Advantages of Neutering

• Prevents spotting of blood in female dogs and urine spraying in female cats during heat periods.
• Prevents females from attracting groups of male stray dogs while in heat.
• Decreases the male's urge to spray urine to mark territory and to fight over females in heat.
• Decreases embarrassing inappropriate mounting behaviour in male pets.
• Reduces or eliminates irritable aggression of females in heat and dominance aggression.
• Reduces tendency to roam or try to escape, thus reducing your pet's chances of becoming lost or injured.
• Spayed females are not susceptible to life-threatening reproductive tract tumors, infection of the uterus, and complications from pregnancy.
• Prevents enlarged prostate (occurs in 60% of older dogs); prostate tumors and infections in males.

Health Benefits

Female Dogs and Cats

Spaying removes the ovaries and uterus and thus eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine infection or cancer. Bacterial infection of the uterus (Pyometra) is commonly recorded in older unspayed dogs. In its advanced stages, pyometra causes general illness and kidney failure. Pyometra required emergency spaying, which may save the animal. The best preventive care is to spay dogs and cats when they are young and healthy.

Spaying can also prevent mamary gland tumors, the most common tumor in unspayed female dogs and the thrid most common tumor in cats. A high percentage of mammary tumors are cancerous; in dogs nearly 50%; in cats nearly 90%. Once a cancerous mammary tumor spreads to the bones or lungs, the cancer will be fatal. An unspayed dog is more likely to develop mammary tumors than a dog spayed before her first heat.

Male Dogs

Neutering removes the testicles, which prevents testicular tumors and greatly reduces the risk of developing rectal tumors. A dog that develops a testicular tumor must be treated before the tumor spreads - the only effective means is neutering. Testicular tumors are especially prevalent in older dogs.

Enlargement of the prostate gland affects over 60% of unneutered male dogs older than five years. Prostatic enlargement predisposes a dog to prostate and urinary - tract infections, which can make urinating difficult and painful. If an infection leads to an abscess, the abscess must be surgically drained. Because prostatic enlargement is caused by the male hormone testosterone produced from testicles and hence neutering acts as both preventive and cure.

Additionally, by eliminating the sexual drive that can cause a dog to bolt from the yard or house, neutering helps protect dogs from injuries associated with roaming such as being hit by a car or infections transmitted by other animals.

Behavioural Benefits

Female Dogs

Spaying prevents irritability and aggressiveness that some dogs exhibit while in heat. In indoor dogs, this also prevents vaginal blood spots on household furniture or the carpet.

Female Cats

Most unspayed female cats experience heat cycles during 10 months of the year. While in heat, many cats yowl loudly and continually during any hour of the day or night.

Male Dogs

In many male dogs, neutering reduced or eliminates sexual mounting behaviour and territorial marking with their urine (that might take place in the house)

Male Cats

Most unneutered cats frequently spray urine to mark their territory. The urine of an unneutered male has an exceptionally strong odor as well.

The questions which dog owners faces generally relating to Neutering/Spaying are being answered in "FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS"

Pseudo pregnancy or false pregnancy is a common physiological condition noticed in unspayed bitches, occurs frequently after the termination of estrus/heat period. The condition is caused by a hormone called PROLACTIN secreted in the anterior pituitary gland. It is advised not to administer any medicines since the condition resolves spontaneously in 1-3 weeks. Drugs which have a property of inhibiting prolactin activity, are not commonly used in practice because of their side effects. If owners are distressed by repeated bouts of pseudopregnancy, the bitch should either be bred or subjected to ovariohysterectomy. Pseudopregnancy is more commonly recorded in Labrador / retriever breed. CLINICAL SIGNS Clinical signs are similar to those of pregnancy viz., Weight gain Abdominal distension Enlargement of mammary glands Lactation /milk secretion Signs of nursing Hyperactivity Aggression Inappetence THERAPY Commonly employed drugs are prolactin inhibitors viz., Bromocriptine available in tablet form. Possible side effects-vomition, nausea, gastric bleeding etc. Hence it is not advised to use. Cabergoline considered to be safe with no side effets but no preparation is available in India. Preparations of Estrodial benzoate should not be used for a long time since they may lead to bone marrow suppression. If milk is infected it can be noticed by a change in colour. A course of antibiotic is advised, preferably cephalexin for 7 days.