Back
This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only. You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet. Veterinarians and responsible animal welfare associations recommend neutering to reduce the number of unwanted puppies and kittens. A recent report suggests that dogs are less likely to be neutered than cats. In the UK 149 veterinary practices submit computer data to an analytical programme which monitors their performance. This scheme was called the Fort Dodge Index. According to the latest results * an average of 82% of cats attending veterinary practices in the survey are surgically neutered (spayed), whereas 42% of dogs are surgically neutered. This also means that nearly 60% of dogs are not neutered - and this figure does not include dogs in society which are not registered with a veterinary practice. Given that the practices advocate the neutering of both dogs and cats, the difference in uptake by owners is difficult to explain - but possible reasons are :
(*In Practice Vol 22, No 2, pg 99-104 February 2000)
Updated in Progress October 2013 | |||