in dogs occurs at 5 to 6 months of age and can be shown
in a number of ways. Dogs can be subtle in their advertisements. Boy
dogs tend to wander the neighbourhood and scale fences looking for a
willing consort while girl dogs will also go “looking for
love”. Girl dogs also have the physical signs of dripping blood
or mucous from their often swollen vagina (messy).
The
prevention of unwanted pregnancies and the unnecessary euthanasia of
unwanted puppies is the first reason for desexing your pets. Once they
have been desexed they can’t fall pregnant or impregnate.
The
social implications of undesexed pets are huge. These wandering
romantics are at great risk of getting hit by cars, becoming badly
injured or killed while crossing roads. They are also at risk of injury
from fighting with competitors for the object of their affection. All
of these injuries also cost mum and dad money when the pet needs to be
seen by the vet.
There are also health reasons for de-sexing pets. Female dogs can
develop mammary (breast) tumours if they are not desexed at a young
age. These require extensive surgery to remove. They can also develop a
life-threatening situation called “pyometra” where their
uterus fills with pus because their seasons are not as regular as when
they were young. This requires urgent expensive medial attention and in
some instances pets can die from the problem.
Male dogs have their own set of preventable reproductive system
diseases. Testicular cancer in older male pets is as common as it is in
humans and is preventable. As pets age, the rapid cellular changes that
occur in the testicles can become abnormal and cancers can form from
these abnormal cells. This is especially likely if the testicles
haven’t both descended into the scrotum. If your pet
doesn’t have testicles, they can’t become cancerous!
Prostate disease in dogs not desexed is similar to prostate
disease in humans as well. There are four types of prostatic disease:
- Prostatic hypertrophy prostatic cancer
- Prostatic cysts prostatic abscesses
Prostatic hypertrophy is a benign enlargement of the prostate that can
narrow the urethra (tube fro the bladder to outside) and create urinary
system problems. A large prostate also creates constipation by blocking
the flow of excrement down the rectum. Prostatic cancer has a poor
survival rate and prostatic abscesses require extensive surgery and
open abdominal drainage over many weeks to correct (picture lots
of bloody pus dripping on the floor)! Prostatic cysts are
uncommon and require specialist treatment. If desexed young, there is a
much reduced likelihood of developing these diseases
What is involved in Desexing?
Male dogs have their testicles removed under general anaesthetic in a
sterile manner (a castration). They do not have a vasectomy. Female
dogs have a more complicated procedure where the uterus and both
ovaries are removed under general anaesthesia in a sterile manner (an
ovariohysterectomy). This prevents pregnancy and also the hormonal
signs of coming into season, in addition to ovarian cancer.
Dr Gail Lovell B.V.Sc, M.A.C.V.Sc
For more information on desexing, please contact Redlands Veterinary
Clinic, 433 Boundary Road, Thornlands 4164. Phone; (07) 32077325 |
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From a male point of view, I just don’t like the thought of my dog’s testicles being removed!
Yes,
many male clients feel exactly like that. Desexing is not a
personal vendetta against the male population and the male owner will
not be less macho if the dog’s testicles have been removed
for medical reasons. Therefore, desexing should not be taken
personally. Instead, owners need to understand that in leaving a
male dog entire if he is unsuitable for breeding, will always put the
adult male dog at risk of testicular cancer.
In
addition, leaving a male dog entire with hormones flooding his
body also makes it difficult for him to concentrate on
training, and learning geneal manners around the home.
My
puppy is only 8 weeks old and my vet has advised she is not fully
immunised until she receives all her vaccinations. That’s around
16 weeks. How safe is it to start puppy classes as I’m worried
she might get sick?
More
and more vets, puppy breeders, trainers and pet stores are starting to
understand the importance of early training. An early start in life is
crucial to the success of raising a confident outgoing happy puppy. (See article on socialisation).
Studies undertaken have shown that learning stages in various breeds of
dogs can close early, such as their social skills. This means you can
slow down or close the fundamental development learning stage for your
pup. A good puppy school will minimise the risk of infectious disease
as floor surfaces are always washed. Outdoor areas are usually only
used for training and all dog’s vaccinations are sighted.
As
you are aware, people can carry parvo influenza off the street via
their shoes. Not giving your puppy early socialisation until it
is four months, in the off chance it may contract a disease such as
parvo influenza, only leads to a destructive juvenile and creates
many headaches for the family. Not taking a puppy out until
it’s had all its vaccinations only guarantees that you will have
to cope with behavioural issues that arise out of a fearful or over
boisterous, 'out of control' dog.
My dog is 6 years old. Is this too old to train and can they really
learn at this age? She jumps up on me every time I come home, barking
madly at me. I would love to get her involved in agility and I really
need help.
It
is never too late to start training. The oldest dog we have had
in classes was 9 years old. While the recommendation is that
training should commence from the age of 8 weeks, this is not always
practical. There are many “older dogs” that come to our
training classes. Older dogs do have a different set of criteria to
work with and some behaviours may take longer to sort out than others.
They can have greater concentration, but are usually under-socialised
and control is minimal. Once the owner’s start to understand
behaviour and put the basic principles into practice, the results are
fantastic. Most clients comment on how settled their dog has become,
how they now listen and how training has changed families' lives.
I’ve been told that a bitch should have at least one season. Is this true?
This
is a myth! There is no scientific proof that having a season
“helps” in any way. What it does is create havoc for a
family who are ill prepared for the issues, time and work required when
their bitch starts a season. The season lasts 3 weeks and commences
with the vulva slowly opening, causing fluid to drip. This leads to
bleeding, with the dog being ready to accept a male between day 13-16.
With every season that a bitch has, it increases mammary or uterine
cancers and infections. Bitches in season bring much unwanted
company in the form of wandering male dogs. If your bitch is not
secluded in a safe environment away from unwanted attention (not just
the backyard), this leads to impregnation, often leading to mixed bred
puppies. Bringing any puppy, purebred or mixed into the world can cause
a range of issues, and costs you money. Every year, the RSPCA is
forced to put thousands of dogs to sleep for this very reason.
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