Dogs
by Mark Nunez, DVM
Dear Dr. Mark:
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Have a question for Dr. Mark? Send it to [email protected]. You can also follow Mark on Twitter.
- Ask The Vet With Dr. Mark: The Dangers Of Animals Bones
by Mark Nunez, DVM © courtesy Mateuszz via Flickr.com Natural Bones Have Multiple Dangers Hello Dr. Mark: My husband hunts deer. He brought home some deer bones for Rex, our Jack Russell mix. I suggested he cook them to kill parasites or germs...
- Ask The Vet: Timing Of Feeding
by Mark Nunez, DVM © Carrie Boyko Dr. Mark Recommends Twice Daily FeedingsDear Dr. Mark: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question: I really hope you can help me figure this out.Being a college student and working makes my life...
- Ask The Vet, With Dr. Mark: Are Amoebae Dangerous To Swimming Dogs?
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Gilbert, reader copyright on file Cahill Enjoys a Summer Swim Dear Dr. Mark, My Genoa likes to swim when we go in the boat or walk to the lake. We are careful about allowing her to swim in areas where gators have been seen. I...
- Spaying Or Neutering Can Save Your Dog’s Life
By Ruthie Bently To spay or not to spay, that is the question. There are two schools of thought when considering spaying or neutering a dog. Do you realize that by spaying or neutering your dog, you may actually be saving their life? You cannot adopt...
- Why Should You Spay Or Neuter Your Pet?
According to The Human Society of the United States (http://www.humanesociety.org/), an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals enter animal shelters every year in the United States alone. The reality is that there are too many dogs and cats in the world...
Dogs
Ask the Vet with Dr. Mark: Controversy About Spay/Neutering Street Dogs
by Mark Nunez, DVM
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| (c) courtesy YoHandy via Flickr Stray Dogs in Public |
This question is about neutering. Does the dog lose its unique smell after getting neutered and how does this affect its standing in its pack, if not all members of the pack are neutered/spayed?
I ask this because there is a big controversy brewing in certain cities in India. People want to cull stray dogs to reduce the population, while the animal rescues want to increase the spay/neuter campaign instead. Pet owners and other people, however, keep coming up with stories like spaying or neutering a dog can lead to rejection from a regular pack of other dogs your dog enjoyed playing with. Or they can lose their unique smell or spaying makes the dogs more possessive of their humans, etc. What do you think?
Richa
Hello Richa,
This is a very good question. Every dogs' smell is unique, regardless of whether it is altered or not. The scent may be stronger in unaltered dogs, but it is none the less unique. What is very different is the level of circulating hormones. It is the hormonal levels, not a change in how an individual dog smells, that affects how altered and unaltered dogs interact.
Semi-feral dogs in an urban setting do not follow the typical pack structure that wolves do, and even wolf pack structure has been shown to not really be what we once thought. The leader of these packs tend to be the most intelligent dog, not the biggest and/or strongest. These dogs also tend to not really travel as packs, but more as individuals, and can be relatively alone during the day, although they may congregate again in the evening. The bottom line is this, spay and neuter as many strays as possible.
At the very least the altered ones will have less status, but will unlikely be shunned. Even if they are shunned, there will be little consequence from this because of a relative abundance of food in an urban setting. The adverse effects of not altering these dogs, namely overpopulation and spread of disease in the dogs and the human population that co-exists with them, takes precedence over everything else. Thanks for the question!
Semi-feral dogs in an urban setting do not follow the typical pack structure that wolves do, and even wolf pack structure has been shown to not really be what we once thought. The leader of these packs tend to be the most intelligent dog, not the biggest and/or strongest. These dogs also tend to not really travel as packs, but more as individuals, and can be relatively alone during the day, although they may congregate again in the evening. The bottom line is this, spay and neuter as many strays as possible.
At the very least the altered ones will have less status, but will unlikely be shunned. Even if they are shunned, there will be little consequence from this because of a relative abundance of food in an urban setting. The adverse effects of not altering these dogs, namely overpopulation and spread of disease in the dogs and the human population that co-exists with them, takes precedence over everything else. Thanks for the question!
Dr. Mark
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| (c) courtesy M.N. |
Dr. Nunez is a practicing veterinarian while also assisting patients through The Balanced Canine blog and his own online veterinary pharmacy.
Have a question for Dr. Mark? Send it to [email protected]. You can also follow Mark on Twitter.
Read More By and About Dr. Mark:
Water Safety for Dogs
Dog Care: Do's and Don'ts for First Time Dog Owners
Water Safety for Dogs
Dog Care: Do's and Don'ts for First Time Dog Owners
A Changing of the Guard Dog: Meet Your New Ask the Vet Columnist
Are Amoebae Dangerous to Swimming Dogs? - Ask The Vet With Dr. Mark: The Dangers Of Animals Bones
by Mark Nunez, DVM © courtesy Mateuszz via Flickr.com Natural Bones Have Multiple Dangers Hello Dr. Mark: My husband hunts deer. He brought home some deer bones for Rex, our Jack Russell mix. I suggested he cook them to kill parasites or germs...
- Ask The Vet: Timing Of Feeding
by Mark Nunez, DVM © Carrie Boyko Dr. Mark Recommends Twice Daily FeedingsDear Dr. Mark: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question: I really hope you can help me figure this out.Being a college student and working makes my life...
- Ask The Vet, With Dr. Mark: Are Amoebae Dangerous To Swimming Dogs?
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Gilbert, reader copyright on file Cahill Enjoys a Summer Swim Dear Dr. Mark, My Genoa likes to swim when we go in the boat or walk to the lake. We are careful about allowing her to swim in areas where gators have been seen. I...
- Spaying Or Neutering Can Save Your Dog’s Life
By Ruthie Bently To spay or not to spay, that is the question. There are two schools of thought when considering spaying or neutering a dog. Do you realize that by spaying or neutering your dog, you may actually be saving their life? You cannot adopt...
- Why Should You Spay Or Neuter Your Pet?
According to The Human Society of the United States (http://www.humanesociety.org/), an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals enter animal shelters every year in the United States alone. The reality is that there are too many dogs and cats in the world...