Common Myths Associated With Neutering Your Dog
From reducing pet homelessness to improving your pet's overall health and potential life expectancy, there are several advantages to neutering your dog. Unfortunately, despite all of the benefits associated with neutering your dog, there is still a lot of misinformation about neutering that is keeping pet parents from making a responsible choice.
Here are a few of the most common myths and misconceptions associated with neutering your dog.
It Is Too Expensive to Neuter My Dog
A big deterrent for many responsible pet owners is the potential cost of neutering their dog. Neutering is far less expensive than you might realize. If you can't afford the cost of the procedure, contact your local humane society or animal charity organization and inquire about low-cost neutering clinics or vouchers for local veterinarians.
Your veterinarian may also provide income-based services or a payment plan that will make it affordable for you to neuter your dog.
My Dog Will Become Lazy and Overweight
Neutering a dog can have a slight impact on the dog's metabolism, but it will not cause your dog to become inactive or suddenly gain a lot of weight. If your dog does gain weight after the procedure, work with your veterinarian to determine the root issue. For example, the weight gain might be caused by overfeeding combined with a lack of exercise.
The best way to ensure your dog does not gain weight or become inactive after your dog is neutered is to feed your dog a quality pet food and make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise.
The Procedure Is Not Safe
Complications arising from neutering your dog are very rare because the procedure is non-invasive. Typically, your dog can either come later that day or the next day and will suffer only minor discomfort. Talk to your veterinarian about the procedure if you have any concerns about neutering and the aftercare.
My Adult Dog Is Too Old to Be Neutered
Finally, one major misconception is that adult or senior dogs are too old to be neutered. In reality, in addition to enjoying some of the health benefits also associated with neutering, your neutered adult or senior dog will not accidentally add to the epidemic of dog homelessness and overpopulation in the United States.
From the idea that a neutered dog will gain excessive weight to the notion that your dog is too old to be neutered, there are several myths and misconceptions associated with neutering a dog.