The Irish Blue Cross has a neutering policy in place for all clients wishing to avail of our charitable services. We advise our clients to have their pet neutered at the earliest opportunity.

This must be done within 6 months of registering with The Irish Blue Cross or within 6 months of being advised of the policy.

Neutering is an important preventative healthcare procedure. It is a proven method of preventing life-threatening conditions. You can read our neutering and breeding policy in full here.

Neutering your pet means surgically removing the ovaries and womb of a female pet (also known as spaying) or surgically removing both testicles of a male pet (commonly known as castration).

Neutering your pet has a number of positive health benefits for your furry friend. In addition to health benefits for your pet there are also other advantages to neutering your pet that impact on the whole household.

Neutering a female pet can help prevent mammary cancer and ovarian cancer. Unneutered females can also get an infection in their womb which can be life threatening, by removing the womb they are no longer at risk of this happening.

Let’s not forget that female dogs in heat will pass a bloody discharge for several days. This can be quite messy around the house and is far from ideal, particularly if there are children in the house.

Female cats can come into heat quite frequently and some of them can be very vocal and noisy when they do so. This can be quite problematic in any household but particularly if you have young children in the house trying to sleep.

If your female pet is neutered she will no longer come into heat. This means there will be no bloody discharge and no noise!

Neutering male pets can help prevent prostate disease and testicular cancer.

Unneutered male cats tend to get into more fights with other unneutered male cats. This is one of the most common ways for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) to spread in the cat population. FIV is a serious and incurable disease that effects the immune system and can significantly reduce their life-span.

Male cats that are not neutered tend to spray indoors (this is when they mark their territory). This results in a strong and very unpleasant smell. By neutering your male cat this unwanted behaviour can be stopped.

This is a common question people ask. Many people think neutering will change a pet’s personality but this is not true. The only change in personality is to unwanted behaviours such as roaming, fighting and spraying.

This is another question people also ask. Neutering can increase a pet’s likelihood to gain weight. This, however, is something that you as a pet owner is fully in control of. When you get your pet neutered make it part of your routine to weigh your pet every month. If your pet then gains weight you start to adjust their food. Remember that treats or food from the table are the biggest calorie intake for your furry little friend and we often don’t realise how much we are giving them.

Many people believe that they should let their female pet have 1 litter but there is no advantage for your pet whatsoever in doing so. The best time to neuter your pet is around 6 months of age. For larger breeds it is best to wait until they are closer to 12 months of age. Your vet will discuss with you the best time to have your pet neutered depending on their breed.

You can find more pet advice by clicking here.