Hello All! I hope you had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July, enjoying family, friends, barbeques and of course, your pets.

I think it’s time to discuss spaying and/or neutering your pets. Animals may like to run and play and socialize with other animals, be very cautious of how much you let them out of your sight. Every year millions of animals are euthanized due to the speed of reproduction in our domestic pets; unfortunately not everyone can find homes for the little puppies and kittens. 

When spaying your female pet, or neutering your male pet, you will find they may become much calmer and not so hyper active. In a female it will eliminate the heat cycle, and will stop any discharge from staining anything in your house. Spaying will also reduce the risk of breast cancer, and the risk of uterine diseases as well as uterine cancer. Spaying your pet can also eliminate mastitis – breast inflammation, ovarian cysts, miscarriages, and delivery complications. 

When neutering your male it will remove the mating drive, so the younger you get them neutered the better off you are; when you get a male neutered young sometimes it will remove their urge to mark their territory all over your house and yard. The earlier you neuter your pet the less of a chance they’ll have of mounting everything they possibly can. Males also have a habit of roaming when they are not in tact, neutering them will help reduce that urge as well. As your male gets older if they are neutered the risk of developing enlarged prostate glands  and prostate cancer is reduced, as well as eliminating testicular cancer. 

Some Myths You May or May Not Have Known:

Spaying and neutering costs too much: 

Spaying and neutering your pet is cheaper in the long run than caring for unwanted litters and the medical problems that can occur when an animal is not spayed or neutered. 

She should have one litter first, to settle her down: 

Having a litter won’t improve her health or permanently change the animal’s personality. And she could be irritable and tired while caring for and nursing her puppies or kittens. 

I want my children to see the miracle of birth: 

But will they? Many pets hide when giving birth. Even if you find good homes for the entire litter, you may be denying homes to animals who’ve already been born. Visit your local animal shelter to see all the stray and abandoned animals. 

If I neuter my dog he will stop being protective:

False. Neutering an animal does not change or alter his instinct to defend his turf. In fact, he will be less likely to wander away. 

Only females need to be fixed, since the litters are their owner’s responsibility: 

But how do those pets get pregnant? A male pet can easily father 750 offspring in his lifetime. 

Keeping animals from having litters is interfering with nature: 

We have already interfered. Domesticated dogs and cats mate more often and have larger litters than their wild ancestors, but cannot survive on their own. 

Spaying or neutering makes pets fat and lazy: 

No, that’s caused by overfeeding and lack of exercise. Spayed or neutered pets require less calories. Cut down on the meals and make time for a walk or play.