The decision to neuter a pet can be a difficult one, especially for male pet owners who understandably, find the idea of castration rather difficult to digest.
But in the vast majority of cases, spaying or neutering a dog, cat, rat or other pet is a wise choice. Spaying refers to the procedure used to sterilize a female animal, while neutering refers to the process used to sterilize a male animal. This article will focus on the benefits of neutering a dog, cat or other pet.
Neutering a Pet Cuts Down on Territorial Marking
Most male dogs and cats will begin marking their territory with urine once they reach adulthood; typically between 9 to 12 months of age.
For obvious reasons, this is a very undesirable behavior, but unfortunately, territorial marking is an extremely difficult habit to break. This is due, in part, to the fact that a male’s tendency to mark is not solely a behavioral problem; territorial marking is driven by the male’s hormones. This makes it extremely difficult to stop a male’s territorial marking. Neutering a dog reduces hormone levels, thereby stopping or significantly improving territorial marking tendencies in a male dog or cat.
Neutering a Pet Helps Reduce the Risk of Cancer and Other Health Problems
When a pet is neutered, this significantly cuts down on the animal’s hormone level. Hormones have been found to play a major role in certain illnesses, so neutering cuts down on a dog’s chances of developing diseases like cancer.
There is a fairly high rate of testicular cancer, for instance, in intact male dogs. Neutering the dog eliminates this risk.
Neutering a Pet Cuts Down on Fighting, Aggression and Wandering
Neutering a male pet greatly decreases his testosterone levels; testosterone plays a major role when it comes to aggressive behaviors. Therefore, neutering can help decrease fighting and aggression in male pets.
Male rats, in particular, can get very aggressive with other males. In a vast majority of cases, neutering one of the male rats will significantly cut down on fighting and other aggressive behaviors.
Eliminating a major source of the pet’s testosterone through neutering also cuts back on wandering behaviors in cats and dogs. In many cases, a dog or cat will run away or wander far from home in search of a female in heat; the pet will no longer have this urge to wander once he is neutered.
In general, neutered males tend to be less high-strung and more relaxed thanks to the lower testosterone levels. Neutering also cuts down on hormone-driven vocalizations, like yowling in cats.
A Solution for Neuter-Hesitant Pet Owners
Many pet owners will decide against neutering a dog, cat or other pet due to the “less manly” appearance of a neutered male. In fact, neutering a dog or cat can disqualify him from competing in some dog shows or cat shows. But there’s now a solution for pet owners who fear that their dog will “miss” their testicles.
Neuticals are are testicular implant created for neutered dogs, cats, bulls and other domestic animals. When the veterinarian surgically removes the male dog’s real testicles, he can implant the Neuticals. Neuticals can even be implanted years after a male has been neutered. When healing is complete, the dog, cat, bull or other pet will appear “intact.”
If a pet owner is interested in Neuticals for their pet, it’s important to note that Neuticals should be implanted after the age of 9 months of age, when the pet is close to his adult size – this ensures that the proper size Neuticals are implanted. Wondering how much Neuticals cost? Pricing for a pair of Neutical Originals starts around $75 USD.
(Photo Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1111753)
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