Dog Health Care Article: Male Dog Neutering And Female Dog Spaying: When Should It Be Done?
Terrie Simpson asked:
Every year thousands and thousands of cats and dogs are euthanized because they lack a home and family to adopt them. We humans are to blame for this situation. Every year the newspapers are full of articles submitted by the S.P.C.A. relating to the number of animals they have had to kill.
As responsible pet owners we have to make the decision whether or not we want to contribute to the problem or do our part to keep unwanted pets out of the shelters and off the streets. So when do we need to neuter or spay the animals? We need to decide by the time our pet is 6 to 8 months old whether or not to sterilize him/her.
Being a responsible breeder is no easy task and there is no profit to be made. Breeding is done strictly for the betterment and continuation of the breed. The costs of the stud service, the buying or making of a whelping box, the veterinarian bill for the care of the mother dog, possible fees for delivering the pups, puppy food, veterinarian checkups for the puppies, eye exams, worming, fees for docking of the tails, vaccinations, etc., etc., quickly eat up any profits to be made. Then there are the countless sleepless nights waiting for the moment of birth, worrying about the newborn puppies, the noise from yelping puppies keeping you awake. It’s simply a labor of love for a responsible breeder.
Whether or not you have a mixed breed or a purebred dog you need to take the precaution so that accidental breedings do not happen. If you have an unspayed female dog you dog will every 6 to 10 months go into heat that lasts about 3 weeks. A heat is also known as an oestrus period. During this time the female will have menses or a period, where she will secrete blood from her ******. This is a messy situation for a house pet. There are protective garments that may be purchased to contain the mess, but also help deter unwelcome entry from male dogs. Also during this time your dogs behaviour may change and she will be less obedient.
Unsterilized (un-neutered) male dogs can become aggressive and may show overt sexual behaviour when there are in-season females nearby. The male dogs will mark territory in the neighbourhood or in the home by ********* small amounts. Adolescence, is a trying period. Your male dog and you will likely have confrontations over whom is the alpha personality. Now is the time to remember, that you love your dog, but you are the master.
To spay a female dog, a veterinarian removes it’s uterus and ovaries. A male dog is neutered when the veterinarian removes the dog’s *********. Both operations are usually safe and require one nights stay at the clinic.
The benefits to sterilizing your dog not only include unwanted off-spring, avoiding temperment problems, but also can benefit your dogs health. Having your pet sterilized will decrease the risk of developing tumors in the ******* area. Males can develop problems with the prostate gland. Females can develop problems with the mamary glands. Consult your veterinarian before your pet becomes 6 months old. Take a trip to your local S.P.C.A. and take a look at all the homeless cats and dogs before you decide to leave your pet unsterilized.
Every year thousands and thousands of cats and dogs are euthanized because they lack a home and family to adopt them. We humans are to blame for this situation. Every year the newspapers are full of articles submitted by the S.P.C.A. relating to the number of animals they have had to kill.
As responsible pet owners we have to make the decision whether or not we want to contribute to the problem or do our part to keep unwanted pets out of the shelters and off the streets. So when do we need to neuter or spay the animals? We need to decide by the time our pet is 6 to 8 months old whether or not to sterilize him/her.
Being a responsible breeder is no easy task and there is no profit to be made. Breeding is done strictly for the betterment and continuation of the breed. The costs of the stud service, the buying or making of a whelping box, the veterinarian bill for the care of the mother dog, possible fees for delivering the pups, puppy food, veterinarian checkups for the puppies, eye exams, worming, fees for docking of the tails, vaccinations, etc., etc., quickly eat up any profits to be made. Then there are the countless sleepless nights waiting for the moment of birth, worrying about the newborn puppies, the noise from yelping puppies keeping you awake. It’s simply a labor of love for a responsible breeder.
Whether or not you have a mixed breed or a purebred dog you need to take the precaution so that accidental breedings do not happen. If you have an unspayed female dog you dog will every 6 to 10 months go into heat that lasts about 3 weeks. A heat is also known as an oestrus period. During this time the female will have menses or a period, where she will secrete blood from her ******. This is a messy situation for a house pet. There are protective garments that may be purchased to contain the mess, but also help deter unwelcome entry from male dogs. Also during this time your dogs behaviour may change and she will be less obedient.
Unsterilized (un-neutered) male dogs can become aggressive and may show overt sexual behaviour when there are in-season females nearby. The male dogs will mark territory in the neighbourhood or in the home by ********* small amounts. Adolescence, is a trying period. Your male dog and you will likely have confrontations over whom is the alpha personality. Now is the time to remember, that you love your dog, but you are the master.
To spay a female dog, a veterinarian removes it’s uterus and ovaries. A male dog is neutered when the veterinarian removes the dog’s *********. Both operations are usually safe and require one nights stay at the clinic.
The benefits to sterilizing your dog not only include unwanted off-spring, avoiding temperment problems, but also can benefit your dogs health. Having your pet sterilized will decrease the risk of developing tumors in the ******* area. Males can develop problems with the prostate gland. Females can develop problems with the mamary glands. Consult your veterinarian before your pet becomes 6 months old. Take a trip to your local S.P.C.A. and take a look at all the homeless cats and dogs before you decide to leave your pet unsterilized.
Health Savings Account Write-offs – be Sure to Take Them All
Wiley Long asked:
Having a Health Savings Account makes all of your HSA qualified medical expenses tax-deductible, so read this article carefully to make sure you aren’t over paying on your taxes. Remember, there is no virtue in paying more taxes than you really owe.
Qualified Medical Expenses
The main purpose of your HSA is to enable you to pay for qualified medical expenses with tax-free dollars. Qualified medical expenses are defined under Section 213 of the IRS Code (See IRS Publication 502: Medical and Dental Expenses). Most people remember to pay for doctor visits and prescription drugs from their HSA (or save the receipts and reimburse themselves later), but there are many medical expenses that people simply pay for, without realizing that because they own an HSA the expense is tax deductible. These are the most common:
Over-the-counter medications. Remember, your medicine does not necessarily have to be prescribed to be considered a qualified medical expense. Any time you buy a bottle of aspirin, cough syrup, bandages, or zit medicine for your teenager – save the receipt, so you can reimburse yourself from your HSA.
Dental expenses. Dental fees are typically the most expensive item that people forget to pay for from their HSA. From cleanings, to crowns, to dentures, all of your medically necessary dental work is eligible to be paid from your HSA.
Eye glasses and contacts. Annual eye exams along with prescription glasses, contact lenses, and other prescription eye glass expenses can be paid from your HSA tax-free. Also, prescription sunglasses are considered to be an HSA qualified medical expense.
Physical therapy. Most individual and family health insurance plans have very limited coverage for physical therapy. So you can pay for those expenses out of out of your available HSA funds.
Medical massage therapy. Yes, you can use funds from your Health Savings Account to pay for a massage, as long as your health care practitioner recommends it as treatment for a particular health condition.
Chiropractor visits. Remember that your HSA can be used for medically necessary expenses. If you go to your chiropractor due to a particular injury or functional problem, it is a qualified expense. The chiropractor’s charges would NOT be eligible as an HSA expense if you are getting adjustments for general health maintenance.
Mental Therapy
In some circles, seeing a therapist is reason for embarrassment, whereas in other parts of the country people brag about seeing their therapists. The reality is that mental therapy should be neither a symbol of shame nor a status symbol – it is simply another mode of treatment that can help people live healthier and happier lives.
Psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy – all of these modes of treatment can be paid for from your HSA. Keep in mind that qualified expenses are those that pay for treatment or prevention of a medical condition. If you are seeing a therapist strictly in order to save your marriage or improve your business skills, these would not be qualifying expenses.
Alternative Medicine
More and more people are disillusioned with the way conventional medicine is practiced. The focus often seems to be on treating symptoms rather than reaching the root cause. Many physicians are very quick to prescribe the latest drug, when less expensive, safer, and often more effective natural remedies may work better.
However, the people who do rely on alternative medical treatments rarely receive reimbursement from their health insurance for these expenses. This is one of the reasons that HSA plans have become so popular among people who do favor natural and/or alternative medical treatments. Here is just a very small sampling of the types of treatment that would be considered a Health Savings Account qualified expense:
Acupuncture. Some think the beneficial results of acupuncture are strictly due to the placebo effect. My veterinarian wife would tell you differently. Though she mostly practices conventional veterinary medicine, she does do a good bit of acupuncture on dogs and cats, and gets some amazing results.
Homeopathy. Though controversial, approximately one out of 50 Americans currently uses homeopathy. Whether using the services of a professional, or simply buying homeopathic remedies from the natural food store, remember that these expenses can be paid for from your HSA.
Traditional Chinese Medicine. Chinese medicine has been practiced for thousands of years, and is becoming ever more popular in the United States. Of course, treatment modalities that originated in other countries, such as Ayurveda (from India), would also be considered a qualified expense.
Faith healing, shamanism, energy medicine, and other (perhaps) far out stuff. Yep, almost any type of treatment could be considered an eligible expense. Keep in mind that the procedure must be related to the treatment or prevention of a specific health condition. Services designed to raise your chi, balance your chakras, or strengthen your aura might be more than the IRS will allow.
Every Dollar Counts
Every medical expense you incurred counts, so don’t forget to save your receipts. If you don’t, it’s like paying an extra 25% each time. Even some retailers like Target are starting to mark on your receipts which items are health related. That should make it even easier to get every tax break you deserve.
Having a Health Savings Account makes all of your HSA qualified medical expenses tax-deductible, so read this article carefully to make sure you aren’t over paying on your taxes. Remember, there is no virtue in paying more taxes than you really owe.
Qualified Medical Expenses
The main purpose of your HSA is to enable you to pay for qualified medical expenses with tax-free dollars. Qualified medical expenses are defined under Section 213 of the IRS Code (See IRS Publication 502: Medical and Dental Expenses). Most people remember to pay for doctor visits and prescription drugs from their HSA (or save the receipts and reimburse themselves later), but there are many medical expenses that people simply pay for, without realizing that because they own an HSA the expense is tax deductible. These are the most common:
Over-the-counter medications. Remember, your medicine does not necessarily have to be prescribed to be considered a qualified medical expense. Any time you buy a bottle of aspirin, cough syrup, bandages, or zit medicine for your teenager – save the receipt, so you can reimburse yourself from your HSA.
Dental expenses. Dental fees are typically the most expensive item that people forget to pay for from their HSA. From cleanings, to crowns, to dentures, all of your medically necessary dental work is eligible to be paid from your HSA.
Eye glasses and contacts. Annual eye exams along with prescription glasses, contact lenses, and other prescription eye glass expenses can be paid from your HSA tax-free. Also, prescription sunglasses are considered to be an HSA qualified medical expense.
Physical therapy. Most individual and family health insurance plans have very limited coverage for physical therapy. So you can pay for those expenses out of out of your available HSA funds.
Medical massage therapy. Yes, you can use funds from your Health Savings Account to pay for a massage, as long as your health care practitioner recommends it as treatment for a particular health condition.
Chiropractor visits. Remember that your HSA can be used for medically necessary expenses. If you go to your chiropractor due to a particular injury or functional problem, it is a qualified expense. The chiropractor’s charges would NOT be eligible as an HSA expense if you are getting adjustments for general health maintenance.
Mental Therapy
In some circles, seeing a therapist is reason for embarrassment, whereas in other parts of the country people brag about seeing their therapists. The reality is that mental therapy should be neither a symbol of shame nor a status symbol – it is simply another mode of treatment that can help people live healthier and happier lives.
Psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy – all of these modes of treatment can be paid for from your HSA. Keep in mind that qualified expenses are those that pay for treatment or prevention of a medical condition. If you are seeing a therapist strictly in order to save your marriage or improve your business skills, these would not be qualifying expenses.
Alternative Medicine
More and more people are disillusioned with the way conventional medicine is practiced. The focus often seems to be on treating symptoms rather than reaching the root cause. Many physicians are very quick to prescribe the latest drug, when less expensive, safer, and often more effective natural remedies may work better.
However, the people who do rely on alternative medical treatments rarely receive reimbursement from their health insurance for these expenses. This is one of the reasons that HSA plans have become so popular among people who do favor natural and/or alternative medical treatments. Here is just a very small sampling of the types of treatment that would be considered a Health Savings Account qualified expense:
Acupuncture. Some think the beneficial results of acupuncture are strictly due to the placebo effect. My veterinarian wife would tell you differently. Though she mostly practices conventional veterinary medicine, she does do a good bit of acupuncture on dogs and cats, and gets some amazing results.
Homeopathy. Though controversial, approximately one out of 50 Americans currently uses homeopathy. Whether using the services of a professional, or simply buying homeopathic remedies from the natural food store, remember that these expenses can be paid for from your HSA.
Traditional Chinese Medicine. Chinese medicine has been practiced for thousands of years, and is becoming ever more popular in the United States. Of course, treatment modalities that originated in other countries, such as Ayurveda (from India), would also be considered a qualified expense.
Faith healing, shamanism, energy medicine, and other (perhaps) far out stuff. Yep, almost any type of treatment could be considered an eligible expense. Keep in mind that the procedure must be related to the treatment or prevention of a specific health condition. Services designed to raise your chi, balance your chakras, or strengthen your aura might be more than the IRS will allow.
Every Dollar Counts
Every medical expense you incurred counts, so don’t forget to save your receipts. If you don’t, it’s like paying an extra 25% each time. Even some retailers like Target are starting to mark on your receipts which items are health related. That should make it even easier to get every tax break you deserve.
