Ask the Pet Vet

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Q: Do pets act differently after they are spayed or neutered?

Having your pet spayed or neutered is very important, since neutering has many health benefits. While spaying or neutering your pet is unlikely to change your pets’ personality, it will eliminate undesirable behavior.

It is recommended that your pet be spayed or neutered at about 6 months of age. When female animals are not spayed at this young age, they will go into heat. When a female is in heat, she will display certain behavioral characteristics that many people find difficult to live with. From a health standpoint, female cats and dogs that experience one or more heat cycles are at an increased risk to develop mammary cancer.

Male dogs and cats that are not neutered may mark their territory by spraying areas (even in your home) with urine. Non-spayed male animals are also at risk for prostate related problems. Having your pet spayed or neutered is beneficial to everyone involved.

Q: My yellow Lab has a dry cough that won’t go away. I have been taking him to a dog park lately. Could he have caught something from the other dogs?

It is possible that your dog may have picked up kennel cough. This is a contagious type of cough that is transmitted between dogs who do not necessarily have to be in a kennel!

Kennel cough causes a dry, hacking cough, but often the dog is OK otherwise. Dogs that come into contact with other pets should be vaccinated against kennel cough, but the vaccine is not always 100% effective. Your veterinarian can easily diagnose and treat kennel cough. For more information on kennel cough, log on to petside.com and check out the PetVet health section.