Robin Paterson, D.V.M. Cerbat Cliffs Animal Hospital
Once you bring home your fluffy little kitten or playful puppy, what can you do to keep your new family addition healthy? Vaccines are essential to prevent many common infectious diseases. A nutritious, balanced diet is imperative. Spaying and neutering provides many positive health implications.
What is spaying and neutering?
Spaying is the surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus. Neutering is the surgical removal of the testicles.
How much impact does spaying and neutering have on pet overpopulation?
The Humane Society of the United States estimates there are between 6-8 million animals that enter shelters each year in the United States, and about half of those are euthanized due to lack of space. No shelter has unlimited space and not every animal is adoptable so some of these animals must be euthanized. The Arizona Humane Society - Maricopa County takes in more than 90,000 animals each year.
Some owners do not believe their pet will ever have the opportunity to breed. However, sexually intact dogs and cats have a great tendency to escape and roam, driven by hormones. One pair of intact dogs can create 67,000 offspring in six years, and one pair of intact cats can create 420,000 offspring in seven years.
What are some other benefits of spaying and neutering?
Besides the importance of reducing the numbers of unwanted puppies and kittens, spaying and neutering our pets is vital to maintaining their good health, and eliminating many unwanted behaviors.
Spayed/neutered pets live 20-23% longer than unaltered animals. Unaltered pets have much higher instances of fights causing lacerations, punctures, abscesses, and sometimes death. They are at higher risk of being hit by a vehicle. Spaying and neutering at an early age greatly reduces their chances of testicular, prostate, penile, uterine and breast cancer, and eliminates life-threatening pyometra, or uterine infections.
The spread of certain infectious diseases, such as parvovirus, distemper, feline leukemia, feline AIDS, and many upper respiratory diseases, will be greatly reduced without packs of dogs and colonies of cats wandering the neighborhoods. Rabies would also be of less concern with fewer strays.
Spaying and neutering eliminates or greatly reduces certain unwanted behaviors. If spayed or neutered before about 5 months of age, there is generally no urine marking/spraying, no sexual aggression/fighting, no destructive behaviors associated with desire to roam, no anxiety associated with sex hormones, no desire to roam for breeding purposes, reduction or non-development of dominance-related issues, such as excessive barking and mounting, and no yowling female cats in heat. Even if a dog or cat is older and these behaviors have already developed, spaying and neutering greatly reduces or eliminates these behaviors.
Do the benefits of spaying and neutering outweigh the cost?
The cost of spaying and neutering is a bargain compared to treating some of the disease conditions and results of sex hormone behaviors. Pyometra surgery, C-sections, emergencies related to dog fights, cat bite abscesses, and hit-by-car injuries can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. All veterinarians greatly discount spay and neuter costs because of the universal veterinary commitment to fighting overpopulation.
Most communities, including Kingman, have a low-cost spay and neuter clinic. From time to time, the local Humane Society and other rescue groups offer certificates/coupons to assist with spay and neuter costs for low-income families. Most animal control agencies, including Kingman’s Humane Society offer a significant discount for licensing fees if your pet is spayed or neutered.
Please contact your veterinarian to discuss any specific questions or concerns that you may have regarding spaying and neutering.
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