10 REASONS TO SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR DOG

W ritten B y

B eth D owney

A mity H all B oxers

  1. Mammary cancer is the number one cancer that occurs in female dogs.

By spaying your female dog, you greatly reduce the chances of mammary

cancer. Spaying also reduces your female dog’s chances of developing

cervical cancer and pyometria (an infection which causes puss in the

uterus and can be fatal).

  1. By neutering your male dog, you can prevent testicular cancer, prostate problems,

and rectal tumors all of which are stimulated by testosterone.

It is especially critical to neuter a male dog with one or both retained testicles.

A retained testicle has an even higher incidence of becoming cancerous.

  1. Intact female dogs in heat will attract unwanted male dogs from as far

as a mile away. A male dog is very driven by his urge to reach a female

in season and will find any way to her he is capable of, including getting

into a securely fenced yard of a female in season.

  1. Intact male dogs are more likely to wander and roam when they pick up

the scent of a female dog in heat. They will dig under, go over and,

barring their ability to do that, will go THROUGH a fence to get to a

female in season. This wandering also subjects them to theft, being hit by

a car, shot at, hit, accused of biting, etc.

  1. Female dogs can have a bloody discharge for as long as 21 days or more

during their heat cycle.

  1. Dogs can contract sexually transmitted diseases that can seriously

threaten their health and the lives of any puppies they may produce.

  1. Intact male dogs mark by lifting their leg and urinating. They are

likely to mark in the house and on your furniture. Dominant intact

female dogs are will also sometimes lift their leg to mark.

  1. Intact dogs (both male and female) are more territorial and aggressive.

Fights cause injuries and are subject to owner liability.

  1. A female dog giving birth to her puppies is always at risk to

complications and can lose her life in the process. Complications

during labor are likely to necessitate a Caesarean section. C-sections are

not only costly but can be life threatening to both the dam as well as her

puppies.

  1.  If you allow your female dog to be bred or your male dog to sire a litter

(intentionally or unintentionally), you become responsible for every life

that you bring into this world as a result from that breeding.

Are you willing to ensure the parents have been heart tested by a Board

Certified Veterinary Cardiologist since the boxer breed is highly prone to

heart conditions they can pass on to their puppies?

Are you willing to make sure every home is carefully screened to ensure

the puppies are going to families that will love and care for them for the

next 10 years or as long as they may live?

Too many puppies grow up to be adults that are left to live outside alone

and apart from their human family members. Dogs are social animals

and have an inherent need to be close to and interact with their family.

Without this close social interaction with people, dogs easily become

lonely, distressed and ultimately depressed. Can you be certain the

puppies you are responsible for producing will be loved, cared for, and an

essential part of their families’ lives for as long as they live?

Rescue groups and Shelters take in more and more unwanted mix breed AND purebred dogs every year. How do you know a puppy you are responsible for bringing into this world won’t end up unwanted, unloved and so casually disposed of?