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Originally Posted by Rhetts_mama  Spaying and neutering are done for medical purposes. Debarking has no medical benefit. They should never be placed in the same category, IMO. PA has outlawed vocal cord surgeries, and more and more vets are refusing to do them in other states because there is no medical benefit. |
If an animal's quality of life changes due to the consequences of excessive barking, the animal will likely suffer psychological effects. Some things we do for our pet's psychological benefits as well. Spaying/neutering are largely done to prevent reproduction. Decreases in risks of breast cancer in spayed small breeds is statistically negligible. You can find these data in vet medical journals. I researched this and my vet confirmed this with me. Yes, large breeds, such as German shepherds have a greatly reduced risk of breast cancer after a spay, but for Yorkies and other small breeds, the risk reduction is quite minimal. We have our little dogs spayed to prevent reproduction; it is not necessarily for their medical benefit. How many Yorkies have docked tails? Most of the photos on this site show docked Yorkies, yet there is no benefit in docking. Some people think it is inhumane and would like it to be illegal. I'll be candid, I think docking is much less necessary than debarking could ever be. (Yes, Sophie's tail is docked. She was a gift and was docked as a puppy.)