Taking good care of our faithful companions is already a routine for those who decide to have a dog or cat as a pet, however, some care is needed so that they can enjoy good health and live a comfortable life with us. Sterilization, both in males and females, becomes almost a rule when it comes to animal welfare, however, this topic has been accompanied by many myths and truths, let’s talk about them a little.
A castração, tecnicamente é a retirada cirúrgica dos órgãos responsáveis pela reprodução nos animais, no caso do macho é retirado o testículo, órgão responsável pela produção e maduração dos espermatozoides, e nas fêmeas, são retirados os ovários e o útero, que são responsáveis pela maduração dos óvulos e sustentação da gestação, respectivamente. Além de produção e maduração dos gametas, essas glândulas também são as produtoras dos hormônios sexuais Estrogênio e Testosterona, que além de estimularem a libido sexual também são importantes na modulação do comportamento animal.
- The act of sterilization of the animal is almost unanimous between tutors and veterinarians.
- The main reason for discussion at this stage are precisely the risks and benefits of this procedure.
- In this article by Animal Expert we tell you some myths and truths about sterilization of dogs and cats.
- Read!.
We know that leaks, in addition to endangering the animal, are one of the main factors that cause pedestrians to crush, fight and poison, keeping an animal off the streets is undoubtedly one of the main ways to care for our faithful companions. Decreased hormone levels after castration significantly reduce rashes by decreasing the instinctive need to explore new environments or find pairs for reproduction.
A agressividade pode fazer parte da personalidade de seu pet, e de fato não depende somente dos hormônios sexuais, e sim, uma junção de fatores como o tipo de criação, educação dada pelos gestores, exposição aos humanos e outros animais desde cedo, entre outras. Porém, é comprovado que a diminuição dos hormônios sexuais com a castração modula o comportamento agressivo, principalmente nos machos, além de manter o animal mais calmo e menos hiperativo. Por isso podemos afirmar que castrar acalma a cadela e o cachorro. O mesmo se aplica aos felinos, castrar acalma o gato.
Territorial marking is a very strong instinctive act in animals, marking a territory means showing other animals that the place already has an owner, one of the great problems of territorial marking is the damage that the urine of the animals can cause in the home, in addition to causing fights and stress in other animals of the same coexistence , with castration this habit is reduced and in many cases even canceled. For this reason, it is usually advisable to sterilize a cat that marks the territory. Read our full article on the benefits of cat sterilization.
Like humans, our pets can also have cancer, and breast, uterus and testicle cancers are among the most common, castration in addition to preventing these cancers, also prevents sudden hormonal changes during aging.
This is certainly a big problem in our cities, the overpopulation of street animals can be directly fought with castration, a street female both feline and canine, in a few years can spawn dozens of puppies and create a huge family tree.
The absence of reproductive organs contributes to a better quality of life, because in addition to not overloading metabolism, it is also absent from the risk of cancer and infections that could bring serious problems to our faithful companions.
Weight gain after castration occurs simply by an energy imbalance, the energetic need of an animal without reproductive organs is much lower compared to an animal that still has them, because reproduction as well as the production of hormones require a lot of energy. The great villain of this story ends up being the type of diet and not the castration itself, because the animal that has been neutered needs less food to meet its normal metabolic needs, so the secret is precisely to adapt the diet and have an exercise routine. after the procedure, thus avoiding obesity and secondary problems that may arise.
The sterilized animal changes behavior and becomes lazy
As in the example above, castration is also not responsible for this factor, the animal becomes sedentary when it increases its weight by overfeeding, a neutered animal maintains the same habits, but still needs stimuli and a balanced diet according to its new needs.
This, without a doubt, is one of the biggest myths about castration, because when performed by a veterinarian, it has always occurred under anesthesia and following all safety procedures. So, the answer to the questions “Does the sterilization of the dog hurt?” and “the sterilizing cat hurts?” And no!
Contrary to what is believed, when practiced before, in addition to being safer, castration also more accurately prevents the future appearance of breast tumors and hormonal imbalances.
Another myth, because the term masculinity is described yes for humans and not for animals, because animals see sex as a form of reproduction and not as a pleasure, so your pet will not cease to be more or less male when sterilized.
Now that we’ve compared the myths and truths about sterilization, it’s clear how many benefits it brings to our four-legged friends, a conversation with your pet’s veterinarian is always welcome to answer questions and make the best decision for our loyal partners.
To learn the ideal age to sterilize a dog, read our article on this topic. If on the contrary you have a cat, we also have an article about the best age to sterilize a male cat and the ideal age to sterilize a cat.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to Sterilization of Dogs and Cats, we recommend that you visit our Prevention section.