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The Benefits of Neutering Neutering – why and when? By Ray Butcher, Wylie & Partners
(Lecture presented on the Second International Companion Animal Welfare Conference, Bratislava, May 1998) Table of Contents Introduction The technique of neutering Benefits of neutering The age of neutering Cats Dogs Adverse effects of neutering and release Alternatives to neutering Other surgical procedures Non-surgical options Owned animals - neutering and registration schemes Owned animals - neutering without registration schemes Feral animals – population control and neutering Identification of neutered animals Practical considerations of introducing neutering programmes Public education Financial incentives Surgical facilities Neutering workshop Neutering the male dog Neutering the male cat Neutering the bitch Neutering the female cat General Technique [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Introduction During this symposium we will consider some of the different aspects that make up a potential control programme. It is generally accepted that the overproduction of dogs and cats (whether as owned pets or as feral animals) is one of the main causes of the problem, and that a "catch and kill" policy is ineffective and potentially more expensive over a 10-year period than a programme of trapping and neutering. The latter however does depend on long term management of the colony. An effective neutering programme is therefore generally considered as an essential element of any stray animal control programme. [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] The technique of neutering Neutering is the surgical removal of the gonads under general anaesthesia in conditions of adequate sterility and analgesia. This is an important point, since if there is not adequate provision for sterility and analgesia the procedure should not be undertaken at all! In the male, neutering involves removal of the testicles, while in the female it generally involves the removal of both ovaries and womb (ovariectomy alone is possible, though some feel this may be associated with a higher risk of long term problems). The practical details of neutering will be considered in more detail during the workshop session. [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Benefits of neutering The benefits of neutering a male are said to include:
[ top of page ] [ table of contents ] The age of neutering There is no universal agreement as to the optimum time of neutering dogs and cats. I will attempt to present both viewpoints.
Cats
Dogs
The pressure for early neutering is mainly from re-homing organisations. The American Humane Association shelters have a policy of neutering after adoption of animals, but in 1987 claimed a compliance of only 50 - 60 %. Their preferred option would be therefore to neuter early before re-homing. American authors have therefore advocated routine neutering of cats at 6 - 14 weeks, though clearly the technique requires special attention to:
In South Africa, the controlling council of the SPCA has the policy of pre-pubertal sterilisation at 8 weeks of age, though I have been told that this is not universally performed at all their branches. This replaces a system in which a large deposit was paid by the new owner of a re-homed dog that was refunded after sterilisation. [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Adverse effects of neutering and release It has been claimed that perhaps those cats that have been neutered and released are at a disadvantage to others and hence would be adversely affected. They perhaps would be the target of attacks or be more prone to disease. The studies of UFAW (1985) indicate that this is not the case, and in fact suggest that their improved behaviour to each other and to the humans feeding them was a distinct advantage. [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Alternatives to neutering
Other surgical procedures
Non-surgical options [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Owned animals - neutering and registration schemes It is much easier to develop incentive schemes if neutering is associated with a pre-existing registration scheme. In this way financial incentives can be made to encourage neutering. An example is that already mentioned - South Africa In Johannesburg there is an annual licence fee payable per dog. This fee is reduced if the dog is sterilised (and incidentally the fee per dog is increased if you keep more than one dog). [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Owned animals - neutering without registration schemes In the UK we have the unenviable problem that at present we do not have dog registration. Despite this a number of councils have introduced neutering schemes with some success. The City of Dundee in Scotland recognised it had a major stray dog problem, centred around an area of Council housing estates. In 1881 a Dog warden scheme was introduced to round up stray dogs, but this proved to have little impact on the problem. In 1989 a free neutering service was introduced for those dogs re-homed to both their original or new owners. The scheme was funded partly by charitable donations and partly by the Council and partly by a charge being made to the owners to whom dogs are returned. The figures are illustrated below:
Thus even without registration (i.e. a voluntary scheme) there has been a significant decrease in the number of stray dogs and in turn the number of dogs requiring euthanasia. [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Feral animals – population control and neutering Trapping/neutering/re-release programmes have been shown to be a successful and cost effective method of controlling feral cats. This will be discussed in more detail in a subsequent lecture.
Identification of neutered animals [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Practical considerations of introducing neutering programmes
Public education
Financial incentives
Surgical facilities
It is the view of FECAVA that this is best achieved by the involvement of local veterinarians performing the operations in their own clinics. [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] Neutering Workshop
Neutering the male dog
Neutering the male cat
Neutering the bitch
Neutering the female cat
General Technique
In my own clinic, our procedure involves:
However where basic levels of sterility and analgesia cannot be ensured, the operations should not be attempted. [ top of page ] [ table of contents ] This lecture has been published first (in 1998) on the Internet Site of the Bulgarian Animal Defence League (Bulgaria, Registered Charity No. U-108063587) with the express permission of the Organisers of the Second International Companion Animal Welfare Conference. BADL would like to thank Ray Butcher for giving the opportunity to publish his lecture on the BADL's Website. We just reprint this lecture in full. All copyrights are of their respective owners - Ray Butcher, for the text of the lecture, and BADL - for the online publication. The AnimalawBgTeam
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