Local vets support National Desexing Month
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August is National Desexing Month. Campaign posters describe undesexed domestic cats and dogs as 'weapons of mass production' and 'breeding bombs set to explode.' Is that too severe? Or are these strong slogans needed to get the message across?
I think it is quite accurate actually. It does need to be phrased that way to make people take notice," says veterinarian Dr Fiona Walker.
Fiona now works at a private veterinarian practice in Helensvale, after working in animal shelters previously.
She says undesexed animals are a huge problem.
"Female dogs that are not desexed are more likely to escape and roam and get pregnant. Male dogs will also roam and can impregnate several females, and before you know it you have a whole litter and a big problem on your hands."
Fiona says many pet owners don't understand just how young their pet can get pregnant.
"A lot of people are shocked that their young animals are pregnant. Cats can fall pregnant from five months old."
The problem is not just unwanted litters, as desexing early can also prevent bad behaviours, especially in male pets.
"It's a priority to try to get them before the behaviours are set in place, desexing them earlier can really stomp out them wanting to escape and explore the place, as well as aggression and other behavioural things associated with testosterone."
Fiona says desexing also has many health benefits for the animal, particularly for dogs.
"For example, for a female dog, you make the chance of her developing mammary cancer later in life pretty much zero. With each heat and each pregnancy, those chances skyrocket, and this type of cancer is quite dangerous.
"The other risk that they have is developing an infection in the uterus, and it is a very serious, life-threatening condition where the choice of treatment is surgery and the patient is very sick.
"Male dogs can also benefit from being desexed early. The boys that are desexed don't get an infection in their prostate which is also a very serious condition. They also don't get enlarged prostates.
"And if they don't have testicles, they don't get testicular cancer, so there are quite a few benefits to desexing boys early as well."
So, if desexing not only prevents unwanted pregnancy, but also improves pet's health and behaviour, why are campaigns like National Desexing Month needed?
"I think a lot of it is romanticised," Fiona says.
"I think they [pet owners] think 'I wouldn't like someone to take my testicles' but they don't realise that it doesn't affect the dogs negatively, they really are the same dog afterwards, except without some of the behavioural problems.
"A lot of people also romanticise about their dog having just one litter, but there's just so many risks involved with allowing your dog to have a pregnancy."
These risks include caesareans and the puppies or kitten not taking to the teet and needed to be bottle-fed.
There are also a lot of special needs that a pregnant pet requires.
"There's the problem of having to find homes for all the puppies or kittens at the end, and all of those have to be vaccinated and micro-chipped before they find homes. So there's a lot more to it than people think."
National Desexing Month is an initiative of the National Desexing Network. Vets, councils and animal welfare groups nation-wide are supporting the campaign by offering incentives such as discounted desexing prices, two-for-one deals, prizes, and micro-chipping specials.
For Fiona, it is a campaign close to her heart.
"Especially after my years working in an animal shelter and seeing so many two-year-old or one-year-old animals that are just not wanted anymore. Puppies are hard to resist but other animals need homes as well and the more puppies that are out there, the more these very loving animals are missing out on good homes.
"The more that can happen to increase the awareness of desexing the better. I think if these people went and spent a week at an animal shelter they might change their minds."
For more information on National Desexing Month, including participating vets, visit the National Desexing Network website.
Original article: ABC Gold Coast
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