Vets call for compulsory neutering of pet dogs and cats to prevent strays and overbreeding
Dogs and cats should be compulsorily spayed and neutered unless the owner is a registered breeder to combat an oversupply of pets, say the vast majority of vets.
More than three quarters of vets (82 per cent) backed the move to help tackle the problem unwanted dogs and cats and strays.
All 100 veterinary surgeries questioned in the survey felt overbreeding was a significant problem for several dog breeds in the UK, including the most popular, the Labrador.
The vets said the three most overbred types of dog were Labradors (81 per cent), Pugs (32 per cent) and Golden Retrievers (24 per cent). Overbreeding occurs when a bloodline is continuously mated, increasing the negative attributes of the breed.
Vets said it also put the dog giving birth at increased risk of problems like dystocia, a condition where the animal struggles to pass the foetus through the pelvic canal. This happens when it has more litters than its body can safely handle.
There are an estimated 1.7 million dogs and 600,000 cats in the UK that have not been spayed or neutered out of a total of 10.9 million pet cats and 9.9 million pet dogs.
Yet, about a fifth (21 per cent ) of vets felt pet owners were unaware of the benefits of neutering and spaying, according to the research for Direct Line pet insurance.
Having a female pet spayed can reduce the risk of uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats, while neutering prevents testicular cancer.
Daniella Dos Santos, president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), said it “strongly supported” the practice of neutering cats, dogs, rabbits and other pets
“There are many health and welfare benefits associated with neutering including reducing the risk of some cancerous tumours in cat, dogs and rabbits, reducing unwanted behaviours and preventing false pregnancies,” she said.
But she cautioned: “Neutering is not a trivial procedure and should only be performed following discussion with a vet.”
