Dogs

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Desexing

Every year staff at Lort Smith euthanase hundreds of unwanted dogs and we are a small shelter. The Lost Dogs Home must euthanase thousands. Some of these animals are injured, or too old to place in a new home, while some have temperament problems however some are put to sleep because we simply can't find them a home. Surprisingly not only mongrels are euthanased. In Council Pounds up to 30 % of animals killed each year are purebred. Allowing your dog to breed, especially in the belief it is good for her, or to allow the kids to see the birth process is simply adding to the problem.

Females

In 6 years one female dog and its offspring can be the source of 67,000 puppies. There is no benefit to your dog to allow her to have a litter. In fact there are some extremely compelling reasons why you should have your bitch desexed.

Advantages of spaying include:

• Bitches that are spayed before they are allowed to have their first season have a 25 % less chance of developing mammary (breast) tumours later in life than unspayed bitches. This drops to 12 % if she is spayed between her first and second seasons. There after the risk increases at about 0 - 2 % per season. 50 % of these tumours are malignant meaning they are cancer and can kill your dog.
• Older unspayed bitches have a risk of a uterine infection called a pyometra. When this occurs the uterus fills with pus and the bitch becomes extremely ill. If left untreated she will die. The bitch requires emergency surgery and still may die as the toxins produced by the pus cause damage to other organs, especially the kidneys. Spaying removes this risk. We have to spay a bitch with a pyometra at least once a week. Probably somewhere between one in ten and one in twenty of these bitches die. Breeding bitches should be spayed at the end of their breeding life.
• In season bitches drip blood and attract male dogs to your door. Spaying her stops this, as well as the worry of unwanted pregnancies.
• No unwanted puppies to find homes for.

Spayed female dogs do have a lower metabolic rate than unspayed bitches however if food intake is decreased slightly then your bitch won't get fat. The advantages of spaying are far more compelling than worrying about her weight gain.

The spay operation involves removing the entire uterus (womb) and both ovaries via an abdominal incision. This procedure can be performed from 8 weeks of age, however spaying a bitch in season should be avoided. Spaying a bitch in early pregnancy is safer. At Lort Smith currently we spay from 3 months of age. Keep in mind that we have large kennels with many stray dogs of unknown vaccination history. We feel, under these circumstances, the vaccination schedule should be completed before any dog is admitted to the Hospital for elective surgery.

If you very much want to breed from your bitch, and are prepared to accept all the responsibilities, consult your vet about the best time to mate her and what sort of dog to use.

Males

Male dogs can be neutered (castrated) from eight weeks of age. Castration will not ruin your dog's personality.

Advantages of castration include:

• Prevents embarrassing behaviour such as mounting other dogs, objects or people, urinating in undesirable places.
• Decreases roaming and hunting for female dogs. Therefore decreases the risk of being hit by a car or getting picked up by the Council ranger and incurring you a fine.
• Prevents prostate disease later in life. Prostate disease is directly related to testosterone (a sex hormone released from the testicle). It includes infections and urinary tract problems as well as constipation due to it taking up too much room in the pelvic canal and not allowing the faeces to pass.
• May decrease aggression.

In some dogs one or both testicles may not descend into the scrotum. Such a dog has high risk of developing testicular cancer that can be fatal. Also this defect has been found to have a genetic basis and he will pass it on to any pups he sires. It is important to have a dog with undescended testicles castrated and it is irresponsible to allow him to breed

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