Keeping your pet healthy can do nothing but good for you and your pet. Part of maintaining the health of your pet is ensuring that they are spayed or neutered as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the overpopulation of animals causes a great amount of these loving pets to be put into animal shelters and often, many of them never find homes. There's simply too many animals in the shelters and not enough people who would like to adopt them. Spaying or neutering your pet contributes to decreasing the overpopulation of animals.
What is spaying/neutering?
Spaying is the removal of the ovaries (ovariohysterectomy) from a female animal. Neutering is the removal of the testicles (castration) from a male animal. Whichever gender of pet you may have, it is always a good idea to get them fixed at 8 weeks of age or older. Many pet owners believe that only female animals need to be spayed because of the heat cycle they undergo, but male animals need to be neutered just as much. When male animals reach sexual maturity, they tend to mark their territory on anything and everything, roam around (instinctively try to find a mate) and develop aggression towards other male animals. That's pretty to tough to deal with isn't it? Spaying/neutering eliminates this behavioral problem.
What is the importance of spaying/neutering?
Besides relieving behavioral issues with your animal, spaying and neutering promotes a longer, better, and healthier life for your pet. Spaying females nearly eliminates the risk of breast cancer and prevents uterine infections and uterine cancer (American Humane Association, n.d.). Neutering male animals prevents testicular cancer, enlargement of the prostate gland, and greatly reduces the risk of perianal tumors (American Humane Association, n.d.).
Spaying and neutering your pet can help diminish the overpopulation of animals in society. Unfortunately, homeless animals are everywhere we go and most of them end up giving birth to litters of puppies or kittens that can't be taken care of. This increases the amount of animals euthanized at animal shelters in order to make room for more. "In the U.S., there are an estimated 6–8 million homeless animals entering animal shelters every year. About half of these animals are adopted" (The Humane Society of the United States, 2012). Stray animals tend to eat other animals in the wild, be killed and cause car accidents, and so much more. If you want to help decrease animal overpopulation, get your pet spayed/neutered.
What if the procedure costs too much?
The cost of spaying and neutering can be expensive, but it is affordable. This should be an aspect in consideration before acquiring a pet. Some pet owners do not wish to spend the money in having their animal fixed and most often leads to abandonment of the animal which contributes to overpopulation. If one doesn't want to spend money on having their pet fixed, how can one properly care for their animal? "Many animal shelters offer low-cost spay/neuter services, and there are also many low-cost spay/neuter clinics across the country. To find low-cost options in your area, call your local animal shelter. The reality is that the cost associated with providing adequate care for just one litter of puppies or kittens is often more than the cost of spaying or neutering...The cost of the well-being of not just your companion animal, but of future generations, should be considered" (American Humane Association, n.d.).
What if you don't own a pet?
Whether you own an animal or not, promoting the procedure of spaying or neutering matters very much. When you're driving down the street and pass by a dead dog or cat on the side of the road, do you feel some sympathy? The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) states that "the single most important thing that we can do to save cats and dogs from all the suffering and death that their overpopulation causes is to spay and neuter them." We are all affected by animal overpopulation.
As Americans, "millions of tax dollars are spent annually to shelter and care for stray, abandoned and unwanted pets. Much of that money is spent to euthanize animals when homes cannot be found. Human health is threatened by the danger of transmittable diseases (including rabies), animal bites and attacks. Property may be damaged and livestock killed when pets roam in search of food. Animal waste is proving to be a serious environment hazard, fouling yards and parks. It is only when all of us assume the responsibility for pet overpopulation that we will see any decrease in the problem" (American Humane Society, n.d.).
It's tragic to see such lovable pets never find the love that they need. To prevent this, spaying and neutering should be a must on your "to do" list if you don't want to end up with unwanted puppies and kittens. This procedure is affordable and many shelters and organizations are willing to assist you if you need some help. Spaying and neutering is not only important for our animals, it's important for us too. For more information on spaying and neutering, visit the ASPCA | Top 10 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet and American Humane Association. For more information on animal overpopulation, visit PETA.
American Humane Association. (n.d.). Spaying/Neutering. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from American
Humane Association:
http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/caring-for-your-pet/spaying-neutering.html
The Humane Society of the United States. (2012, November 27).
Why You Should Spay or Neuter Your Pet.
Retrieved February 20, 2013, from The Humane Society of the United States:
http://www.humanesociety.org/pet_overpopulation/facts/why_spay_neuter.html
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