Neutering and Spaying: Effects of Health and Behavior
Neutering, from the Latin neuter, is the removal of an animal's reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part. The term is often used in reference to males whereas spaying is often reserved for females. Colloquially, both terms are often referred to as fixing. While technically called castration for males, in male horses, the process is referred to as gelding.
Neutering is the most common sterilizing method in animals. In the United States, most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted litters, contributing to the overpopulation of unwanted animals in the rescue system.
Health and behavioral effects
Advantages
Besides being a birth control method, and being convenient to many owners, neutering/spaying has the following health benefits:
Sexually dimorphic behaviors such as mounting, urine spraying and some forms of male aggression may be reduced due to the decrease in hormone levels brought about by neutering. This is especially significant in male cats due to the extreme undesirability of these male cat sexual behaviors for many pet owners.
There is some weak evidence that spaying reduces the risk of mammary tumor considerably in female dogs when done before 2.5 years, and even more so if done before the first estrous cycle. It is a very common disorder of female dogs, with a reported incidence of 3.4%. Of female dogs with mammary tumors, 50.9% have malignant tumors. Spaying female dogs more than two years before the removal of mammary tumors increases the dog's survival odds by 45%.
Without its ability to reproduce, a female necessarily has zero risk of pregnancy complications, such as spotting and false pregnancy, the latter of which can occur in more than 50% of unspayed female dogs.
Pyometra, Uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer are prevented as the susceptible organs are removed, though stump pyometra may still
Neutering is the most common sterilizing method in animals. In the United States, most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted litters, contributing to the overpopulation of unwanted animals in the rescue system.
Health and behavioral effects
Advantages
Besides being a birth control method, and being convenient to many owners, neutering/spaying has the following health benefits:
Sexually dimorphic behaviors such as mounting, urine spraying and some forms of male aggression may be reduced due to the decrease in hormone levels brought about by neutering. This is especially significant in male cats due to the extreme undesirability of these male cat sexual behaviors for many pet owners.
There is some weak evidence that spaying reduces the risk of mammary tumor considerably in female dogs when done before 2.5 years, and even more so if done before the first estrous cycle. It is a very common disorder of female dogs, with a reported incidence of 3.4%. Of female dogs with mammary tumors, 50.9% have malignant tumors. Spaying female dogs more than two years before the removal of mammary tumors increases the dog's survival odds by 45%.
Without its ability to reproduce, a female necessarily has zero risk of pregnancy complications, such as spotting and false pregnancy, the latter of which can occur in more than 50% of unspayed female dogs.
Pyometra, Uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer are prevented as the susceptible organs are removed, though stump pyometra may still