Pete the Vet: Spaying and neutering is key to stopping puppy and kitten overpopulation

"SpayAware week (formerly known as Spay Week) has been an annual event for over 15 years: it has played an important part in persuading people that spaying and neutering should be seen as a normal part of responsible pet ownership."

Sat, 27 May, 2023 - 02:00

Peter Wedderburn

I’ve written before about Ireland’s success story on the stray dog front, with the number of unwanted dogs being euthanased at local authority dog pounds reducing from over 30,000 dogs in the early 1990s to less than 200 in 2021. Animal welfare and rescue organisations, veterinary groups and local authority teams had worked hard together to make this happen. For a brief period, it seemed as if the age-old problem of unwanted dogs had been fixed.

The bad news is that the issue of canine overpopulation has come back in 2023. Many people who took on dogs during the pandemic have found that they cannot cope with the animals after all. Others have found that the surge in the cost of living has meant that they cannot afford the cost of caring for their pet. Animal rescue groups around Ireland have been flooded with unwanted pets being surrendered to them for rehoming, and they just can’t cope. Many have had to close their doors to new arrivals because there’s just no space left.

Meanwhile, the ISPCA is seeing an upsurge in cruelty cases, because unwanted dogs, with nowhere to go, are being abandoned, neglected and abused by their owners.

It’s almost certain that when the 2022 and 2023 dog control statistics are released, we will see a big surge in the number of healthy dogs being euthanased for no other reason than that they are surplus to Ireland’s capacity to provide homes.

There’s plenty that can — and will — be done to relieve this crisis. Animal rescue groups are working harder than ever to spread the important message of “Adopt Don’t Shop” when people are looking for a new pet. There are thousands of adorable rescue dogs and cats looking for homes: there is absolutely no need to buy a puppy if you are looking for the ideal dog. If everyone takes this approach, this will help to remove dogs from pounds before they face the prospect of euthanasia. And the reduction in demand for puppies should slow the puppy production line from those breeders who have gone into the business with the sole aim of making a profit. Good, genuine dog breeders will always find homes for their top quality animals.

The second way to slow the production of unwanted puppies and kittens is to focus on stopping family pets from having accidental litters. In theory it’s easy to do this: if young adult animals are spayed and neutered before they can breed, pregnancies will not happen, and the number of surplus puppies and kittens will fall.

As part of a nationwide strategy to encourage pet owners to spay and neuter their pets, this week — the last week of May — has been designated SpayAware Week. The ISPCA is running a public campaign highlighting the benefits of spaying and castration to dogs and cats, and stressing the need for owners to be responsible about controlling their pets’ reproductive capacity. Vets are joining in with the campaign, by sharing photos, stories and offers about spaying and neutering to the SpayAware Facebook page.

SpayAware week (formerly known as Spay Week) has been an annual event for over 15 years: it has played an important part in persuading people that spaying and neutering should be seen as a normal part of responsible pet ownership. There’s no doubt that this contributed to the fall in unwanted dogs that was seen up until 2021. Two years ago, it had begun to seem as if there was no need to work so hard to persuade people not to allow their pets to breed: the recent surge in unwanted dogs has shown that this is not true.

We all need to continue to focus on reducing the numbers of surplus puppies and kittens. Encouraging spaying and neutering is an important part of this strategy.

The messaging on spaying and neutering has subtly changed, thanks to new information that we have learned about the impact that the operations can have on animal behaviour and health.

For cats, the message remains the same: all male and female cats, apart from those specifically wanted for breeding, should be neutered and spayed before they’re six months old.

For female dogs, spaying at around six months of age is still the best option for most small and medium sized dogs.

Health benefits include the prevention of mammary (breast) cancer and pyometra (womb infections). For large and giant breeds of dogs, delaying spaying until physical maturity (18 months to two years of age) makes sense, as the continued presence of female hormones till this age seems to help to prevent some issues such as cruciate ligament disease and bone cancer.

For male dogs, it’s more subtle. Male hormones help dogs to be confident, so there’s a strong argument that nervous, timid or anxious dogs should not be castrated at all. And for large and giant breeds again, if they are being castrated, it’s better to do the operation when they are fully grown, at 18 months to two years of age.

There are also some breed-specific recommendations on spaying and neutering based on reviewing data from tens of thousands of dogs: Dachshunds are more likely to suffer slipped spinal discs after they have been spayed or neutered, so delaying the procedure, or not doing it at all, may be appropriate in this long-backed breed.

The over-riding message is still simple: when you get a young dog or cat, be sure to discuss spaying or neutering with your vet.

This is important for two reasons: first, for the sake of your pet’s health and behaviour, and second, to help combat Ireland’s resurgence in overpopulation with dogs and cats.