Health

Spaying female pets eliminates the possibility of pyometra, uterine and ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the chances of breast cancer. Neutering male pets eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the chances of prostate disease. Sterilized cats and dogs are less likely to roam in search of a mate reducing the likelihood of becoming injured in fights or killed in traffic. In fact, spayed and neutered pets have twice the life expectancy of those left unsterilized.

The 'heat' is on to spay!

You may have heard the terms "in heat", "in estrus" or "in season" which all mean the same thing and refer to the time in which a female mammal can become pregnant.

Female dogs come into heat about every six months for approximately 3 weeks. During these heat periods female dogs experience a flow of blood and discharge which is not only extremely messy, but also acts as a calling card to attract males from miles around.

Cats are incredibly prolific and can come into heat as often as every month! They can also come into heat while nursing a litter go out and become pregnant again! Female cats in heat will howl and wail continuously and make every attempt to escape the confines of the house to find a mate. Spaying eliminates the heat cycle entirely.

Never say no to neutering!

Unneutered male dogs are more likely to fight, bite, roam, mount and mark territory. In their quest to find a mate, male dogs will go to extreme measures to escape and have been known to scale 8-foot fences, dig up yards and even burst through plate glass windows.

Unneutered male cats are more likely to fight, bite, roam, mount and mark territory (forgive me for repeating myself, but these undesirable behaviours are the same for both dogs and cats). Most unaltered male cats take marking territory extremely seriously and will "spray" urine to let everyone know that this turf is taken! Furniture, table legs, walls and even appliances rarely escape the strong scent of male cat urine. Some male cats stake their claim to territory with both urine and feces!

Over-population

Every year millions of companion pets are born in this country, at the rate of approximately 7 dogs and cats for each one person. Mathematical wizardry is not needed to figure out that there are just too many pets and not enough homes. No one likes to think about healthy, loving cats, dogs, puppies and kittens losing their lives because there are not enough homes to go around. Shelters, humane societies and animal service agencies do their best every day to find homes for the animals in their care, but no matter how many animals go out the door with new families, far more come in that same door. The best solution is to have your pet spayed or neutered to ensure s/he will not reproduce. Contrary to 'old wives tales' there is no need for female pets to experience the 'miracle of birth' and motherhood! Parents who wish their children to witness such a 'miracle' would be better advised to book a tour at a local shelter so our next generation of pet owners can be suitably educated on responsible care.

Don't Litter

If you have read through this article and are still not convinced about sterilizing your pet, one last thought.

If your pet reproduces, don't fool yourself into thinking you will find loving homes for the offspring. Finding truly good, lasting homes for puppies and kittens is very difficult. Check the Internet. I became thoroughly depressed when I was surfing the net the other day for a rescue group to help one of the dogs at the shelter. I came across one site that listed literally hundreds of dogs and almost a thousand cats that needed homes. Visit any animal shelter. Look into the eyes of these innocent victims; do you really want to add to this? For every home you find for your pets' offspring there is one less home for the eyes that are looking back at you.