Desexing your dog – also known as spaying or neutering a dog – is a big decision. It has plenty of benefits for pets, but there are also some potential mental and physical health drawbacks to know about.
With the review of New Zealand’s 1996 Dog Control Act in the spotlight, the question of whether to desex your dog is an important one. In this article we’re looking at what it means to neuter and spay your dog. And whether you should.
PD Insurance offers cover for a range of illnesses and accidents, depending on your plan. Though we don’t specifically cover desexing, we’re all about educating pet parents on a wide range of pet-related topics. So, let’s dig our paws into spaying and neutering.
In this article
The benefits of desexing your dog
Experts say the benefits of desexing your dog outweigh any perceived drawbacks.
Some pet parents feel their dogs ought to have one litter before they desex their dog. But think carefully about this – what are the benefits to the animal of having puppies? You may find the advantages of desexing after a litter don’t actually outweigh the advantages of doing it prior. Let’s look at the benefits:
Preventing unwanted puppies
Desexing prevents accidental litters, which helps reduce the number of unwanted dogs and dogs entering shelters. This is one of the most widely recognised benefits of desexing.
In a 2021 PD Insurance survey of over 1,000 pet owners, 91.04% of respondents said that desexing cats and dogs that aren’t for breeding is ‘very important’, 8.13%’ said it’s ‘somewhat important, and only 0.83% said it’s ‘unimportant.’
Reducing the risk of certain diseases
For female dogs, spaying eliminates the risk of uterine infections (pyometra), a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.
Spayed dogs also have a significantly reduced risk of mammary (breast) cancer, particularly when performed before the first few heat cycles.
For male dogs, neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and may help reduce some prostate-related conditions.
Reducing roaming behaviour
Male dogs that aren’t desexed are often more likely to roam in search of a mate. Roaming increases the risk of getting lost, being hit by a vehicle, or becoming involved in fights with other dogs. Dog neutering can help reduce this behaviour.
Reducing hormone-driven behaviours
Neutering your dog may reduce behaviours such as urine marking, mounting and some forms of male-to-male aggression. While it is not a guaranteed solution for behavioural issues, it can help reduce behaviours that are strongly influenced by reproductive hormones.
Making life a little easier for female dogs
Desexed female dogs no longer come into season (heat), which means no bleeding, fewer hormone-related behavioural changes and no risk of accidental pregnancy.
Vet and Healthy Pets New Zealand Trustee Dr Cath explains more on the health benefits and drawbacks:
What age to get your dog desexed
Usually, puppies can be desexed from five months old and onwards. But this varies depending on breed and size. Female dogs have their ovaries surgically removed (spaying). Male dogs have their testicles removed (neutering).
It’s just one of the important medical treatments you’ll need to talk to your vet about in your dog’s first year. Find out about the others in our puppy health care milestones article.
Every same-day desexing operation is performed by a vet while your pup is under general anaesthetic. Dogs can generally return home once they’ve woken up. Having said that, it can take 10 to 14 days for them to fully recover. Be ready to give plenty of TLC.
It’s worth noting that modern research shows the decision is not always one-size-fits-all. The ideal timing for desexing can vary between breeds and individual dogs, with some studies suggesting that delaying desexing may be beneficial for certain large and giant breeds. This is why vets recommend an individualised approach.
Preparation and recovery after desexing your dog
Before desexing your dog, take note of the following:
- Prepare a warm and quiet area for them to come home to after the procedure, including a water bowl, food bowl and comfy bed
- Don’t feed them any food for 12 hours before going in
- Make sure they’re clean and washed before going in
- Get your pup to do their toileting routine before the operation
- For preparing to give any prescribed medication after the operation, find out how to give medicine to your puppy
Further on the recovery area you prepare for their arrival home, make sure the room doesn’t have any stairs that could cause your newly-stitched to pet to injure themselves. Also ensure you’ve puppy pads or similar if they need to go to the toilet. Even if you’ve long finished toilet training your puppy, now’s not the time to get focused on that.
You should have wipes/towels on hand too, in case your dog vomits while recovering (common after surgery). You’ll want to have the dog bed covered with a blanket or similar for this reason.
Don’t allow children or other pets in. Pup will be sore, and you want to minimise any risk of it becoming aggressive or trying to move around too much.
Arguments against spaying and neutering
Some pet parents may choose not to desex their dog so that they can have puppies.
If that’s you, you’re also committed to finding the puppies great furever homes (not joining the ranks of unethical puppy mills in NZ). Or you’re keen to keep a healthy horde (careful to avoid the temptation to hoard!). Or you’re one of New Zealand’s ethical dog breeders, in which case – thank you for breeding happy healthy pups!
In either case, make sure you have the time and resources to ensure your dog can have a healthy pregnancy. This means the right amount of exercise, rest, pregnancy vitamins, a pregnancy planned diet and more. Read more on how long dogs are pregnant and what’s involved.
Potential medical complications
While spaying or neutering your dog prevents unwanted litters and certain reproductive cancers, the loss of hormones is linked to long-term health trade-offs, including the below:
- Increased chance of bone cancer
- Higher risk of orthopedic disorders
- Greater risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations
- Triples the risk of hypothyroidism
However, the research also reiterates that health benefits of desexing (female) dogs may exceed potential problems.
For example, spaying nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, an infection in the uterus. Pyometra affects roughly 23% of intact female dogs and can be fatal. In addition, the reduced risk of mammary tumours also is significant as 50-60% of mammary tumours are malignant. With male dogs, neutering may reduce the chances of diabetes in dogs.
Why you should desex your dog in New Zealand
In New Zealand, tens of thousands of animals come through local shelters’ doors each year. These abandoned and unwanted animals are often puppies. Owners have let their dog get accidentally (or intentionally) pregnant by failing to desex them.
Countless unwanted puppies are put down because shelters are overpopulated. At the time of writing, Auckland Council animal shelters were euthanising almost eight dogs a day.
World Spay Day: 24 February
World Spay Day is an annual celebration that helps highlight Spay and Neuter Awareness Month. Many shelters see an influx of unwanted puppies (and kittens) in February – born in the spring and summer months.
What will you do about your furry loved one’s ability to produce litters in February and every other month throughout their fertile life?
Transparent cover you can trust
We’re all about giving pet parents info on a wide range of health issues that can affect their fur kids – even on issues we don’t necessarily cover, or that might not be covered on a specific plan.
With that said, we’re pet people too and know how frustrating it can get when it’s not clear what’s covered or not. That’s why we keep things transparent, so you know what you’re in for. As mentioned, we don’t cover desexing your dog. But we do cover a wide range of other things that can affect your pet:
- Our Accident Plan covers accidents (like your pet being hit by a car) and damage your pet may have caused to someone else’s pet or stuff, up to $5,000 a year.
- One level up is our Classic Plan, which covers everything the Accident Plan does plus illnesses up to $10,000 a year.
- And finally, there’s our Deluxe Plan – which covers everything in the Classic Plan up to $20,000 – plus additional dental cover up to $500.
Choosing a pet insurance plan is all up to your budget, and you can always consult our Policy Wording to check what’s covered or not.
PLUS, if you sign up with us, you can get 1 month free pet insurance – no matter what plan you choose. Not to mention we offer a discount if you insure more than one pet and a switching fee if you’re swopping over from a different insurance provider.
For pet insurance by pet people, get a quote below.