Having your pet spayed or neutered does more than prevent unwanted litters. Veterinarians have found that these procedures are among the cheapest, most-effective strategies for preventing a number of serious health threats. In males, neutering involves removing the testicles. This is important because in unneutered males the prostate gland typically enlarges with age, starting when a dog is six or seven years old. If the gland gets too large, it can begin pressing on the urethra, making it difficult to urinate.
Unneutered males are also at risk for prostate infections, along with testicular cancer.
Neutering your pet will completely eliminate the risk for all of these problems, says Dr. Rucker. As a behavioral bonus, neutering males also makes them much less likely to roam or get in fights with other pets. They tend to bond more with their human owners as well. When female pets are spayed, the uterus and ovaries are removed. This completely eliminates the risk of uterine infections and substantially reduces the risk for breast cancer, Dr. Rucker says.