Will being spayed or neutered make my pet fat and lazy? This is somewhat of an "old wives tale". Pets generally will not gain weight, nor will the surgery slow them down (an often sought after side effect...). It should be noted that female pets are having a full hysterectomy - we remove both ovaries and the entire uterine uterus. As such, you can consider your female pets as having reached menopause. In some cases, there may be some weight gain - just like in women who have gone through menopause. You should monitor your pet's weight, feed accordingly, and increase exercise if there is any weight gain.

Sterilizing your pet at an early age is preferred if you wish to avoid sexually related behaviors such as marking territory, roaming, aggression, etc. Waiting until your pet is a few years old will help, but may not eliminate those behaviors since there is a "learned" component to that behavior.

I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male. Will having him neutered change his personality?

Your male will still be a male and your female will still be a female. They simply cannot reproduce any longer. And, there are positive personality traits that occur, such as increased bonding with the human "pack", decreased roaming, decreased aggression/fighting. Personality will not change, and your pet will be healthier.

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