MYTH ONE : “My pet will get fat and lazy.”
The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much junk food (canned or dry) and treats loaded with HFCS, and don’t give them enough exercise. A run around the yard is NOT exercise. Consider switching our animals to a raw diet, which will keep them healthy, happy, lean and your visits to the vet at a minimum.
Read our blog about why Let’s Adopt insists feeding our animals a raw diet.
MYTH TWO: “It’s better to have one litter first.”
Actually, science indicates just the opposite!!!
In fact, evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. The best time to spay your female dog or cat is before her first heat. Early spaying greatly reduces the incidences of mammary cancer.
Both pregnancy and birth can be very stressful for the animal.
Animals giving birth sometimes die from complications.
Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age.
MYTH THREE: “I’ll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.”
You may find homes for all of your pet’s litter (in Turkey chances are YOU WON’T) . But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year’s time, each of your pet’s offspring may have his/her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The original problem of crowded shelters is created by just one litter at a time.
There’s no need to breed – PERIOD!
This must stop!
MYTH FOUR: “But my pet is purebred.”
So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats; mixed breed and purebred.
Your purebred’s testes aren’t any more valuable than those of a mixed breed. They’ll contribute to the same problem.
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Excellent post Viktor…as always straight to the point and factual. I myself have a young litter of 3 6 wk olds with mum. Not intentional by any means, found mum with 1 day old babes in an old garage. No other option but to bring them in and help them. They are soooo cute and get on famously with my 3 other cats and my Rottweiler absolutely adores them. But such a lot of work!!!! They are luckily all going to wonderful new homes which I have of course vetted thoroughly, with the understanding that I have to see proof that they have all been speyed/neutered and fully inoculated and microchipped. Someone, somewhere used to own the mum, I think I know who!!!!! She had obviously been thrown out to have her babies alone, skinny, filthy and very scared. Owners have no idea what they are taking on when they get a cute little kitten!!!!! Just makes me sick.
My little babies will certainly not add to the overpopulation problem…and neither will mum, who is staying with me, thank god!!
Im sure going to miss them
May I please add my comments to each myth:
Myth one: Your pet will get fat and lazy, if and only if you are lazy. Pretty much same with your children, husband, wife or anyone else you prepare meals for. Most behavioral problems of pets occur due to lack of sufficient exercise, but that is the subject of another post. Not a single animal gets fat due to being fixed alone.
Myth two: If anyone believes this, I want to know why. People usually believe things without even asking themselves why (see dogma), and I guess that’s how myths are born anyway. I have read so much research showing the health benefits of spaying and neutering.
Myth three: Unfortunately it is my observation that extremely few (almost none!) number of pets in Turkey die in the families that adopted them as babies. Everyone gives them away for some reason or another. The chances are your beloved friend who loves animals will give her cat/dog up when she gets married or when she gets pregnant or when she moves for work reasons or when the neighbours complain or when the dog develops behavioural issues due to lack of insufficient exercise or etc. When walking my dogs or feeding strays I have come across hundreds of people (mostly children) with whom I engaged in a conversation and who said that they also had a cat or a dog. I always ask what happened to the pet. It is so exceptional that the pet dies of old age; 99.9% of the time the pet is given to somebody due to … well, there never is a good reason.
Myth four: so?
Out of 9 permanent dogsand 10 cats that İ care for both male and female not one of them is overweight.Ages range fron 1.5-15 years. Both vet clinics that İ work with spay neuter at 2mos and have been for the last 3 years and all pups and kittens have grown up happily and healthy. Not only is it cost effective but certainly less traumatic on the animal when done at that young age and the chances of rehoming females greatly increases.
(eqivilent to circumcising at birth rather than waiting till 9 years of age.) Healing is faster and less painful.
Rosemary… Spay and Neuter at 2 months old?
Well… I feel that may be too much.
The circumsition example is not a good one because the penis foreskin doesn’t play a functional role in the development of the person, his height, bone density, etc..
Hormones do.
Early spay ok, but two months? that’s way too early… convenient for the municipality vet but for the animal?
This is common in the US.
Kittens are snipped when they are generally 2.5 – 3 lbs, which is at the age of 10-12 weeks.
I think it’s similar with puppies.
That’s how private shelters & rescues can even save the few they can take in each season.
With the boys it is just a quick pull and snip and they are back to their old self with in an hour of waking up and eating.
For the girls it’s a bit more complicated, but they are usually back on their feet within hours!
I agree though, if you have the luxury of waiting, wait a few more weeks. However, stats show that there is really no harm done with early s/n. If anything goes wrong, it’s usually because of the anesthetic, which can happen at any age.
Gosh!!! I am amazed that in some countries kittens can be done at 8 weeks!!!! Is this really safe to do them at such a tender age? I would be intersted in others views on this. Mine are almost ready to go…….8 weeks next Tuesday, but have told the new owners to make appointments to have them “done” at 12/14 weeks. I will of course be checking they have been done!
Back to the point, if you are NOT a responsible, professional, legitimate breeder of animals, there is no excuse for not speying/neutering. It is precisely for this reason we end up with so many unwanted animals in the first place, then with shelters brimming to the full and unable to take in any more, that small act of negligence ends the life countless innocent animals !! Its totally down to us as considerate owners to prevent the over-population, there are simply not enough caring owners to take all the strays on…unfortunately :((
Hi Viktor,
I have a question, in some instances here in the US, I believe male dogs are temporarily made infertile, like vasectomy, which is reversible.. Until may be one day owner decides to mate them.. It is less invasive and reversible..So what is your opinion of this option??
Hello Su,
I’m Misha with Let’s Adopt!USA, the original author of the article, and I’d love to answer your question about vasectomies for dogs.
My opinion, and I am certain Viktor would agree on this, is that this is the most hideous idea ever.
Not only from a pet population point of view… isn’t the issue that we have enough dogs, and certainly do not need to breed ANY dogs, with literally MILLIONS dying every day around the world.
Many under horrendous circumstances, that even makes heart sticking look humane.
But let’s just say, you’d have this procedure done on a male dog.
It is NOT less invasive than neutering.
Neutering is just a quick squeeze and a snip, a few stitches and it’s over.
The dog recovers within HOURS and needs little aftercare. He’s set for life and can live happily ever after.
What will he live with out?
Let’s see:
– less aggression
– less tendency or urge to roam
health benefits:
———————-
– NO testicular tumors (stimulated by testosterone)
– less perianal tumors (stimulated by testosterone)
– less hernias (stimulated by testosterone)
– less prostate cancer (stimulated by guess what…TESTOSTERONE)
finally, let’s not forget genetics of over-breeding – hip dysplasia, epilepsy, chronic eye infections and respiratory issues in small breeds.
VASECTOMIES SERVE absolutely NO PURPOSE whatsoever.
As a matter of fact it is cruel.
Why?
An indoor dog, kept in a house, walked on a leash, still has the same urge of going after a female in estrus. So, when he senses her, he wants to mate, but can’t.
Why torture your dog?
Cut off the balls and end it.
You’ll all be happier. Your dog, your community, the animal rescuers who currently try DESPERATELY to place young purebred puppies in new homes.
Why keep a dog intact?
Because he comes from a long “established” line of a certain breed?
Even more reasons to end the line here.
Is a title THAT important? Why? For the dog or for the owner?
And why?
Because of prestige or greed?
Either one reason is not acceptable in today’s day and age.
So, again – I think the balls need to come off.
If someone is really insecure about their dog not having testis to impress (who?) at the dog park – I suggest NEUTICLES http://www.neuticles.com/ – for the dog and his owner.
Misha
Let’s Adopt! USA