Sterilisation is a common procedure for many dog and cat owners. If this is your case or you are considering it, you may be wondering how it will affect your pet and whether or not you will have to change the way you feed it.
The truth is, yes, a dog’s or cat’s diet should not be the same before and after neutering.
Why is this? Neutering reduces the basal metabolism and consequently the animal’s nutritional needs are reduced by 20-30%. A new state of hormonal balance is induced, in which the secretion of obesity-related hormones increases.
Please note: It’s not sterilisation what causes weight gain, but it triggers metabolic changes that could lead to the animal gaining weight if the diet is not adjusted accordingly. However, if you adjust the diet after the procedure, your cat or dog will maintain their weight and be perfectly healthy.
Sterilisation is a safe veterinary procedure, recommended to be carried out between 6 and 12 months of the animal’s life, once sexual maturity is reached.
Among its benefits, it prevents common pathologies seen in everyday pet clinics. In males, it prevents testicular tumours and benign enlargement of the prostate, known as BPH or benign prostatic hyperplasia.
In females, sterilisation prevents pseudopregnancies, mammary tumours and pyometra, an accumulation of purulent material that occurs in the uterus, whose consequences can be fatal.
Additionally, sterilisation helps control pet birth rates, avoiding overpopulation or abandonment issues. Lastly, it’s worth noting its usefulness in correcting behaviours related to sexual hormones, like dominance, roaming, aggression, and mating.