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Neutering a Dog
This is a most important subject. Some owners believe it is unfair to deny their pet the opportunity to breed; however, mating is not necessarily advisable for health or happiness.
Every year in Ireland, approximately 30,000 unwanted and abandoned puppies and dogs have to be put to sleep .....
- Many dogs are infected each year by parvovirus, leptospirosis and kennel cough. If an unvaccinated dog or puppy come into contact with one of these diseases, it could prove to be fatal. There is no need for this to happen as a dog can be protected through a couple of injections as a puppy and then regular boosters throughout his life.
Puppies should be vaccinated at 6-9 weeks of age and then again at 10-12 weeks. They will become fully protected two weeks after the second vaccination.
The vaccine contains a weak dose of the disease and this stimulates the dog’s immune system to produce antibodies that will be able to fight the disease should they become exposed to it at a later stage.
Vaccines are given in different ways. Most are injected into the ‘scruff’ of the neck; however, the kennel cough vaccine is given as drops into the nose.
Regular ‘booster’ vaccinations are necessary to keep the dog’s immunity levels high enough to protect him against disease throughout his life. Your vet will advise you on how often your pet needs to be vaccinated.
Apart from kennel cough the following diseases share the initial symptoms of depression, appetite loss, and a high temperature. Veterinary treatment should be sought immediately if your dog is unvaccinated and becomes unwell.
Remember, ALL of these diseases can be fatal;
Distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis and kennel cough.
- “Neutering” is an expression used to explain that either male or female animals have been operated on to ensure that they are no longer capable of reproduction. Spaying is the expression used to signify that the female has been neutered whilst “castration” is the expression used for the male.
- A dog licence may be purchased at any Post Office or Local Authority Office. No licence is required for a cat or any other animal.
- As well as being messy and inconvenient, she will need to be kept apart from male dogs for the duration to prevent unwanted puppies.
- The Wikipedia dictionary defines a puppy farm as a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare and is often in substandard conditions regarding the well-being of dogs in their care. Similar types of operations exist for other animals commonly kept as pets or used as feed for other animals. For-profit breeding on a smaller scale is sometimes referred to as backyard breeding.
- It usually involves just a day spent at your veterinary practice, and she will have recovered fully in approximately 2 weeks.
- Female dogs are generally spayed about 6 months of age, but your pet can be spayed at any age.
- An animal may be re-homed by contacting “Donegal Pet Rescue”, Animals in Need” or your local dog pound in Glencar, Letterkenny.
- Uncastrated male dog's behaviour can alter greatly when a local bitch is in heat. They will escape at any opportunity, and may cause or be involved in a road traffic accident: for which you will be held responsible; get into fights with other dog's, or worst of all, get lost and go missing, possibly forever.
- Male dogs are usually castrated at about 6 months of age, but can be done at any age.
- As well as making your dog less likely to stray, dog's tend to be less aggressive and less likely to fight, and often more amenable to training.
- Neutering your dog is not as expensive as you may think .... It is certainly cheaper than the cost of an unplanned pregnancy and raising a litter of pups, or the vet's bill following your dog's road accident.
- Neutering is the only guaranteed way of preventing unplanned puppies being born, and the needless destruction of thousands of dogs every year.
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