|
|
|
|
Whether you’ve recently adopted a pet or you’re
considering
it, one of the most important health decisions you’ll make is
to
spay or neuter your cat or dog. Spaying—removing the ovaries
and
uterus of a female pet—is a veterinary procedure that
requires
minimal hospitalization and offers lifelong health benefits.
Neutering—removing the testicles of your male dog or
cat—will vastly improve your pet’s behavior and
keep him
close to home.
Many states and counties have established low-cost spay/neuter programs
that make surgery easily affordable and accessible.
Not convinced yet? Check out our handy—and
persuasive—list
of the top 10 reasons to spay or neuter your pet!
Your
female pet will live a
longer, healthier life.
Spaying
helps prevent
uterine
infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of
dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat
offers the best protection from these diseases.
Neutering
provides major
health benefits for your male.
Besides preventing
unwanted litters, neutering your male companion
prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age.
Your
spayed female won't
go into heat.
While
cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five
days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to
advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more
frequently—sometimes all over the house!
Your
male dog won't want
to roam away from home.
An intact male
will do
just about
anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence
and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to
roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.
Your
neutered male will
be much better behaved.
Neutered
cats and
dogs focus their attention on
their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may
mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the
house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.
|
|
Spaying
or neutering will
NOT make your pet fat.
Don’t
use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding
will
cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering.
Your
pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide
exercise and monitor food intake.
It
is highly
cost-effective.
The cost of your
pet's
spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost
of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment
when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with the
neighborhood stray!
Spaying
and neutering
your pet is good for the community.
Stray
animals pose a real problem in many parts of the country. They
can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and
frighten children. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in
reducing the number of animals on the streets.
Your
pet doesn't need to
have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth.
Letting
your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is
not a good lesson for your children—especially when so many
unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are tons of books and videos
available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way.
Spaying
and neutering
helps fight pet overpopulation.
Every year,
millions of cats and dogs of all ages
and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are
the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by
spaying or neutering.
Still
not
convinced yet?
Try this.....stop in your local shelter. They will be able to
show you hundreds of reasons why you should spay or neuter your pet.
These reasons will have cold noses, sparkling eyes and wagging tails.
Please help to stop the endless cycle of pet overpopulation.
Please SPAY and NEUTER.
|
|