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Post by bextull on Apr 5, 2013 17:56:07 GMT
What do you all think of this new campaign? www.standard.co.uk/news/london/animal-charitys-sex-cards-to-promote-neutering-of-pets-8500509.htmlI'm not somebody who is totally pro-neutering but I also do not disagree with it -obviously as I do have a neutered dog myself. I think it depends of each persons situation and the dog in question. I very much disagree with the early neutering of puppies and think it should be done after a puppy reaches 1 year of age but as of yet I have not found a rescue group (over here of course) that does not insist on neutering a dog as soon as it reaches 6 months old. I have also come across a rescue that insists that if you have an existing dog that it too must be neutered. While there is a big emphasis being placed on neutering your pet (not only dogs), I don't think that people are being properly informed about the effects-both the good and the bad-of neutering.
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Post by tonib on Apr 5, 2013 18:19:52 GMT
Interesting way to go about promoting their campaign! It certainly got itself noticed. I do agree with a neutering principle for cats & dogs which are not going to bred from whether pedigree or not as it will help reduce the number of stray cats & dogs.
However I would be sorry to see all non-pedigrees neutered as I wouldn't have the 4 lovely cats I now have, they are just as lovely as the pedigree and I hope that people will still continue to, sensibly, breed non-pedigree cats & dogs. I just hope that their breeding is not forgone in favour of some of the "designer" cats/dogs.
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Post by bextull on Apr 5, 2013 19:17:20 GMT
Interesting way to go about promoting their campaign! It certainly got itself noticed. I do agree with a neutering principle for cats & dogs which are not going to bred from whether pedigree or not as it will help reduce the number of stray cats & dogs. This is where I will disagree with you. I do not think that just because a dog is not going to be used for breeding means that it should be neutered. If I am a responsible dog owner then even if my dog is not neutered it should not produce any unwanted litters of dogs, and if I cannot prevent such a thing happening then am I really in a position to own a dog? Show dogs usually aren't neutered, and not all show dogs are used for breeding. As for cats, well they are obviously a lot more independent than dogs, and get a lot more freedom to roam so I would agree with neutering them.
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Post by tonib on Apr 5, 2013 20:12:51 GMT
If I am a responsible dog owner then even if my dog is not neutered it should not produce any unwanted litters of dogs, and if I cannot prevent such a thing happening then am I really in a position to own a dog? Show dogs usually aren't neutered, and not all show dogs are used for breeding. Fair comment. We always had male dogs when I was a youngster & they weren't neutered but that was many, many years ago with quite different views. I suppose the relevant phrase is responsible dog owner. This is a question based on partial ignorance so please bear with me. How often do bitches come into heat & what does the responsible dog owner do during those times? Always walk them on a lead, make sure loose dogs don't go near them or keep them indoors?
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Post by bextull on Apr 5, 2013 20:29:43 GMT
This is a question based on partial ignorance so please bear with me. How often do bitches come into heat & what does the responsible dog owner do during those times? Always walk them on a lead, make sure loose dogs don't go near them or keep them indoors? I don't own a bitch but I believe they come into heat every 6 or 9 months usually. And they last anywhere from a few days to 3 weeks. I know plenty of people who manage their bitches when they are in heat very well, even with intact males in the house too. All they do is keep the dogs separated and walk on leash with the bitch, or do some more mental stuff to prevent having to take them out as much (can be stressful for the bitch if they are out with many other dogs around)
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Post by smokeybear on Apr 5, 2013 21:10:33 GMT
Bitches normally come into season every 6 months. A season lasts 21 days. Keeping an in season bitch on the lead will not stop a mating occurring if the bitch is ready to be mated! I spay all my bitches but not until >18 months, in fact I think they were all done over 2 and when they were in season I drove them to an out of the way place to run them. My current male is 8 years old and entire and has thus far managed not to impregnate any females.
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Post by tonib on Apr 5, 2013 21:57:53 GMT
Thanks Bextull & Smokeybear. Not having had unneutered females I'm not sure the exact frequency of a cat's heat but I believe it's definitely more frequent than that and there are also illnesses that can sometimes occur if they are not mated. A cat's first season is reckoned to be around 6 months old although can be earlier or later. What is it for bitches? An interesting comparision between dogs & cats & how it can alter the views on neeutering campaigns.
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 13:25:50 GMT
It is supposed to be more stressful for the animal if they do not fulfil their natural instinct to mate. This does not occur as much if they are neutered.
I'm not sure what I think about the campaign.
My parents wanted Earl to be neutered because he is my companion, not for breeding. We all agreed it would be more fair to neuter him, especially if he's not going to breed.
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Post by smokeybear on Apr 6, 2013 13:47:08 GMT
It is not necessarily stressful for dogs if they are prevented from mating, it could be in some dogs in some circumstances, but not all. My dog is certainly not stressed AFAIK from not mating......
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 13:50:51 GMT
My dog was getting a little over excited before he was neutered.
It may not occur with all dogs! It did mine!
He also started humping me or my family which my parents said was not going to continue on because he was meant to be my, as a child's, companion.
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Post by orpheous87 on Apr 6, 2013 14:33:31 GMT
I agree with neutering if the dog isn't going to be used for breeding and the benefits of neutering outweigh the risks. I've not really thought about it much until recently, when I was listening to an interview with Ted Kerasote (an author) who said he'd done research into the benefits and risks of neutering/spaying. He said that the risk of a bitch getting mammary cancer was much greater in an English Springer Spaniel than it was in a Bernese Mountain Dog (for example) as the ESS was number one on the list, whereas the Bernese was something like number 33. One thing I'm not sure about is where he got the information from though as when I've just done a search, that is not what came up. But it is something to think about when you're considering neutering/spaying your dog I think.
Ellie was already spayed when we got her from Dogs Trust at 9 months old, but Pepper wasn't spayed until she was over a year old. She'd had two seasons before we got her spayed. We'd planned to let her have one season anyway. But, when she was in season, we didn't have much trouble keeping dogs away from her. On the odd occasion where one would come sniffing round, she just sat down! She definitely wasn't ready to be mated (luckily for us).
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Post by smokeybear on Apr 6, 2013 15:08:47 GMT
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 15:15:12 GMT
Smokeybear link number one introduction wrote:
Why America?
I bet its just because the actual script was written in America!
It is important in other places that dogs get spayed/neutered for health reasons I'm sure.
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Post by gladys on Apr 6, 2013 17:58:47 GMT
I have many friends with female dogs who find walking their dogs on lead while they have a season is enough to stop a mating occurring. You just have to be sensible about it. Don't go where you know there will be lots of off lead dogs and go at times where you are least likely to meet other dog walker. Show people manage to walk their female dogs without having unwanted pregnancies.
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Post by bextull on Apr 6, 2013 18:02:02 GMT
Neutering a dog will not always stop any of this though. My dog is neutered and he still gets over excited at times and from another post of yours, your dog is neutered but he still gets over excited around people at times.
Humping is not always a sexual behavior either, its often excitement more than 'the need to mate'.
With males the benefits of neutering are limited I suppose and I can't say that I would always neuter male dogs that I may have in the future As I don't have a female dog and never had then I can't really comment on that side of things but if I did have a bitch that is not used for breeding then I suppose I would be inclined to have her spayed. I think its probably more beneficial for them to be spayed as oppose to males being neutered.
The whole subject of neutering is obviously a personal choice too, but I think SB has just highlighted the fact that most people are not aware of the downsides of neutering an animal.
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