Currently, there is an increased awareness about proper pet care. Lately, pet owners are becoming conscious that having a pet is a beautiful experience but also that it is no game.
The responsibility increases concerning the number of animals you decide to have at home. However, some pet owners manage to have many animals and still attend to all their needs.
All animals, domestic or not, require considerable and adequate attention and, in some cases, special care, depending on the species. Pet owners must be aware they must give them the love, care, and time they need to live a healthy and happy life.
There are essential aspects that we must mention that are relevant for successful pet caring. Below, we will mention some of them so that you can take them into account.
Feeding Your Pet With Nutritional Food
A healthy nutrition is the basis of all reasonable care and a means for providing a good quality of life for your pet. Feeding your pet correctly according to the species and other factors like the breed, size, and weight will allow the body full functionality and development.
For this reason, we must establish schedules to feed our pets, anticipating their digestion, so we can determine a suitable plan to take them out of the house for their biological needs.
Physical Activity
It is essential to define a time to take them for physical activity and use up energy, preferably outdoors, especially if your pet is a dog.
Happy Pets
Taking care of details and making our pets feel comfortable is imperative. Making them happy with small gestures of affection, hugging, and caressing them helps them feel affectionate and loved.
Socialization
In the case of having canine pets, experts recommend making them interact with other dogs at least once a week. Helping your dog bond with other dogs will improve its behavior.
Veterinary Medical Attention
Fortunately for our company friends, there are professionals with specialized medical training who take care of their health. Animals are living beings that can get sick or have chronic pain. Unfortunately, our beloved pets cannot speak to us, and we must learn to identify when they feel physical and emotional pain.
In addition, it is vital to control their reproduction to avoid having more pets to take care of and also to prevent them from getting sick. In many cases, it is necessary to take preventive measures such as sterilization.
Is There a Difference Between Spaying and Neutering a Dog?
The difference between spaying and neutering a pet is sometimes unclear. In general, when a veterinary sterilizes an animal, the sexuality of the pet remains intact without being able to reproduce. However, when neutering a pet, it will no longer be able to have sexual intercourse.
It is essential to go to the vet so that he can recommend the most suitable option for our pets. Furthermore, to give you a clearer idea, we want to tell you about the main differences, advantages, and disadvantages of spaying and neutering.
Neutering Procedure
After a vet evaluation, if the chosen option is neutering your pet, the specialist removes the sexual glands of your pet. Neutering is a more drastic and invasive procedure compared to spaying.
Advantages of Neutering
Despite the invasiveness, neutering has excellent benefits for your pet’s behavior. You might note your little friend is more docile. It also prevents diseases related to the breasts or uterus and prostate diseases.
Spaying Procedure
If your pet’s vet recommends sterilization, he might perform a laparoscopic procedure to null your pet’s fertility but maintain the sexual behavior of the animal intact.
Advantages of Spaying
One of the benefits of spaying is to avoid an unwanted litter. Additionally, it helps prevent psychological pregnancies (false pregnancy) in females, postpartum complications, and behavioral changes in the female dog when she is in heat.
What Are the Advantages of Having a Male Dog?
Spaying your male dog prevents unwanted paws and testicle cancer if performed before six months of age. The dog will lose the need to escape home. Hormonally controlled dogs don’t have the habit of marking territory and peeing all over your household. In addition, it will help manage their aggression problems if they exist.
What Are the Advantages of Having a Female Dog?
Neutering female dogs helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which affects around fifty percent of female dogs. Another advantage is that the females will not go into heat.
What Are the Disadvantages of Spaying or Neutering a Dog Pet?
We sometimes overlook some disadvantages when it is time to sterilize our pets. Here we mention some of the most common:
Tumors
Sterilized animals have a longer life expectancy than those that are not; this increases the possibility of tumors in old-aged dogs and eventually death.
Obesity
Estrogens regulate satiety at the central nervous system level. Once a vet spays a female dog, it might increase its appetite causing the pet to gain weight.
Orthopedic Alterations
Neutering implies a delay in the growth plate closure. Consequently, the bones might grow more than expected.
Vaccine Reactions
Spayed animals might develop a tendency for immune diseases due to hormonal deprivation. They are also prone to abnormal vaccine reactions.
When to Spay or Neuter Your Dog?
If you have a dog, one of the most important decisions you can make is sterilizing it. The best time to neuter or spay a dog depends on several factors, such as breed, size, sex, genetics, and environment.
We recommend sterilizing male dogs between 6 and 9 months of age. For female dogs, it is better if you do so before they have their first heat.
How to Take Care of Your Dog After the Spay or Neuter Procedure?
Sterilization is a minimal-risk intervention. However, our pets will need certain special care in their postoperative period. Your pets will also need pain relievers to reduce pain and antibiotics to prevent infection while the wound heals.
It is essential to clean the wound two or three times a day with an antiseptic. It is necessary to ensure that the pet wears an Elizabethan collar for two weeks after the intervention to avoid touching the wound.
As caregivers of our pets, we must guarantee a comfortable space for them to rest and recover, placing clean or new blankets in their resting space, and most importantly, giving them lots of love for a quick and successful recovery.
Preventive Care of Your Pet Is a Demonstration of Your Love for Your Little Companion
At Brightcare Emergency Hospital, we assist with your loved pet’s emergencies and create a bond to help nurture your relationship with your dog. We gladly help you get your pet spayed or neutered.
