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Capri
Owned by Renae
Should I spay or neuter my pet?
To best decide if getting your pet spayed or neutered is right for your pet and your family, there are several things to consider first.
Are you planning on breeding your pet? If not, then it may be better to them spayed/neutered. Even if you only have 1 pet, it may still be possible for your pet to get pregnant or to get another pet pregnant... life finds a way. (Jurassic Park reference🦕)
If you are planning on breeding, are you prepared for a possible C-section if your pet cannot have her puppies on her own? Are you prepared to bottle feed the puppies if your pet is unable to nurse them? Are you prepared to care for the puppies that don't get a home?
Keeping your female dog or cat intact puts her at a higher risk of developing mammary cancer later on. It also puts her at risk of having a pyometra which is a serious, potentially deadly infection of the uterus that usually happens around the time of a heat cycle, especially in older female pets.
It is much cheaper, easier, and safer for your pet to have a spay surgery when they are healthy vs when they are sick and it's an emergency.
Keeping your male dog intact puts him at a higher risk of developing testicular cancer and having prostate problems later on. Intact dogs are sometimes more aggressive and tend to wander more to find intact females. This is often a time when they get lost or hurt.
When should I spay or neuter my pet?
This varies by veterinarian and it's always best to talk to your veterinarian about the preferred timing of spay and neuter. That Grumpy Vet recommends spaying or neutering your pet around 4-6 months old. Spaying before your pet's first heat cycle can drastically reduce their risk of mammary cancer. Dogs can get their first heat cycle around 6-9 months old, and cats can get their first heat cycle as early as 4 months old.
For more information regarding spaying and neutering, check out the following articles.
Research article from Frontiers in Veterinary Science for breed specific recommendations regarding timing of spay/neuter. This article was published in 2020.
Should I get my pet microchipped?
Microchips are a small chip that is implanted just underneath the skin between the shoulder blades. A large sized needle is used for implantation, which can be slightly uncomfortable. Anesthesia or sedation is not needed for implantation of the microchip.
Microchips are not a GPS tracker. If your pet was to get lost, the microchip could be scanned to obtain a number that is registered to you. This will allow whomever has your pet to contact you. It is important to keep your contact information up-to-date in the microchip registry. This can be done through your pet's microchip company.
Veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, and dog wardens usually have microchip scanners.
For more information regarding microchips, check out the Humane Society's article about microchips.
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