I wasn't going to write another post on the importance of spaying and neutering pets but some recent conversations have compelled me to do so.
February was SPAY/NEUTER AWARENESS MONTH. All month long people were blogging about the importance of spaying and neutering pets, but not everyone agrees and not everyone is concerned about not spaying and neutering pets.
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One of many unneutered dogs that ended up in the shelter
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I'd like to share the stories of two dogs who were not spayed and neutered. Things took a serious turn for the worse because of it.
The first story is about my sister's beautiful Dalmation, Suki. I want to stress that this happened years ago, and she would never be persuaded like this again. My sister got Suki from a "professional breeder". Suki was apparently show quality but the breeder agreed to sell her to my sister at a pet quality price if my sister would agree to breed her at least once, allow the breeder to show her, and give the breeder pick of the litter of puppies. My sister really wanted Suki and thought having a litter of puppies would be a fun "experience". She was dead wrong.
The breeder's contract stipulated that Suki was not to be indiscriminately bred, the Breeder would provide an appropriate male stud when the time was right. She cautioned my sister about guarding Suki when she came into heat, explaining that an un-neutered male within a mile or more can scent a dog in heat and would go to great lengths to get to her.
My sister did her best to guard the chastity of her sweet girl. However, while on a potty break in their own backyard an un-neutered neighbor dog jumped their 6 foot fence and mated with her. It happened in what seemed like seconds to my sister, and she couldn't get that dog off Suki!
Poor Suki ended up preggers. My sister called the breeder, who proceeded to chew her out (pardon the pun) for "not being careful" What was she supposed to do, get a medieval chastity belt for the dog?!
So my sister brought Suki to the vet to abort the puppies. I know, sounds awful but my sister had signed a contract agreeing not to "indiscriminately" breed her pure bred dog. The breeder steadfastly insisted on terminating the dog's pregnancy and made breach of contract threats to my sister! Apparently, if she had puppies with a mutt poor Suki would be ruined for life. She could no longer be considered a "show quality" dog or breed show quality Dalmation puppies in the future.
But something went terribly wrong during surgery and Suki nearly bled to death! Thankfully they were able to save her and had to perform an emergency hysterectomy. Don't even ask about the breeders response to that - Yikes!
It was touch & go for awhile, but in the end Suki was a happy, healthy member of the family bringing joy to everyone for many years! Except that time she jumped up on the dining table and snatched all the S'mores fixings I had laid out during a family BBQ - LOL!! Angel Suki, you are still sorely missed. We'll never forget you sweet girl.
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| An un-neutered male dog who ended up at the shelter where I volunteered |
This next crazy incident happened to a nice couple we met in one of my dog Icy's training classes. They had two gorgeous Leonbergers, a male and a female. In the contract, the breeder they got the dogs from stipulated that they were not to spay or neuter the dogs until they were 2 years old.
Many Veterinarians and breeders state that giant dog breeds shouldn't be spayed until they reach their full height at around 2 years old for purposes of bone and joint growth. They feel that if the dog is spayed/neutered before 2 years old there is a greater chance of joint issues such as hip dysplasia. I'm not a Veterinary health professional so I'm not qualified to confirm or dispute that.
The couple did their best to keep their two dogs apart, but eventually the inevitable happened and the female ended up pregnant at about a year old. She had beautiful puppies, which the couple decided to sell on the internet (Grrrr!!). The 6 pups were all pre-sold to people the couple had never met.
Adorable videos were posted online for the future parents so they could keep up with the pups' growth. All was well until they were 8 weeks old. The puppies went to their new homes, all except one. The one puppy couldn't go to her new home because she became sick. Very, very sick. After weeks of suffering for the puppy and several thousand dollars in treatment for the owners, the little girl had to be humanely euthanized by their Veterinarian. They couldn't save this poor little puppy.
It was utterly devastating for the couple. They felt so awful and grieved the sweet little puppy so deeply.
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| Please spay and neuter your pets! |
Why am I sharing these tragic stories with you? I'm doing it to illustrate how difficult it can be to prevent unwanted litters when you don't spay and neuter. And sometimes the consequences aren't just a few puppies you can't find homes for, sometimes the consequences are far greater.
If your Veterinarian advises a family to wait until a certain age to spay/neuter their pet for medical reasons, I understand. But please know the risks in doing so and put safeguards in place. Ask your Veterinarian or breeder for suggestions on how to prevent pregnancy in dogs.
Having two dogs (or cats) of both genders living in the same house that are not spayed or neutered is a disaster waiting to happen. It was foolish of the breeder to think the couple above would be able to keep the dogs apart, living under the same roof, for nearly 2 years! The breeder should have advised them to wait until one of the dogs was old enough to spay or neuter before bringing another dog into the household.
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| A sweet shelter kitty whose owner had passed away. |
What do you think the dog owners in these two stories could have done to avoid these tragic outcomes? What would you have done differently? Please leave us a comment and share your thoughts, we love when you Bark & Meow back at us!
If this resonates with you, you may also like my earlier post on Tens of Thousands of Puppies From One Dog.
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