There is no advantage in having a litter of puppies, plus you lose a great deal of the health benefits of having your female spayed. Why should I spay/neuter my pet? Unless you are planning on becoming a serious breeder, altering your pet is just plain practical. With females you no longer have the problem of keeping her confined every six months, and if done early before she ever comes in season, spaying practically guarantees she will not get mammary cancer.

NO. The female should be spayed by the time she is six to eight months of age. Many veterinarians now believe that spaying at an earlier age presents little or no increased risk. Spaying a female puppy before the first heat cycle helps protect against mammary tumors and helps prevent the development of several reproductive tract diseases.

Absolutely not! Again, the cancer preventing benefits are the highest if the pet is spayed before her first heat. The bigger issue is the number of unwanted pets; the shelters are full of pets needing homes that may end being euthanized for lack of a home.

Yes, you can train older puppies and adult dogs to use Purina secondnature® brand Dog Litter. Success depends on how consistent and attentive you are at following the guidelines in the training booklet. Visit the secondnature® brand Dog Litter site for further details and be sure to read that site's FAQ. Success depends on how consistent and attentive you are at following the guidelines in the training booklet.

No. There are no medical benefits associated with an animal have a litter or puppies/kittens prior to being spayed. In fact there is an increase risk of developing mammary tumors with each heat cycle. What is the normal gestation length for dogs/cats? The gestation period (length of pregnancy) on average is 63 days.

Q:I have 2 dogs and I would like to know why they keep passing out? And also why, when they obviously need to do something (potty, sleep, etc), they don't just do it.

No domestic, feral or otherwise, cat should be allowed to have kittens. Early spay is imperative. (See About FFSC.)

Most people make this decision thinking that it will be less work on their part because the puppies will entertain themselves. I?m here to tell you "Not!". What you will have is two puppies that need training (jumping, mouthing, barking, digging, etc). And you?ll have the pack dynamic going on in which they will bond a lot closer to each other than you. Which means if one of them has a good idea, like eating up the irrigation system, the other puppy will follow along.

No, your female dog or cat does not need to breed just one time. If you have your female animal spayed before her first heat you may be saving your females life from common disease such as breast cancer and reproductive cancers. You may even find that your female is much more affectionate and easier trained. If this were a true statement then animal shelters all over the country would not be filled with millions of unwanted animals. Millions of unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized every year.

No, not at all! There is no advantage to letting your pet have even one litter. However there are plenty of advantages to having you pet spayed or neutered.

There is no scientific evidence to support this and studies to date show that cats that have been desexed as kittens show identical behaviour to those that have been desexed later. If you allow your cat to have a litter, there can be several problems ? there may be difficulties with the birth and she may require a caesarean, which is both draining on her health and expensive; there may be difficulties rearing in rearing the kittens and there is a need to find the kittens homes.

A - The first six (6) were born on the 28th of April and the last two (2) were born on the 29th April 2006.

NEARR does not require your dogs to be spayed or neutered. However, NEARR strongly recommends that you spay or neuter your pet as it decreases the number of homeless animals born each year and can prevent certain types of cancer.

The only reason not to have your pet spayed or neutered would be if you intend to use it as a breeder.

If your dog was not previously licensed you will need to get an Unaltered Dog Permit. The cost is $50. This provision of the ordinance will become effective April 5, 2007. We strongly recommend that you spay or neuter your dog if you are not a breeder, or involved in other activities that would dissuade you from doing so. If you are in your own yard with your puppy or dog the animals should either be confined in a secure enclosure or accompanied by the owner and under his/her direct control.

There are no predictable behavior changes in the female dog or cat after ovariohysterectomy. Male dogs, however, often become less dominant and aggressive with other dogs and roam less after neutering. Male cats generally do less territorial fighting and roam less, which dramatically increases their life span. There are many solid health reasons for spaying and neutering our pets. Early spaying prevents mammary cancer and a uterine disease called pyometra.

Intact dogs will of course find the group activity a bit more distracting than spayed or neutered dogs. An in-season female can turn a male's brain to mush in an instant and add an element to the classroom that can be a bit trying for all concerned (and successive classes for days afterward.) So if your dog comes into season, she will need to postpone her class until the next session, and we strongly advocate spaying and neutering! A typical estrus cycle lasts 27 days.

NO! It is myth that pets should experience birth. Breeding your dog/cat is not only costly and time consuming but poses a risk to her health. Also if you visit the shelters you will see many abandoned pets that need homes – many of which were the result of someone letting their dog/cat have just one litter. And in all actuality your pet will be a better pet without going through the birth experience.

The documented failure rate for surgery is 30 to 80% in one to five years. Removing a varicose vein surgically is not the same as removing an appendix – a one-time-only procedure – because varicose veins are a chronic problem plagued with new growth in many places in the leg. Repeated surgery is not an acceptable solution for a recurrent problem.

Unfortunately, most people don't realize how much work, time and expense is involved in the process of breeding. The first thing that you must consider is whether your pet should be bred. Most pets, although lovable, are not of breeding quality. Genetic defects and other problems should not be perpetuated, because they can cause serious medical problems for future generations.

Both parents can be National Specialty winners and it does not mean that the pups will be show quality. Genetics is a "crap shoot". You will end up with puppies with the best characteristics of each parent, and puppies with the worst characteristics of each parent. That is the reason a breeding should only be done with good quality dogs. My breeder said I shouldn't let my puppy touch the ground until after he's had his 16-week shots.

We recommend that the pet be at least 5 months of age. It is not necessary or recommended to allow females to experience an estrus cycle. Spaying and neutering at the age of 5 months greatly reduces the chances of any medical or behavioral problems such as mammary tumors, testicular tumors, inappropriate urination and aggression.

We recommend that all mixed breed pets be spayed. Purebred animals that are not being used for breeding or for show should also be spayed. Spaying a female dog or cat involves the surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries. The primary benefit to spaying your pet is to eliminate their ability to have puppies or kittens.

We recommend having your pet spayed/neutered at 6 months of age. By 6 months all adult teeth should be in and the baby teeth should have fallen out. Sometimes, the baby teeth do not fall out and are retained behind the adult teeth. This can cause a lot of dental problems in the future, so while they are already anesthetized we like to pull the retained deciduous teeth.