What is Spaying and Neutering?
It’s a simple surgical procedure that stops your dog or cat or from breeding. Female animals get spayed, males get neutered. The operation is performed while the pet is under anesthesia.
Why should I get my pet fixed?
Millions of dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States every year due to pet overpopulation. In Utah alone, over 30,000 homeless, unwanted animals are put to death each year. The best way to avoid the problem of unwanted pets, and one of the kindest things you can do for animals, is to make sure that your cat or dog is spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering saves lives.
But surely my one cat or dog can’t make that much of a difference.
You may find homes for all of your pet's litter. But each home you find means one less home for homeless animals in shelters who may die for lack of an available home. Also, in less than one year's time, each of your pet's offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. Then their offspring have offspring, and so on and so on. By fixing your one pet you can help save hundreds if not thousands of lives!
Besides, fixing your pet will make your life much easier!
Spaying or neutering your pet can help some of your pet's behavior problems. Some of these problems include:
- house soiling
- marking, spraying
- persistent barking or meowing
- roaming, escaping
- fighting with other pets
- biting humans or other pets
- bleeding and other problems associated with female pets being in heat
Won’t female dogs and cats miss having puppies or kittens? I would feel very lonely without my family.
No. Mother dogs and cats care for their young for a few months until they’re weaned, but then usually have nothing further to do with them.
Shouldn’t my dog or cat have one litter before being fixed?
It is better to do just the opposite. Your pet will be healthier if she is spayed before her first litter and, even better, before her first heat.
Won’t a female dog or cat be a better pet if she has had one litter?
No. Having puppies or kittens makes no difference at all to a pet’s temperament.
I feel uncomfortable getting my male pet neutered. I wouldn’t want that done to me!
Your pet has no concept of sexual identify and ego. His biology and behavior developed in the wild to produce as many offspring as possible so his species could survive. In our modern world, this many offspring only add to the sum total of unwanted pets that are killed in shelters.
My dogs won’t protect us after being fixed.
Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog’s natural instincts to protect his or her family. A dog’s personality is formed by genetics and environment.
My dog/cat is purebred and I want to breed her at least once to recoup the price I paid for her.
Many purebreds end up in shelters just like mixed breeds. Breeding is expensive, time-consuming and does not create clones of your pet.
Will spaying or neutering affect my pet’s health in any way?
Yes, it will improve the health of your pet. In females, it eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine infections and cancer. It also reduces the incidence of mammary cancer. In males, it eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.
I can’t afford to have my pet fixed.
Spaying or neutering is a one-time cost that is a bargain compared to having a litter to take care of and find homes for. No More Homeless Pets in Utah offers discount or free spay/neuter service to those who qualify.
Get your pet spayed or neutered!
It's the responsible and right thing to do.