Keeping Daisy healthy

We get very conscious when it comes to our health or anything relating to our family members well-being. It’s time we extended that concern to our pets as well. Encourage spaying

A concept that is gaining popularity among the pet owners in city is spaying. Not only the pet owners but many vets in the city also support the neutering of female dogs. These days people are more particular about the health of their pets. Spaying not only prevent the dogs from bringing more puppies into world but the doctors believe the earlier it is done it will prevent the dog from the uterine infections and breast cancer. Spaying in female dogs reduces the risk of spreading uterine infections like pyometra and metritis.

“It is a very common practice among the pet owners in the city now. On an average I deal with five to six cases of spaying or neutering in my hospital. Most of the pet owners come in order to prevent their dog from breeding or if they are not ready to bear the breeding cost they prefer spaying. Breeding is a costly affair you have to buy special food for the mum, medical check-ups before, during and after breeding too, caring for the puppies while they’re being weaned etc,” said Dr.Ratan Kumar, a veterinary at the Government Veterinary Hospital, Mangalhat.

“I have a golden retriever and was planning to take my dog for breeding in fact I had talks with two of my friends who had male dogs but before breeding I wanted to be sure that breeding should not effect my dog’s health and then I started my research on when and how to breed dogs. I soon learnt about spaying but was still not sure about it. I had a talk with my vet and all thanks to him he gave me a complete idea about the benefits of spaying. I opted to spay my dog and she is as healthy, as she was before the treatment,” said Mukesh Kumar, a businessman by profession.

Mukesh has now started making people aware about the benefits of spaying through his small camps in government hospitals. Through their camps they recommend pet owners to spay or neuter their dog because of health benefits and to reduce the population of dogs.

“There is too much of a pet overpopulation in city. The fact is that too many puppies are produced every year and they are left on roads as there are not enough potential owners. The only solution for this is that we should breed fewer dogs,” said Dr K Jalaluddin, a vet at the Malakpet Government Veterinary hospital.

Of late pet owners in the city have opted to spay their dogs and the main reason is that there is no homes for the puppies. These days people bring imported breeds from other countries and places which eventually had diminished the demand of local breeds or say the common breeds.

Many people come to me with a reason that they can’t afford breeding of their dog and the cost of breeding is beyond their limits. There is a myth that spaying might

affect your dog’s health but the fact is that this treatment makes your dog a better behaved, healthier pet and will save you money in the long run, but then that doesn’t mean every pet owner in city should opt for it totally depends on your choice if you can afford breeding,” said Jalaluddin.

What you need to know

• Spaying is usually done at the age of 4-6 months.
• It’s a surgical procedure and performed under general anesthesia.
• Complications are rare and recovery is normally complete within ten days.
• There are birth control pills and medications for dogs but that might have serious side effects on your dog’s health.
• This early spaying does not affect the growth rate, or physical or behavioral development in dog.
• Dogs spayed at a younger age often have faster recoveries than those spayed when they are older

Tags: dogs, neutering of female dogs, pets, spaying

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