Pet Care Tips from a Devoted Animal Lover

Posted on: 22 August 2017

Many experts recommend having your companion animals sterilized for a number of reasons. It can save you a lot of time, effort, and money, but more importantly it can allow your dog or cat to lead a happier, healthier life. Sterilizing a male dog is called "neutering," and sterilizing a female dog is called "spaying." Here are three types of health problems that spaying your female dog can help prevent.

1. Preventing pregnancy complications

Now, it's true that simply preventing your dog from breeding can also prevent pregnancy, but until you've tried it, you may not realize how difficult this can be. While she's in estrus, your female dog will emit very powerful pheromones that can attract male dogs from miles away—up to three miles, in fact. It can become impossible to take her for a normal walk during this time, and she can stay in heat for weeks on end, so spaying can often be a much easier way to prevent pregnancy complications.

Some of the potentially deadly complications a dog can have while pregnant include:

• Pregnancy toxemia
• Uterus problems (such as a twisted or ruptured uterus)
• Gestational diabetes

2. Preventing cancer and infections

Even while not pregnant, a female dog who's intact (not spayed) can develop uterine and mammary problems. For example, uterine or mammary tumors can develop and can very often be fatal. This is partly because advanced cancer treatments for dogs aren't as readily available as for humans (and even if treatments are available, the dog isn't as likely to have health insurance, and a normal family may not be able to afford the best treatment), and it's also partly because dogs aren't able to do self-checks for lumps or let you know if something hurts, so it's harder to catch the problem in time.

3. Preventing problems related to heat cycles

Female dogs  who aren't spayed will continue to have heat cycles, which can often lead to hormone-related problems. These problems can include cysts in the uterus or a potentially deadly bacterial infection of the uterus. Neither of these uterus problems can occur if the animal has been spayed, since the procedure includes complete removal of the uterus.

As you can see, your canine friend may be much better off if she's spayed. So for most hobbyists and for the average person with beloved pet dogs, getting all your female dogs spayed should be considered a must-do, not just because it saves money and time later, but also because it can extend your pet's healthy lifespan.