The question that has destroyed all ABC (animal birth control) efforts in India since they began is the following; What is the right age to sterilize puppies?
The global answer is simple
-For Male Puppies- When you see em’, snip em’ . As soon as the testicles descend, male puppies are ready to be neutered. Advantages of neutering males early are the following-
*They do not mark their territory as they haven’t achieved sexual maturity.
*Male puppies heal in a maximum of two days (although we give them a full course of antibiotics) because their bodies are growing at such a rapid rate. The wound is so small that external stitches are not required (which cause infections in adults) and by the next morning one is hard-pressed to even locate the cut.
*There are no chances of adopted stray dogs running away at 5-8 months (as dogs achieve sexual maturity at diff ages, just like humans do) as they don’t chase females.
*There is very little territorial guarding against adult male dogs so lesser fights.
*Eliminate the chances of prostrate cancer by 100%.
-For Female puppies-Their ovaries fully develop at age of 3.5 to 4 months (indie dogs). That when they are ready to be spayed. To reduce mammary and ovarian cancer, AAHA recommends that puppies be spayed before their first heat-cycle. This also eliminates the chance of Ovarian cancer. 70 % of adult female deaths are attributable to Pyometra (infection of the uterus) at ABC units. If we remove the uterus before they achieve sexual maturity, there is no chance of Pyometra as adults.
Since female puppies achieve sexual maturity anywhere between 6 and 9 months (and sometimes even sooner) they are at the risk of getting pregnant on their first cycle and the over-population problem continues.
Hence both male and female puppies should be sterilized early. Internationally shelter pups are sterilized when they achieve a body weight of 4 Lbs (which is generally around 8 weeks of age).
So why is there a popular belief in India that all dogs should be sterilized after they achieve sexual maturity?
Animal Welfare Board of India guidelines to sterilize dogs states that we should sterilize male and female pups at 9 months of age. Hence this has become the mantra for all animal lovers without understanding the real reason behind it.
The roots of this belief can be traced to a very practical issue- In the early 1990’s when ABC programs were being made mandatory after the government understood for a fact that stray dog population can not be controlled by culling and mass-poisoning (besides being immoral).
- They made guidelines that the visual method to determine which animal had been sterilized was to notch the ear of the dog.
- They also realized that the municipal corporations do-not have the knowledge or the will to run a successful ABC program, hence it will have to be outsourced to a third party on a tender-rate (charge per dog) basis.
Post this started the great Indian short cut that some of the contractors started taking.
*They would pick up stray females and notch the ears and release them. Claiming the dog as sterilized.
*Lots of females with notched ears were reported as having litters.
As a solution AWBI came up with a practical idea. According to the new AWBI guidelines-
*Post sterilization the sexual organs (ovaries and testicles) removed by the contractor’s vet will have to be preserved in formaldehyde.
*At the end of every week/month the assigned inspector from Municipal Corporation would count the organs and mark them in his register.
*The organs would then be destroyed so they could not be double-counted.
*The contractor would be paid on the basis of the organs counted.
While this solution took care of the problem of cheating by the contractors, it added a new problem regarding the organs of puppies.
*The organs of the puppies (testicles and ovaries) are so tiny that when they are put in formaldehyde and like all organs when they shrink, these organs just dissolve.
*Hence the contractors would not get paid for it and they complained to AWBI
This is when the AWBI guidelines were amended to include the 9 month rule.
Some other myths regarding sterilizing puppies are as follows
- Puppies are too weak to endure surgery.
Every adult and puppy needs to be assessed prior to surgery for being fit for surgery. The only real way to do it is a physical exam (which is done for both adults and puppies) and a blood test to check for HB levels, WBC counts and Heart issues. Whether the subject is a puppy or an adult makes no difference to their eligibility for surgery
- The Vets are not skilled enough to conduct surgeries on pups.
This is a myth. While contractor’s vets use the cheapest materials including the cheapest anesthesia (Sodium Pentothal) and the cheapest suture material (silk) to keep their costs low and justify their business, most private vets have graduated to using a much lower risk anesthesia (Ketamine/Xylazine) and now even gas (Propophol/Isoflurane) and Vicryl sutures. Spay and Neuter surgeries are very routine and low risk.
- Puppies who undergo surgeries face long-term health issues.
There is a strange myth that puppies who get spayed early do not have good muscle, skeletal structure owing to lack of hormones. Progesterone and Testosterone are not growth hormones and in no way do they impede growth in dogs. The lack of them does make males less aggressive (which is a good thing)
There is research showing some females spayed early become incontinent in the latter part of their lives. This besides being unproven and at best retroactive research. Even if this were true, incontinence is not a problem for a dog living on the street. The benefits easily outweigh this issue (which is still unproven).
PLS FIND ATTACHED RESEACH TO SUPPORT FACTS MENTIONED ABOVE
The question that has destroyed all ABC (animal birth control) efforts in India since they began is the following; What is the right age to sterilize puppies?
The global answer is simple
-For Male Puppies- When you see em’, sinp em’ . As soon as the testicles descend, male puppies are ready to be neutered. Advantages of neutering males early are the following-
*They do not mark their territory as they haven’t achieved sexual maturity.
*Male puppies heal in a maximum of two days (although we give them a full course of antibiotics) because their bodies are growing at such a rapid rate. The wound is so small that external stitches are not required (which cause infections in adults) and by the next morning one is hard-pressed to even locate the cut.
*There are no chances of adopted stray dogs running away at 5-8 months (as dogs achieve sexual maturity at diff ages, just like humans do) as they don’t chase females.
*There is very little territorial guarding against adult male dogs so lesser fights.
*Eliminate the chances of prostrate cancer by 100%.
-For Female puppies-Their ovaries fully develop at age of 3.5 to 4 months (indie dogs). That when they are ready to be spayed. To reduce mammary and ovarian cancer, AAHA recommends that puppies be spayed before their first heat-cycle. This also eliminates the chance of Ovarian cancer. 70 % of adult female deaths are attributable to Pyometra (infection of the uterus) at ABC units. If we remove the uterus before they achieve sexual maturity, there is no chance of Pyometra as adults.
Since female puppies achieve sexual maturity anywhere between 6 and 9 months (and sometimes even sooner) they are at the risk of getting pregnant on their first cycle and the over-population problem continues.
Hence both male and female puppies should be sterilized early. Internationally shelter pups are sterilized when they achieve a body weight of 4 Lbs (which is generally around 8 weeks of age).
So why is there a popular belief in India that all dogs should be sterilized after they achieve sexual maturity?
Animal Welfare Board of India guidelines to sterilize dogs states that we should sterilize male and female pups at 9 months of age. Hence this has become the mantra for all animal lovers without understanding the real reason behind it.
The roots of this belief can be traced to a very practical issue- In the early 1990’s when ABC programs were being made mandatory after the government understood for a fact that stray dog population can not be controlled by culling and mass-poisoning (besides being immoral).
- They made guidelines that the visual method to determine which animal had been sterilized was to notch the ear of the dog.
- They also realized that the municipal corporations do-not have the knowledge or the will to run a successful ABC program, hence it will have to be outsourced to a third party on a tender-rate (charge per dog) basis.
Post this started the great Indian short cut that some of the contractors started taking.
*They would pick up stray females and notch the ears and release them. Claiming the dog as sterilized.
*Lots of females with notched ears were reported as having litters.
As a solution AWBI came up with a practical idea. According to the new AWBI guidelines-
*Post sterilization the sexual organs (ovaries and testicles) removed by the contractor’s vet will have to be preserved in formaldehyde.
*At the end of every week/month the assigned inspector from Municipal Corporation would count the organs and mark them in his register.
*The organs would then be destroyed so they could not be double-counted.
*The contractor would be paid on the basis of the organs counted.
While this solution took care of the problem of cheating by the contractors, it added a new problem regarding the organs of puppies.
*The organs of the puppies (testicles and ovaries) are so tiny that when they are put in formaldehyde and like all organs when they shrink, these organs just dissolve.
*Hence the contractors would not get paid for it and they complained to AWBI
This is when the AWBI guidelines were amended to include the 9 month rule.
Some other myths regarding sterilizing puppies are as follows
- Puppies are too weak to endure surgery.
Every adult and puppy needs to be assessed prior to surgery for being fit for surgery. The only real way to do it is a physical exam (which is done for both adults and puppies) and a blood test to check for HB levels, WBC counts and Heart issues. Whether the subject is a puppy or an adult makes no difference to their eligibility for surgery
- The Vets are not skilled enough to conduct surgeries on pups.
This is a myth. While contractor’s vets use the cheapest materials including the cheapest anesthesia (Sodium Pentothal) and the cheapest suture material (silk) to keep their costs low and justify their business, most private vets have graduated to using a much lower risk anesthesia (Ketamine/Xylazine) and now even gas (Propophol/Isoflurane) and Vicryl sutures. Spay and Neuter surgeries are very routine and low risk.
- Puppies who undergo surgeries face long-term health issues.
There is a strange myth that puppies who get spayed early do not have good muscle, skeletal structure owing to lack of hormones. Progesterone and Testosterone are not growth hormones and in no way do they impede growth in dogs. The lack of them does make males less aggressive (which is a good thing)
There is research showing some females spayed early become incontinent in the latter part of their lives. This besides being unproven and at best retroactive research. Even if this were true, incontinence is not a problem for a dog living on the street. The benefits easily outweigh this issue (which is still unproven).
PLS FIND ATTACHED RESEACH TO SUPPORT FACTS MENTIONED ABOVE
He smoothed his collar, “Baby, now why would you work for a measly salary after we get married? I make enough money for the both of us.”
indersandhu 