Did you have your cat or dog 'done' and why?

pineapple

My border collie was spayed when she was younger. The vet was saying it was better for her health in the long term. She cried all night long after the op and I don't think I would do it again whatever the experts say..:(
I didn't notice any difference in her afterwards but I've seen many a male dog put on weight. A friend who recently took on another dog had him done 'to settle him down'. She is mindful of the weight issue so that's not a problem but I could weep when I see him. He has lost his spark. In fact he is another dog alltogether - like something out of 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
Experiences anyone?

spike7451

Cats spray if they are not fixed at an early age,so Orbit was done as a kitten & Daisy was done before I got her.HOWEVER,Brett,one of the ferals wasn't done until later in his life & he still sprays..Something to do with reduced hormones or something like that..

Pollycat

All my cats over the years (both male and female) were outdoor cats.

I had the male cats neutered because I didn't want them spraying in the house & fathering kittens throughout the neighbourhood willy-nilly and the female cats spayed as I didn't want litter after litter of kittens.

PixieDust

Yes. With the cats it was the responsible and sensible thing to do, the world does not need more kittens, and there's little you can do to stop it besides having them spayed or castrated.

With the dog, she wasn't done before we had her as they had previously tried to breed from her (God alone knows why!! I suspect *kerching*) and found her to be "unsuitable" (i.e. the sire was far too big for her causing her to have a small litter, of which only one was alive. Puppy and dog very nearly died. (don't start me!!)

So, we took her, and loved her, and intended to get her spayed but it kept getting put to the bottom of the list. Over time, we noticed that she would get really down....incredibly melancholy in such a way as to be very debilitating for her. This happenned about...oooh....twice a year. Eventually the penny dropped and we booked her in.

From then on - no melancholy baby....happy, bouncy, secure and contented Boo

Person_one

My dogs are rescues who came to me neutered but I'd always have it done anyway.

One night of crying is nothing compared to the benefits for them and me. The treatments for pyometra or pregnancy complications, or mammary cancer, or
testicular cancer are a lot worse for them.

One of my boys in the past had to have it done due to an undescended testicle, they have a really high chance of turning cancerous, so it isn't always a choice.

bluebird

Yes we had our dog done but for medical reasons,his 'joystick' got stuck and he started to lick,lick,lick causing it to get Ulcers so he had to go to the vets and the pet insurance paid as our vet told them it could happen many times over his life span so finacially wise it would be for the best.

He never got to use his 'joystick' but he had a wonderful life and was a perfect pet.

easy

I'm planning to have our new pup neutered as soon as the vet says he is old enough. Unless you really are planning to breed (responsibly), I see no reason not to. In our case I want to try to stop him trying to escape whenever he smells a female dog on heat .

I grew up with a terrier who was a real lothario. He would perform Houdini type feats to escape from the garden when he could smell a local lady on heat, and would then camp on her doorstep howling loudly, until her owner plucked up courage to read his name tag and ring us up to collect him. My parents were forever turning out late in the evening to fetch him, and must have apologised to the owner of every female dog within a 2 mile radius over his 12 years of life !!
He died of cancer in the gentleman's area too.

Furthermore I believe they become less likely to fight with other dogs in the park etc if they are neutered ??

jovichick123

Yes, all three of my cats (all male) have been neutered for the reasons stated above by Pollycat

Caroline_a

I had my GSD done as soon as he was mature, and am planning on getting the mad Spinone done in a few months. It does calm them down, and also the issue with idiots walking their b1tches on heat offlead goes away too.

Although both mine are from really good lines I don't want to use them to breed from - I got a dog because I wanted a dog that had the characteristics that their particular breed gave, not to add to the population, despite the fact that they would, if nothing else, add great personality to any of their pups!

I'm fairly sure too that often dogs used as stud dogs can change personality too, not always for the best.

SuperSkintStudent

Mine are all 'snipped'.
Two came from rescue and were already done.

!!!!!es is unspeyed can have servere health problems later in life. They will also go into season which will affect their behaviour during this time (and send the boys wild too!)
Males can generally be alot calmer and better with other dogs if done. Although its a bad idea to castrate a male which is aggressive due to fear of other dogs, as this can actually make them worse.

My previous dog (a beautiful male sheltie) was'nt done and ended up with a tumour in his testicle (luckily not cancerous) which made him bald

If you do get your dog 'done' its important to lower their feed as they do not need as much energy as before as they don't have as many hormones! This is why people find weight gain common in dogs which have been done :A

PollyOnAMission

I would think with cats, the responsible thing would be to have them neutered as they are often out wandering and could be breeding willy nilly.

As for dogs...I think it depends.

I firmly believe that breeding should be left to proper breeders who know what they are doing. This includes relevant health testing/scoring, detailed research of different lines, commitment to improving the breed/trying to limit health issues etc. This does not include backyard breeders/people breeding for money/people who want to breed from their dog because "she's such a lovely pet" or "having puppies would be exciting for my children" or "it's unfair to not let the dog have a go at mating/being a mum" etc.

If an owner is potentially irresponsible (i.e. may allow accidental/poorly planned matings) I would prefer to see a dog neutered. There are far too many dogs in rescue to breed more accidentally or with limited thought.

If an owner is responsible and would ensure matings did not occur, I would examine health/behavioural issues before deciding whether it would be best be neuter or not. There are health risks associated with neutering and other health risks associated with not neutering. For example, neutering will eliminate the risk of testicular cancer but can increase the risk of other cancers. This comes down to personal decision. As for behaviour, if a dog was exhibiting a lot of unwanted sexual behaviour/escaping from the garden to chase b1tches in season then this becomes another kind of risk and I would definitely consider neutering. I don't believe there is a "one size fits all" policy and I don't believe we should always just neuter "for the sake of it" if an owner is guaranteed responsible and won't breed.

However, I definitely advocate allowing a dog to mature fully (both physically and mentally) before neutering. This varies depending on the breed/size of dog but generally I would want to wait until at least 18 months for a male and until after a second season for a female. Rescues do need to stretch this a bit to ensure no breeding takes place, but I do hate to see dogs neutered too young Neutering at six months can have really detrimental effects on a dog's development.