Are There Any Birth Control For Dogs?

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We can all agree that seeing a few puppies in the same place will melt our hearts and raise happy hormones in our bodies. But will you feel the same if your female dog got pregnant unintentionally, and now you have to take care of these puppies?

Unwanted pregnancy is the main reason many dogs are abandoned and left on the streets. People cannot care for them, and it is easier for them to get rid of them. This is disgusting, and if you cannot provide proper care for puppies, there are steps you can take to ensure that those puppies will be taken care of. The least you can do is take them to an animal shelter.

Many dog owners don't look this far and only start to worry when accidents happen. Preventing pregnancy for female dogs should be one of their primary concerns if they are not breeders who will want to breed their dogs.

To prevent unwanted pregnancy for your dog, there are a few steps you can take, and we advise you to take action and protect your dog.

Why should unwanted pregnancy be avoided?

If you are not an official and registered dog breeder, there is no reason why you should breed dogs. If you want to become one, we advise you to register your kennel and start with breeding. Many unwanted pregnancies often end badly, mostly for newborn puppies.

Unwanted pregnancy can happen to any owner of a female dog that isn't using any contraceptive method. When the pregnancy occurs, and the puppies are born, most dog owners are incapable of taking care of those newborn puppies, and they choose to abandon them.

By using the correct contraceptive method, you will be sure that unwanted pregnancy won’t happen and you will eliminate any potential problems for you.

RELATED: Dog Pregnancy: Signs, Diagnosis & Preparation

What are the contraceptive methods for female dogs?

There are a few methods that dog owners can use to prevent unwanted pregnancies from happening. Although some will be common, many dog owners didn’t know about them.

To prevent unwanted pregnancy, your female dog can undergo

1. Operative procedures
2. Hormonal procedures

We will always advise you to speak with your vet and see what the options are for your dog. Your vet will give you the best advice and will guide you through.

Operative procedures

To prevent pregnancy, your female dog should be spayed. This is the most common way of protecting your female dog from unwanted pregnancy. This is a serious operational procedure and will be done under general anesthesia.

If you are considering spaying your female dog and are unsure how the procedure should go or when it is the right time to spay your dog, you should speak with your vet and ask him for advice.

RELATED: False Pregnancy in Dogs

Hormonal procedures

Due to many risks, hormonal procedures to prevent unwanted pregnancy are usually not recommended. With hormonal procedures, your female dog will be unable to have puppies in the period she is getting hormonal therapy.

These procedures are usually done when the owners plan to mate their female dog later in life but want to remove the possibility of unwanted pregnancy.

Types of hormonal procedures include

1. Hormone injections

The result will be the same with hormone injections compared to human contraceptive pills. Your dog should receive an injection after the heat period, and this should be repeated every 5 months.

When the dog doesn't receive the next dosage, she can get pregnant again and have puppies.

This procedure is not loveable by vets and dog owners since hormonal injections will disrupt your dog's hormones, and there are a lot of problems connected with these changes.

RELATED: Can Dogs Sense Pregnancy & How Will They React To Pregnancy?

2. Anti-hormones

Anti-hormones for dogs are the same thing as a morning pill for humans. After fertilization, your dog should be administered this pill until the 45th day of matting. These pills have a 90% success rate, and the pregnancy will be gone within a week.

For the remaining 10%, there is a chance that the fetuses will survive in the uterus, although they could be damaged.

IMPORTANT: If you are interested in hormonal procedures for your female dog, you should speak with your vet and let him explain all the possible risks connected to them.

Are there any procedures for male dogs?

Often time, owners of male dogs are not concerned about unwanted pregnancy in females, and if pregnancy does happen, they will not have to deal with puppies. However, we should all be responsible dog owners, and even though some of us own male dogs, we should also ensure that unwanted pregnancy doesn't happen.

The only thing for male dogs is neutering. This is also a surgical operation, the same as sterilization for females. It is a serious procedure that will require your dog to undergo local anesthesia, but once the procedure is done, you will don't have to worry about unwanted puppies.

Here you can read all about neutering - Should I Neuter My Dog

How to decide what type of contraception is right for my dog?

If you decide you want to use some contraceptive method to remove the possibility of unwanted pregnancy, you should first speak with your vet.

Your vet can give you the best advice regarding this issue and will know what is best for your dog based on his age, appearance, and medical history.

Most veterinarians will suggest sterilization as a contraceptive method since this is a standard procedure and because hormonal procedures could leave your female dog with additional health concerns.

RELATED: How Long Are Dogs Pregnant?

World Dog Finder team