Here's why you should get your pet spayed/neutered

Ask a pet parent to make a wish, and they will ask for their pet's long and healthy life. What if we tell you it is actually possible to increase your pet's life expectancy by 1 to 5 years? Yes, this miracle is possible through spaying and neutering. There are multiple reasons why pet parents should get their pets neutered or spayed. Let's learn about more such benefits of spaying and neutering in detail!

What is Spaying and Neutering?

Spaying is the surgery performed on female cats and dogs to remove their reproductive organs (fallopian tubes and uterus). Neutering is the surgery for male dogs and cats to remove their reproductive parts (testes). In simple words, by Spaying and neutering female and male animals respectively, we can stop their mating instincts and spread of several associated diseases.

Confused if you should go ahead with Spaying/Neutering your pet?

Here are three reasons why you should get your pet neutered or spayed -

1. Better health:

Neutering helps increase in life expectancy in dogs by up to 18%. Compared to their unspayed counterparts, spayed cats live 39% longer and spayed dogs live 23% longer.

Numerous studies back this fact with the reason that spaying and neutering reduce the risk of several life-threatening diseases. Neutered pets have a reduced risk of testicular cancers and prostate problems.

Spaying and neutering allow pregnancy control, preventing unwanted litters. It also reduces the risk of numerous pregnancy issues like stillbirths, miscarriages, & even death which usually occur when the mother is not physically ready for pregnancy.

2. Prevention of infections:

One of the biggest benefits of spaying and neutering your pet is that it keeps several infections and diseases at bay.

Female dogs have a 50% probability of developing uterine and ovarian cancers or breast tumors. This probability goes up to 90% in female cats. Taking care of a female dog or cat's hygiene during their heat cycles, pregnancy, or post-pregnancy is especially important. Even a little ignorance can develop uterine infections. Spaying helps eliminate the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer and reduce the risks of breast tumors.

In neutered male pets, the risk of testicular cancer is eliminated and the risk of prostate cancer is greatly reduced. Additionally, neutering reduces the risk of hernias and perianal tumors, which are frequently seen in older, unaltered dogs.

3. Aggression Control:

Having a furry friend is all fun and cute until their hormonal changes begin. Like humans, it is normal for pets to experience hormonal changes and heat cycles, but it becomes a stressful task for pet parents to manage them during this phase. It is quite common to notice aggressive behavior in pets during their heat cycles or hormonal changes.

Females in heat often cry for no apparent reason, yowl, and spray urine around to attract a male companion. Unaltered males exhibit behaviors like humping, and temperament problems. Spaying/neutering keeps control of hormonal changes which leads to reduced aggressive behavior. It is observed that spayed/neutered pets are less likely to bite. Behavioral patterns like humping, mounting, or urine spraying also get controlled post-surgery.

Is there something more to know about spaying and neutering?

As a pet parent, you must have heard a ton of things that could happen to your pet if you spay or neuter them. Well, we have heard them too and it's time to bust some common myths for you. One of the biggest myths that people believe in, is that spaying and neutering cause unnecessary weight gain in dogs and cats. And here's the truth- altering your pet won't affect them or their body in any way, at least not negatively.

Yes, weight problems might occur if your pet's physical activity levels are low or when the diet isn't proper. A pet continues to live a healthy and in fact, more stable life in terms of behavioral patterns post-surgery.

Want to know when is the right time to get your pet spayed or neutered? Get in touch with Kuddle and our expert Vets will guide you through.