Undoubtedly, neutering is recommended for the reasons detailed in this chapter. These reasons are not just protectionist (reducing overpopulation and abandonments), but also apply to the direct wellbeing of the animal in question.

Why do you want to prevent the animal from enjoying its sexual life?

Animals do not experience sexuality as humans do because they have not taken the emotional step that this implies. For an animal, sex is only the physical process of reproduction. If eating and drinking is the guarantee of individual survival, sex is the guarantee of the species’ continuity. In humans sex is an end in itself but in the rest of the animal world its only purpose is to conceive offspring, therefore the concept of enjoyment cannot be taken into consideration.

The clearest evidence of this is that female animals only accept being mounted when they are in heat, that is, when there is a hormonal demand. When the female animal is not in heat, she will refuse to have sex and may even reject males in a very aggressive manner. This shows how, for female animals, sex is a hormonal necessity and is not related to pleasure. Likewise, male animals only have the impulse to mount when they receive chemical information from a female in heat.

Will you be sad at having your animal neutered?

Will my pet put on weight?

If an animal is overfed it will put on weight regardless of whether it has been neutered or not. In either case you must be very careful to control its diet and to provide adequate physical exercise for it to stay healthy. If the animal is going to be operated on and has a tendency to put on weight, the vet will give you specific instructions to avoid this; you just have to follow them to the letter.

Will it change its character?

Only hormone-associated behaviours change as a direct consequence of neutering, for example territoriality and facing-off with other animals in males. In many cases, animals have remarkable behavioural changes when they notice their owners treat them differently. This is the case when an owner becomes much more protective because he feels saddened to have neutered the animal and allows it to do things he would not have allowed previously.

Is it good for a female to breed at least once?

No. This is a myth. We are talking about hormonal and chemical processes here. If they are neutered they have no drive to reproduce, and will therefore have no psychological pregnancies, stress or seasonal anxiety. The maternal instinct in females disappears entirely (plus all its associated problems) with the OVH.

Vets are qualified professionals who have chosen animal health as their career (they have trained for many years). They suggest neutering because it is their obligation to look after the animal’s interests. This applies to the animal in question and its possible future offspring; they recommend sterilization or neutering as they are convinced that the animal will be better off (e.g. to avoid a future pyometra and sudden death in the female).

What are the health benefits?

Neutering will prevent psychological pregnancies, pyometra and some breast tumours in females. In males it will prevent (amongst other conditions) testicular tumours, perineal hernias, hepatoid gland tumours, perineal gland tumours, prostate tumours and cysts, which according to veterinary statistics are currently on the increase.

Is it expensive?

The costs of surgery depend on the animal’s characteristics – sex, size, age, etc. – and rates are generally recommended by each College of Veterinary Surgeons. Whatever the price it will be a bargain compared to the total cost of caring for the female during the two months of pregnancy and two months caring for the puppies (which means costly medication, special foods, possible complications, etc.). Therefore, if you are money conscious and take into consideration the fact that you will be saving money by avoiding your pet’s future health problems, you will no doubt be interested in neutering your pet.

The pet trade is nowadays governed by law and subject to compliance with the regulations in this regard, including licences, taxes, etc. We do not like this trade, but at present it is legal although we are working to end it. Nevertheless, once our point of view has been made clear it should be pointed out that almost 90 per cent of abandoned animals were not born with legal breeders or stores: they came from normal homes (‘How wonderful to have a litter from my pet,’ ‘The neighbours have asked for a puppy from my pet,’ ‘I have found owners for all of them,’ ‘I will breed at home in order to sell the offspring for cash below market price,’ ‘There was a mistake and my dog has become pregnant,’ ‘I use the puppies to beg and when they grow up I will kill them and replace them with new puppies,’ etc.).

Remember that the sterilization and neutering of animals will not create a greater volume of business for shops and breeders but will avoid a greater volume of adoptions in kennels and shelters.

Are we entitled to deprive animals of what nature has given them?

It depends, because avoiding an entire three-day-old litter being thrown into a river in a bag or crushed in a garbage truck is more important than a female’s right to breed. To consider whether we have that right or not, we must first fulfil our obligations.

My animal is purebred

In this case, please use another argument: your puppy might be one of those pedigree puppies that will end up on the street, in a kennel or in a shelter. In addition, the following issues affect purebreds: the owner gets rid of them when they grow old (as they must pay them more attention and time), sick (they must pay more for health care) or both. Do you know how many purebred animals end up living a hellish life? Do you know how many of them arrive old, blind, with cancer, and so on, at the animal shelters? However, mind you, they are ‘very pure’. Some cases we’ve heard of recently include a 13-year-old dog, almost paralyzed, its mouth devastated by infections. However, it had an incredible pedigree, being son and grandson of champions. The owners got rid of it when it was no longer able to ‘pose’ with its pedigree. We also received a 19-year-old poodle (Trufita) weighing 1.3 kg at the shelter. She had been abandoned in a dumpster, was blind and had two tumours the size of tennis balls, one in each groin. She was very pure, a real ‘toy’, and must have cost the owners a fortune.

Will it be less of a guard dog?

The animal’s personality does not depend as much on sexual hormones as it does on its genetic heritage and environment. Hence its tendency to protect its loved ones (you, the owner) will not be affected. If you really want to have security you should buy an alarm instead of a dog.

I really want to be present at a birth

If you want to experience a birth at home and allow your children to learn to respect the life of others you do not need your dog or cat to be pregnant. You can call the nearest animal shelter and you will undoubtedly be able to foster a female in need of care and about to give birth. You can take her home, take care of her, and enjoy two or three months taking care of the baby animals until they can be adopted. It will be a two-fold beautiful experience: the life that begins before your eyes and your generosity towards mistreated animals. The animal shelter will not know how to thank you.

I want to have offspring from my pet

Forget about any of your animal’s puppies being its photocopy. It is understandable that you want to prolong the existence of your beloved animal as much as possible, even forever if you could. It is true that for you there will not be another one like it. That is the reason why you should not try to replace it specifically with another one of its own blood. Let this animal be special and unique and when it is gone, take the time you need before you share your life with another animal. Your new pet will also be special and will not come to replace the previous one but to continue sharing the happiness that has been interrupted momentarily by pain.

I will be responsible for the offspring

Nobody doubts it, but listen closely: you will have a litter that you will give to people close to you whom you trust. Each one of those people has the same right as you to enjoy the same enthusiasm and may want to continue breeding.

Table 10.1 The number of offspring of one female cat and one female dog over five generations

After five generations, one cat and one dog give rise to a total amount of 33,812 animals, of which almost certainly 90 per cent (30,430) will die in kennels, streets, dogfights, poisoned, maimed, etc. This result will be the responsibility of the owner of the original animal.

Can you guarantee that you will be responsible for those thousands of animals that are the result of your first dream? Doesn’t it worry you that the offspring of your beloved animal, bearing its same blood, will have this future? If this is the case you should take responsiblity and prevent this from happening.

No one makes money if I have a litter

Wrong. Based on the figures above, the following groups and individuals can make a lot of money from the offspring of your beloved animal.