Many people don’t want to sterilize their male dogs and say, “Why? Poor thing!” It’s a comment we hear often. There are several reasons for recommending that people sterilize both their females and males. Those reasons fall into three categories: improving their health, improving their behavior, and preventing unwanted births.
Transmissible venereal tumors (TVTs) are histiocytic tumors of the external genitalia of dogs, which can spread to other tissues, may be malignant, and can be fatal if untreated. They are transmitted from animal to animal during mating and affect both males and females. The tumors can be removed surgically, but often recur after surgery. The best treatment is chemotherapy, which is expensive. Sterilization prevents both this sexually transmitted disease and prostate cysts.
Sterilization also reduces the tendency of males to mark their territory with urine, to get into fights with other males over females in heat, and to be injured or killed while pursuing a fleeing female or fighting over one.
Whereas a female dog can bear a litter only twice a year, an intact male dog can impregnate as many as seven females in one day. Sterilizing males helps to reduce unwanted litters and the problem of abandoned offspring.
An intact male dog can impregnate
as many as seven females in one day.
When people say “Poor thing” when referring to a sterilized male dog, they are probably not aware that sterilized males, as well as sterilized females, tend to have happier, healthier, and longer lives than unsterilized ones.
Fortunately, more and more people who use our sterilization services are bringing their male dogs to our campaigns.