What are some misconceptions about the spay and neuter process?

Some misconceptions you may hear, especially with neutering is, "Hey, we're taking away his masculinity." That's not true at all. Male dogs don't really have that concept. As for females and males, sometimes the metabolism and their ability to gain weight easily might be slightly altered. We'll say this might have some part in it as a whole though. What it takes from you as the owner is feeding them appropriate quantities of food at home and exercise to help limit that weight gain.

I think the biggest misconception is the expectations around what happens after. So there's a lot of concern that animals will get fat, they'll get lazy, and that it may stop behavioral concerns. We have to watch and make sure that they don't gain weight just because they're maturing animals, so it's kind of like us in our thirties. The metabolism's slowing down anyway. That tends to be the bigger issue. That tends to be the bigger issue than the spay or neuter itself. We find that many dogs do not run into that issue, and personalities don't change. They don't get lazy, but sometimes it doesn't fix the behavioral issue we're looking at.

Can the neuter surgery help, especially the aggression after a certain amount of time, once testosterone gets out of there? Sometimes it depends on what the issue is. The more significant thing for males is it can cut down on urine marking, especially if that's an issue in the house. It can also cut down on wandering and trying to find a female in heat which always tends to be a big issue. So not having those hormones at play can help calm down some of those issues, but it does take a little bit of time. You don't have a neuter surgery, and then all of a sudden, they're not gonna roam anymore. It takes time for that testosterone to get out of there.

There are common misconceptions about spaying and neutering. One is that it changes your pet's personality, which is generally not the case. Behavioral changes may occur earlier in puppyhood, and if necessary, we recommend early neutering to address specific behaviors. However, as pets mature, their behavior and personality remain largely unchanged. Another misconception is that spaying and neutering lead to weight gain. While some pets may experience weight issues as they reach middle age, many castrated or spayed dogs maintain a healthy body condition score and remain active.

A common misconception is that you should wait to spay your dog until after it's had its first heat cycle. We don't recommend this as it can increase their risk of pyometra and breast cancer or mammary tumors. In male dogs, the longer we leave them intact, the more likely they are to develop behavioral issues, such as aggression or urine marking behaviors. Other misconceptions relate to the safety of general anesthesia. We are always here to discuss and alleviate any concerns you may have about the procedure.

One common misconception is that many clients don't view it as a major surgery, while in reality, it is. For females, we are removing body parts, and the same holds true for males. Ensuring that the dogs are calm and resting during the recovery is very important. Some clients don't believe in spaying and neutering for various reasons, but there are many health benefits to spaying or neutering your pet.