Desexing (or neutering) is a vital component of responsible pet ownership. Desexing is the process of removing your pet’s reproductive organs while under a general anaesthetic. In females (also known as speying or an ovariohysterectomy) the procedure involves removal of both the ovaries and the majority of the uterus. Alternatively, in males (in which it is commonly known as castration) it involves removal of both the testes.
Why should you desex your pet?
Desexing offers a multitude of benefits including:
- Prevention of unwanted pregnancies and litters.
- Reduced risk of mammary tumors – The risk of an undesexed female dog developing a mammary tumor is more than 25% in their lifetime. The risk is just 0.5% if spayed before their first heat (approximately 6 months of age), 8% after their first heat, and 26% after their second heat. Cats spayed before 6 months of age have a 7-times reduced risk of developing mammary cancer and spaying at any age reduces the risk of mammary tumors by 40% to 60% in cats*.
- Prevention of testicular cancer
- Prevention of ovarian cancer
- Reduced risk of prostatic cancer as well as benign prostatic enlargement. The latter is associated with pain and inability to urinate which often results in euthanasia if the animal is not castrated.
- Prevention of developing a pyometra (a life-threatening condition in which the uterus fills with pus causing systemic illness)
- Reduced roaming and aggression
- Decreased risk of perineal hernias in male dogs
- Decreased risk of spread of certain diseases such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV).
- Decreased urine odour and prevention of urine spraying/marking
Early desexing at shelter
Traditionally, most cats and dogs were desexed at 6 months of age. Current council recommendations are that cats are desexed before the age of 4 months, as some cats become sexually mature by then.
In recent years, there has been some evidence that large or giant breed dogs (e.g. Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Bull Mastiffs) can benefit from being desexed at 12-24 months of age. This is believed to be due to their hormones affecting their growth plates and helping the development of their musculoskeletal system, as well as keeping a lower level of body fat. This potentially decreases the risk of orthopaedic issues such as cranial cruciate ligament tears, angular limb deformities and joint disease.
At the Animal Welfare League NSW, we have considered the risks and benefits of early desexing and have chosen to desex at an earlier age for several reasons:
- Prevent unwanted pregnancies – As an animal shelter, our main goal is to prevent unwanted animals, so we want to ensure all our animals are desexed before they go to their new homes. If animals are adopted out before they are desexed, we can’t guarantee that they will be desexed at a later date.
- Allow animals to be adopted quicker – Some animals come into our care as puppies who are only a few weeks old. This means that some of these puppies would have to live at the shelter for another 300 days before they could be allowed to be desexed and then look for a family.
- Shelter space – We only have 78 dog kennels and 116 cat condominiums at the shelter but on average, we receive 30 requests every day to take on an animal. The longer an animal has to wait at shelter for a surgery, the less animals we are able to take in and help overall.
If you have adopted a dog from the Animal Welfare League NSW and are concerned about future problems resulting from early desexing, please speak to your local veterinarian about things to watch out for and ways to minimise risks.
*Source: https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/mammary-tumors