We understand that some people may be concerned about spaying or neutering their pets. However, it is a necessary procedure. For the main reason, there is a pet homelessness crisis in the United States. Every year, shelters euthanize pets because there are not enough homes to take them.
Additionally, spaying and neutering can have health benefits for your pet and help ensure that your loved one lives a good and happy life.
Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering
The ASPCA goes over the importance of spaying or neutering for your pet’s long-term health. Some of the health benefits they list are:
- Spaying helps prevent malignant or cancerous uterine infections and breast tumors in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Your pet gets the best protection if you have it done before your pet’s first heat.
- Neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer and some prostate problems.
The Need for Spaying and Neutering
Another primary reason is that in the United States, we have a massive overpopulation of pets. With July being peak kitten season, this issue is more prevalent than ever right now.
Approximately 6.5 million animals are taken into animal shelters every year. Roughly 3.3 million are dogs, and 3.2 million are cats.
About 1.5 million of those end up euthanized. So, you can see the problem with that. By spaying or neutering, you are taking responsibility and not contributing to that problem.
Those statistics are improving quite significantly. In 2011, just ten years ago, there were approximately 2.6 million animals euthanized annually. So we are making inroads to resolve this problem. But, we want to get that number as close to 0 as possible, so please do your part and encourage others as well.
How You Can Help
Another thing that you can do is shop for a new pet at your local shelter. You will be saving a life!
A very helpful website you can use when you are looking to adopt a new family member is petfinder.com.
They have a fantastic array of search options. For example, you can select dogs, cats, and small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. You can further refine your search to the breed, sex, age, temperament, etc., so you can find the exact type of pet you want. And they can connect you to animal rescues all over the United States.
Other Benefits of Spaying and Neutering
There are other possible benefits to having your pet spayed or neutered. For example, it may lower aggression levels in males, especially if done at the recommended age. Females will not go into heat, which means less yowling and urination.
Also, the procedure is certainly much cheaper than suddenly having to care for many more extra mouths one day.
Animals are also much more inclined to roam around while searching for a mate, which increases the chances of getting lost or injured somehow.
Myths
I think it is important to dispel any myths about spaying or neutering.
Firstly, pets do not gain weight because they have been spayed or neutered. With a healthy diet and exercise, spaying or neutering will have no impact on your pet’s weight.
Secondly, spaying or neutering will not necessarily cure all pet behavioral problems. Indeed, it can help, but there may be more that you need to address. If you are having behavior issues with your pet, it is best to consult your veterinarian.
Final Words
Here at Aspen Vet Clinic, we want your animals to be healthy and happy, and we also want to do whatever we can to stop the overcrowding and unnecessary animal deaths in shelters.
We offer spaying and neutering procedures and are happy to discuss any questions that you might have about them.
Feel free to contact us, and we will work together to find the best solution for any problem.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Moriarty
Aspen Veterinary Clinic