Why Spay & Neuter?
You will be helping to prevent potentially thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens from being born to only end up in shelters.
In an effort to decrease the number of animals that enter ours and other shelters and, therefore, increase the number of animals who stay healthy and adoptable, we are letting you know that NOW is the time to schedule your pet to be spayed or neutered. Whether or not you have your pet spayed or neutered at our clinic, or with your regular veterinarian, please do your part to help us prevent unwanted litters.
Contact your local area veterinarian or other low-cost spay/neuter facilities for information to have your pet spayed or netuered.
The benefits of spay/neuter are far-ranging and numerous. Altered animals tend to be healthier and have fewer behavioral problems. They don’t contribute to the overpopulation problem, so fewer animals end up homeless in shelters or on the streets. Currently, shelter workers nationwide are forced to euthanize an estimated three to four million homeless cats and dogs each year, at an average cost to taxpayers of $176 per animal.
Pediatric Spay and Neuter
A new puppy or kitten can bring lots of joy to their new home, but you also may have many questions regarding your new family member. One concern facing new pet owners is spaying or neutering.
Dogs and cats can be spayed or neutered as young as six weeks of age. These so called pediatric or juvenile surgeries have been performed for over twenty years. In the beginning they were mostly done on shelter animals to ensure that puppies and kittens were spayed or neutered before they were adopted into private homes. Conscientious breeders also take advantage of this service to ensure the animals they sell as pets are not being bred.
There have been many studies to evaluate the effect of pediatric spays and neuters on dogs and cats. Some studies followed the pets for their whole lifetime. They found that these pets had lives that were as long and healthy as any other.
Two considerations that have been studied closely are the way that bones grow and the difference in body mass of those animals that had pediatric surgery. It was found that there is very little difference between early altering and later altering in these pets.
Originally, there was some concern about male cats experiencing potential urinary blockages. Now we know that male cats have the same chances of urinary blockage with or without pediatric neutering.
Any surgery and anesthetic has an inherent risk. We try to reduce risks to as close to zero as possible by knowing the procedure and diligently watching our patients. Young animals heal fast and are lower surgical risks than older animals who may be obese, in heat, pregnant, or ill. Moreover, young animals are more predictable and wake up faster after anesthesia.
Not all veterinarians perform pediatrice spay or neuter because up until very recently most veterinary schools did not mention pediatric spaying and neutering. Therefore students were not taught the techniques that make it a simple, safe, and effective procedure. No veterinarian wants to harm her or his patients so they do not want to perform a procedure they are not adequately trained in.
Gladly nowadays pediatric spaying and neutering is on the surgical curriculum for may veterinary schools and students are becoming aware of the benefits and the lack of harmful side effects.
