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small
talk
05
With just over 9 million dogs
and almost 9 million cats in
the UK you’d think that
whether to neuter would be
a simple question. However,
we don’t treat cats and dogs
as merely numbers, they are
individuals and need to be
treated as such.
N
eutering for the
veterinary team is a
daily event but we
try to remember that for this
particular patient it is a once in
a lifetime event and therefore
their owner may have fears,
questions and concerns.
Unfortunately we are living
through an age where it is
easier to ‘google’ than call
and there is a lot of apparently
contradictory information out
there regarding the benefits
and risks of neutering.
Certainly the surgery itself is
much lower risk than it used
to be thanks to innovations
in anaesthesia, pain relief and
surgical materials, such as
synthetic absorbable sutures.
However, it’s the long term
effects that most owners are
concerned about, behavioural
or personality changes, risks
of obesity and risks of serious
diseases. This is where the
internet myths start to rear
their heads...
Neutering
makes
pets fat
?
Neutering definitely lowers a
pets requirement for calories
so if you feed your pet the
same amount after neutering
as before, then weight gain is
very likely. Adjusting the
calories in a pet’s diet after
neutering is advised. Either a
reduction in volume fed or
swapping to a lower calorie
diet. Check your pet’s weight
regularly after neutering to
make sure it’s stable.
Neutering
changes
pets personalities
?
In dogs neutering has far
less effect on behaviour than
previously thought. It’s
certainly not a substitute for
good training. Aggression in
dogs can be improved by
castration if it’s dog to dog
aggression but a nervous dog
with people may be made
worse, so speak to your vet to
get their advice. Cats and
rabbits are far more sociable
pets after neutering making
them less likely to fight and
wander off. With regards to
your pet’s personality - it will
still be the lovable member of
the family it was before.
Neutering
increases
the risk of certain
diseases
?
There have been a number of
very large studies looking at
this area. It’s important for us
to know, are we doing right
by our patients, when we
recommend any procedure.
We do know that there are
increased risks of some
diseases, such as incontinence
and certain tumours in
neutered pets, but it is also
protection against others.
Certain breeds of dogs will be
advised to have at least one
season in some cases to help
prevent incontinence in later
life whereas in other breeds this
may be of no concern.
In summary...
It is a complicated picture,
but really the simplest
questions are often the
best and
‘If I neuter my
pet will they live longer?’
is probably the place
to start.
A massive study of over
40,000 dogs in 2013
concluded that neutered
dogs do tend to live
longer, which is good
to know.