Think About This …
• Every day 60,000 more puppies and kittens are born in the U.S. than people.
• Each year 10-12 million animals are euthanized in shelters for lack of homes.
• In six years, one female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs.
• In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats.
• Purebreds account for 30% of all shelter animals. Just because an animal has “papers” doesn’t mean it should be bred.Before you breed a pet to “see the miracle of birth,” you should “see the truth” about pet overpopulation. Visit a local shelter.
Spay or neuter your pet. It is the single most important thing you can do to prevent animal cruelty.
This low-cost surgery offers many benefits.
If you cannot afford to spay/neuter you can’t afford that pet!
If you have a large-breed puppy the sooner you get it done the cheaper it’ll be (smaller dose of anesthesia). I believe six weeks is the youngest vets can perform this surgery. If your vet insists on waiting until your healthy pet is six months old – go to another vet! That is an old standard. It is much better to have it done sooner, especially in the case of male cats…unless you like it when they spray urine all over you.
Peace of Mind
Did you know that a spayed or neutered (sterilized) animal is better behaved?
Males
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unsterilized, unsupervised males roam in search of a mate, risking injury in traffic and in fights with other males. They mark territory by spraying strong-smelling urine on surfaces. Indoors, male dogs may embarrass you by mounting furniture and human legs when stimulated. Don’t confuse aggressiveness with protectiveness; a neutered dog protects his home and family just as well as an un-neutered dog, and many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.
Females
While their cycles vary greatly, most female cats exhibit the following signs when in heat: for four or five days, every three weeks, they yowl and urinate more frequently — sometimes all over the house — advertising for mates. Often, they attract un-neutered males who spray urine around the female’s home. Female dogs also attract males from great distances. Female dogs generally have a bloody discharge for about a week, and can conceive for another week or so.
Canines not spayed or neutered are three times more likely to bite than sterilized ones.
Good Medicine
Did you know that a spayed or neutered animal will live a longer, healthier life?
Spaying a female (removing the ovaries and uterus) or neutering a male (removing the testicles) are veterinary procedures performed with the same general anesthesia used in human medicine. Both surgeries usually require minimal hospitalization.
Neutering a male cat or dog by 6 months of age prevents testicular cancer, prostate disease and hernias. Spaying a female cat or dog helps prevent pyometra (a pus-filled uterus) and breast cancer; having this done before the first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. Treatment of pyometra requires hospitalization, intravenous (IV) fluids, antibiotics and spaying. Breast cancer can be fatal in about 50 percent of female dogs and 90 percent of female cats. With an older, seriously ill animal, anesthesia and surgery are complicated and costly.
Responsible Care
Did you know that you can help prevent the suffering and death of countless animals?
One cat or dog who has babies and whose babies have babies can be responsible for the birth of 50 to 200 kittens or puppies in one year! Almost everyone loves puppies and kittens, but some people lose interest when these animals grow up. As a result, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized annually or suffer as strays. Rarely surviving for more than a few years on their own, strays can die painfully by starvation, disease, freezing or being hit by cars.
Just the Facts, Please
Myth: A female cat or dog should have a litter before she is spayed.
Fact: Many veterinarians are practicing perfectly safe early sterilization. The likelihood of developing mammary tumors or uterine infections increases the longer a female goes unspayed. In fact, a female spayed before sexual maturity (6 to 9 months of age) has one seventh the risk of an intact female of developing mammary cancer. Spaying a female eliminates the chances of developing pyometra, as the uterus is removed at surgery. In dogs, spaying before the first heat cycle is virtually 100% effective in preventing breast cancer. Not quite as good in cats, but almost!
I don’t think the myth of needing one litter comes from a safety fear but from a people projecting their desires to be a parent. As far as anyone knows, dogs do not grieve their lost capability to reproduce like a human might. Dogs reproduce to ensure survival of their kind, not to nurture a pup for 18 years, watch it go off to college, establish a career, marry, become pillars to the community, and produce grandchildren. Female dogs nurse their pups for a few weeks, teach them doggy social skills, and move on. Male dogs have no fatherly duties, and do not recognize pups as their own.
Many men carry a macho Neanderthal attitude towards neutering their male dogs again; they’re projecting their own feelings of inadequacy about the loss of reproductive ability on their manly dogs. These men usually buy their dog as a trophy or manly symbol and should really look into getting a sports car or monster truck instead.
Myth: Spaying or neutering (sterilization) will alter my pet’s personality.
Fact: Any slight changes will be positive. Regardless of the age when spayed or neutered, your pet will remain a caring, loving and protective companion. Neutering will reduce the need to breed, and that has a calming effect on many animals. Both neutered male canines and felines tend to stop roaming and fighting and lose the desire to mark their territory with urine.
Myth: Companion animals will become fat and lazy if they are neutered.
Fact: Absolutely not! Lack of exercise and overfeeding make pets fat and lazy — not neutering. Your pet will not gain weight if you provide exercise and monitor food intake. Neutering is good for your pet, since sterilized pets tend to live an average of two to three years longer than unsterilized pets.
Myth: Sterilization is a dangerous and painful surgery for my pet.
Fact: Spaying and neutering are the most common surgeries performed on animals. With a minimal amount of home care, your pet will resume normal behavior in a couple of days.
Myth: Children should witness the miracle of birth.
Fact: Countless books and videos are available to teach your children about birth in a responsible manner. Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is teaching your children irresponsibility. Anyone who has seen an animal euthanized in a shelter for lack of a home knows the truth behind this dangerous myth.
If you want your children to witness the miracle of birth, volunteer as a foster home at one of your local animal rescues. I’m sure they will happily provide a pregnant cat or dog that you will be responsible for until their puppies or kittens are weaned (about six weeks old). Usually the rescue will even let you keep one of the kittens or puppies that you fostered.