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.

Neutering animals is strongly advocated by many authorities in society from Animal Welfare Societies to the Veterinary Profession. So what are the advantages ?

Surgical removal of the uterus (usually with the ovaries) is a routine procedure in veterinary practice. It is commonly called "spaying" or "speying", or "neutering" and the proper medical term is hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) or ovarohysterectomy (removal of the uterus and ovaries). Very few bitches suffer adverse consequences as a result of the surgery, although there is always a small risk associated with the administration of a general anaesthetic and a major surgical procedure. So what are the advantages of neutering bitches ?

1. Control of the stray dog population

Worldwide millions of unwanted pet dogs are destroyed by Animal Welfare Associations and other authorities every year. In some areas unwanted stray dogs are a serious sociological problem causing damage, pollution and worry to the neighbourhood. Every year hundreds of road traffic accidents are caused by motorists swerving to avoid stray dogs on the roads. 

Even though owners may try to keep males away from their bitch when she is in season (also called being "on heat") and receptive, mating only takes a few seconds and persistent males are often able to get to bitches which are supposed to be "off limits".

Once a bitch has been neutered she is incapable of conceiving and producing puppies, so it is a benefit to society to have a bitch neutered once she has finished her breeding. If the bitch is not a pedigree and good homes are not readily available it is irresponsible to allow her to have a litter of puppies.

    2.  Removes the nuisance of regular "seasons"

Bitches come into season on average twice a year. Owners are then faced with the problems of :

• Stopping male dogs getting at the bitch
• Stopping the "on heat" bitch getting out and straying on the roads
• Preventing unwanted pregnancy 
• The nuisance of blood dripping onto carpets
• The nuisance of increased frequency of urination during the season

If an ovarohysterectomy has been performed the bitches oestrus cycle will stop and she will not come on heat - so all the above are not a problem.

    3.  Prevents pyometra

Pyometra is a fairly common disease of the uterus which occurs in middle-aged to older bitches. It results in thickening and  swelling of the uterus and toxins are absorbed into the bloodstream. In the most severe cases pyometra can be life-threatening. 

Having removed the uterus pyometra cannot occur - except for very rare problems with the small stump of tissue left behind following surgery.

    4.  Prevents False Pregnancy

Neutering will prevent the recurrence of "false pregnancy" - a condition in which a bitch starts to produce milk, and changes her behaviour to exhibit  nest building i preparation for a litter and so on, when in fact she is not pregnant at all.

    5.  Greatly reduces the chances of the bitch developing breast cancer

Neutering before the first season has been shown to greatly reduce the chances of the bitch developing breast (mammary) cancer in later life. 

    6.   Neutering is a single routine surgical procedure

One of the main advantages of neutering over other methods of controlling unwanted pregnancy is that it is a single, routine surgical procedure. Once completed (the skin stitches may need to be removed after about 10 days following surgery) the bitch is simply no longer able to conceive and there is no need for owners to spend time (and money) in the long term keeping a close eye on the bitch for signs of a season, and taking other precautions such as using hormonal drug therapy.

So, whilst there are some potential disadvantages with neutering (click here if you haven't already seen the Petfacts article on this) it is still the preferred method of birth control for many veterinarians and Animal Welfare Societies.

Updated October 2013