Here at Doggo 411, we have a strong stance on spaying and neutering your dogs. Coming from a Pitbull rescue background, we understand the fact that Pitbulls account for almost 70% of dogs in municipal shelters around the United States. Over-breeding and accidental litters contribute to this number considerably. Some studies show that over 70% of all canine euthanasia are of the Pitbull breed. This is a very sad statistic, however this is not the only reason we believe everyone should fix their dog, and we feel this way regardless of your dog's breed. Let's discuss some other significant reasons everyone should fix their dogs..
Medical Reasons:
Fixing your dog can literally save it's life. In a previous post regarding extremely high cancer rates in dogs, we talked about the importance of a healthy diet to help your dog live a longer healthier life. Many people do not know that spaying and neutering your dog can also significantly reduce your dogs chances of developing cancer. It was noted that dogs who were not fixed were diagnosed with cancer at much younger ages and at a much higher rate!
Neutering your dog eliminates the possibility of contracting testicular cancer as well as significantly decreasing the chances of contracting prostate cancer. Neutering your male dog also significantly decreases the possibility of perianal tumors and hernias, which are commonly observed in older, unaltered males.
Spaying your female dog before their first heat cycle greatly decreases the incidence of breast cancer, and eliminates the chance of developing pyometra, a very serious and potentially fatal infection of the uterus that plagues many older females who are intact.
For these reasons alone, we feel everyone should make it a necessity to fix their dog! However, there are more reasons that fixing them should be done.
Behavioral Reasons:
Behaviorally speaking, intact male dogs are inherently way more likely to run away or run into the street chasing the scent of prey or other intact females to mate with, causing serious potential for accidents from being struck by a car, getting into fights with other dogs or wild animals or even contracting disease. Intact females will play a role in this behavior simply by attracting the unfixed males with their scent.
Intact males have a much higher level of hormones in their body, and if left intact through adulthood can begin to exhibit overly dominant behaviors that can lead to issues with other dogs, animals and humans! 2 intact males are much more likely to have a fight than altered males. Neutered dogs are not as prone to this dominant behavior, nor are they distracted or willing to fight over intact females in heat. An intact male is prone to anxiety as well which can lead to undesirable behaviors stemming from the fact that they want to find a female mate, but cannot. This anxiety is saddening and since the root of that anxiety can be physical due to them being intact, you can fix it by neutering them.
Excessive marking (peeing on things to leave their scent) is another very common behavior in intact males that can be essentially eliminated once they are fixed. If your unfixed male dog is lifting his leg on your furniture or on every little thing they see outside, this behavior is a direct link to them being intact.
Humping is another common undesirable trait of an intact male dog. This behavior can certainly cause problems in a home, whether it be with humans or other dogs. Anyone who has ever been humped by a friend or family members unfixed dog would understand that it is not fun! A dominant, intact dog that humps can, and will eventually start a fight in a pack of other dogs if not addressed and most owners will not know how to handle the issue. A dog fight stemming from this behavior can cause serious issues like injury to dogs and humans, disruption to the pack and home, and can potentially cause dogs to be sent to a shelter!
Over breeding and accidental litters are just a part of the reason that we believe all responsible dog owners should consider fixing their dogs. So many other issues can be avoided by having your dogs fixed. Please spay and neuter your dogs to prevent these behaviors and health issues from manifesting in the first place and your dog will live a longer and happier life!
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