The Benefits of Sterilising: Part 1
A lot of people ask us whether they should sterilise their dogs. For female dogs, the answer is a clear yes. For males, the answer is not always so straight forward. This week I will discuss the benefits of sterilising females, and next week will discuss sterilising males.
The first benefit of desexing is the obvious one. No unwanted pregnancies. As anyone who works with a rescue organisation such as SAFE or SWAR will tell you, there is already more puppies out there than good homes. If more people sterilised their bitches early, this problem would be reduced.
The second reason is to reduce the risk of mammary tumours (breast cancer). If you sterilise a bitch before her first season, she has almost no risk of ever developing mammary tumours. After the first season her risk is 1:200, which is still pretty low. By the time she has had three seasons, the risk is 22%. This risk is then life-long, regardless of whether you then sterilise her or not.
The third reason is the risk of a uterine infection called a pyometra. Dogs have evolved to have puppies almost every time they come into season. If they have several seasons without becoming pregnant the lining of the uterus can get thicker, which can lead to an infection. This is potentially life threatening and requires urgent treatment.
Some people ask if they should let the bitch have one litter for their temperament. Studies have shown no benefit in doing this, and I have seen a case where a good tempered bitch bit a child when she was trying to protect her puppies. There are no health benefits to letting them have a litter.
The risks associated with sterilising are increased risk of obesity, and a small risk of urinary incontinence. Obesity can occur because the bitches metabolic rate drops after sterilising, but this is easily managed by reducing the amount fed or by using specially designed foods to prevent weight gain. The urinary incontinence is normally mild and responds well to medication, so although inconvenient it is generally easy to manage.
Recent studies have shown that sterilised bitches have a significantly longer life expectancy than entire bitches, so it is definitely recommended.