Spaying Your Puppy Can Save It's Life

Once you have immunized your pet, this would be a fantastic time to talk with your local veterinarian about spaying or neutering your pet. Taking on the responsibility of breeding a pet means a lot more than just taking care of some puppies are kitties once they are born and then selling them. For those owners that do not want to breed their pets, the choice of spaying or neutering is not so difficult and is desirable for numerous reasons, both behavioral and physical reasons. The biggest reason of course is prevention of the accidental conception and birth of unwanted litters of puppies or kittens.

For a female dog an overiohysterectomy otherwise known as OHE will prevent the occurrence of menstrual periods which are often accompanied by a bloody vaginal discharge and restless behavior or irritability. Depending on the breed of the dog, the operation is usually performed at 6 to 7 months before a female's first sheet. When she is almost full grown. The operation is done at this young age as it dramatically reduces the risk of her developing breast cancer which is one of the most common malignancies in bitches. The longer that this operation is delayed usually means that the female is at higher risk for memory gland cancer which will develop later on in the dog's life. For an older dog who is not yet had the procedure, they may also develop a serious life-threatening uterine infection which will need to be treated surgically. So obviously it is recommended that if you are going to spay your female dog or cat, it should be performed when the pet is younger.

This is a major operation. However, with modern advances in medicine and medical techniques it has become a routine surgery and is usually very uncomplicated. Working with experienced local veterinarian from a Denver animal hospital should prove to be a wise decision as your medical professional will be able to assist your animal through the procedure with minimal pain and a quick recovery. Your dog will more than likely stay in the hospital overnight after the procedure to make sure that she has come out of the anesthesia okay and is comfortable. Usually about one or two days after the procedure your dog will show no signs of discomfort or pain and should be back to their usual self. It is very uncommon that there are any issues with this procedure. It is still important that you maintain an eye on their incision as there is a chance that it will become irritated or infected. Should this happen it is important that you contact your local veterinarian right away.

A male dog will go through a neutering operation which cuts down dramatically on the typical behavior of "roaming" and it can also reduce aggressive behavior in males. This operation is usually performed around 6 to 10 months of age when the dog is sexually mature. It can be performed when a male dog is older but by this time typical bad habits of roaming and aggressiveness are more ingrained and difficult to change. The male sex hormone in dogs can affect aggressive behavior and it can also affect their health. Some testosterone related health problems are benign prostate hypertropy, perianal gland tumors and hair loss. Testicular cancer can also occur especially with older intact (non-castrated) dogs; the treatment of choice is usually castration.

Many animal shelters have begun to neuter young puppies before they are adopted out in order to avoid the unwanted birth of more young puppies. Neutering has proven to be a safe and effective way to help control the population of unwanted puppies and kittens. If your puppy has been adopted from a shelter and has already been castrated or had an OHE, then there is not much to worry about.

Future articles that we will be posting here shortly willing to frequently asked questions and concerns about spaying or neutering your pet.