MagiStream

I've worked with animals big and small for a very long time, and it's a tricky subject to broach for some people who keep animals as companions. Men with intact dogs in particular are difficult to talk to about this, and while crossing legs is understandable, projecting your very human ideas and concepts onto the thinking patterns of your animal friend is a bit less logical. For whether or not "fixing" an animal is the right thing to do, you have to look at what species the animal is, what the living conditions are, and what role that animal is playing for you that you would keep it with you. Farm animals vary greatly, and anyone not looking to stud or maintain a herd of something will find themselves needing to sterilize more than a few animals or else get WAY more creatures than they can handle and possibly lead to sick/inbred animals. There's a lot that goes into that one, so I won't go into it too much as I think that the topic pertains much more to pets rather than sheep or ranch pigs.

In the case of companion animals, will you be breeding your pet? If so, do you have an ethical breeder you're "renting" out to, or do you plan on acquiring a second pet so your first one can have a mate? Do you have the means (space, money, resources, time) to keep a mate as well as offspring? Do you have buyers or homes picked out for the offspring? If not, the previous question becomes even more pressing, and you also have to keep in mind the future reproductive needs of the offspring. Are you keeping the parents intact but fixing all their kids? Why? The easiest solution would be to simply not breed your animal and leave them intact, but that would be leaving them with a need that cannot be fulfilled. They will not get a mate or get to copulate, but will continue to feel the drive to do so. Male mammals in particular will feel a need to mate a lot and may get "short" and agitated if unable to "do it". A male mouse must be kept isolated from others of his kind or else a population explosion will occur, and that is VERY hard on a such a social animal.

Most people get an animal because they want/need companionship, not because the dog or [insert species here] needs them. Companion animals tend to live happy lives as family members & valued friends for their humans. They generally do not need to hunt for food, build a home, fight for a mate, work to reproduce, and defend their young from predation. They were bred and born to be a friend for a human, to live a nice life with someone caring for them, and will (hopefully) die happy after a long life of having every one of their needs fulfilled, all in exchange for just being there for someone. If you are not looking to breed ethically and have no desire to add to a massive pet population, getting your friend neutered or spayed may be the best option for everyone; not only will you not run the risk of accidental babies, but your faithful friend won't be stuck with a constant, terrible itch that they can't scratch and can just concentrate on being a loving friend. And, as Sparky (above) mentioned, it does reduce the possibility of cancers developing in reproductive areas.

Despite this, it is an operation with anesthesia (most times, that's another topic) and involves an incision in the animal which all come with some risks. Some animals, especially smaller species, don't always react favorably to anesthetics and you really need to find a vet with knowledge on proper dosage and procedure for something like a hamster; anyone with a sick bird will know that finding a good avian vet in particular can be hard. There's also the possibility of the animal opening the wound or getting a post-operation infection, though there are usually steps in place for dealing with this since scratching at a cut isn't uncommon behavior even in humans.

If you decide to get your animal fixed, it's well-advised to wait until they're done growing or it could lead to hindered development. Somewhere in the 6-12 month range is usually a safe bet for a snipping to occur, depending on whether you have a dog or cat, as well as the breed of pupper (or sometimes cat, Maine Coons are weird). Small pets grow much faster and can often be given the nip and tuck within their first 4 months depending on their individual development (a vet will usually let you know if your rat needs to grow a bit more before a proper snip can occur). Animals like ferrets will sometimes even come already neutered or spayed depending on the laws where you live; where I am, they not only need to come fixed, but also vaccinated, de-scented, and tattooed to prevent health problems and unlicensed breeding. So, when it comes to pets, I will HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting them neutered/spayed as it leads to a better life all around for everyone, but will encourage people to read up on the costs, the risks, if/when it should be done in their case, and whether or not the vet they have chosen is a good choice for the procedure.

Where I live, there are many stray cats. These poor babies are simply starving. I cringe when I see a female pregnant with yet another litter.


I'm not sure about dogs--but being in heat for a cat is miserable--and they go in heat quite often. If one is not going to breed, there is no good reason not to spay them, and several good reasons to do so.

A female cat can start their 'heat' at 4 months. Imaging 10 or more years where they are miserable quite often.

As for neutering--again, if you're not breeding, why not? Males are more susceptible to kidney infections when they are no neutered, I believe--and often much more aggressive.

IN strays--inbreeding becomes an issue that leads to health problems.

Just my two cents.

It is very ethical.
Its a pet owners responsibility to do this. It has more benefits than draw backs for both animal and human.
Feral cats for example, they breed like bunnies. The females are constantly attacked by males, having litter after litter, ect. Their quality of life is awful. If I was a cat, I would want to be fixed asap. Female cats can have up to 180 kittens in her life time! That is NOT helping the environment or the cat population at all.

Female dogs can have up to three litters in a year with an average litter size of seven puppies. One female and her babies can theoretically create 67,000 puppies in six years. Again, NOT helping anyone.

Getting dogs and cats fixed is beyond ethical. It is compassion towards them as well. I mean would you want to be having that many babies?!

Not to mention it also helps in males both dogs and cats, to prevent bad behaviors. Like excessive aggression, wondering around looking for a mate, unwanted spraying ect.

LunatheDragoness wrote:It is very ethical.
Its a pet owners responsibility to do this. It has more benefits than draw backs for both animal and human.
Feral cats for example, they breed like bunnies. The females are constantly attacked by males, having litter after litter, ect. Their quality of life is awful. If I was a cat, I would want to be fixed asap. Female cats can have up to 180 kittens in her life time! That is NOT helping the environment or the cat population at all.

Female dogs can have up to three litters in a year with an average litter size of seven puppies. One female and her babies can theoretically create 67,000 puppies in six years. Again, NOT helping anyone.

Getting dogs and cats fixed is beyond ethical. It is compassion towards them as well. I mean would you want to be having that many babies?!

Not to mention it also helps in males both dogs and cats, to prevent bad behaviors. Like excessive aggression, wondering around looking for a mate, unwanted spraying ect.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on spaying. I always get my pets spayed not long after adoption.

as a former veterinary student:
when female dogs do not get spayed and never have pups, they are more prone to pretty detrimental infections. it makes me sad that my family dog was never spayed due to parents uhh negligence of the facts behind it, along with the fact that i know that if she were to ever have puppies, they would be given away or to a shelter. not ideal.

for neutering male dogs, while i do not recall any specific health risks to them being left un-neutered, the already commonly brought up behavioral issues that are present in them because of their need for dominance can cause harm to not only the owner but the pet itself.

I believe it is pretty ethical. Like chokeholds said, male dogs can have some mega behavioral issues if they are not neutered. I watched this short special about a very troublesome husky who wasn't neutered. He would always try to attack and/or hump his owner's girlfriend. That special brought up a good point. It isn't fair that we would make dogs keep their reproductive parts in tact, but never let them mate/have puppies. That is a lot of hormones going through their bodies. It would be beneficial for both the dog and the owner to have them fixed, so that the dog doesn't suffer from a hormone overload, and the owner doesn't have to deal with bad behavior. In the case of the husky, they took him to have his testosterone levels lowered, which really helped to calm him down. He stopped biting/humping the owner's girlfriend and their guests. But that is just my opinion. Another good thing about fixing your pet is to ensure that there are less homeless dogs/cats on the street, who are starving and sick. A lot of them end up in shelters, where they are euthanized, even if they are healthy.