Want to keep your pet cool and comfortable this summer? A few changes to your normal grooming routine can help.View Article
You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.
In 6 years ONE female dog and her offspring can be the source of 67,000 puppies. In just 7 years, ONE female cat and her young can produce 420,000 kittens. Everyday in the U.S., tens of thousands of puppies and kittens are born. Compare this to the 11,000 human births each day and you can plainly see that there can never be enough homes for all these pets. Each year between 8 & 12 million dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens end up at animal shelters around the country. Sadly, between 4 & 6 million of them must be euthanized because there aren’t enough homes for them all.
Spaying refers to the surgical altering of a female by removing her ovaries and uterus. Neutering refers to the surgical altering of a male animal by removing the testicles.
Take a moment and think about how many animals you see on your way home from work wandering around looking for something to eat or somewhere to get out of the weather. Think about how many animals you see everyday on the highways that have already been killed. All of these animals came from someone’s pet that has not been spayed or neutered. Some people think that since they have a male, they don’t have to worry with an unwanted litter so there is no reason to neuter him. However, male dogs and cats that have not been neutered will go out and search for a female in heat especially when they can smell her. Your male pet may come back home alone, but he has left the female pregnant and at someone else’s home. Or she could be a homeless female that now has nowhere to live, nothing to eat, and a litter of babies to care for and feed. Females produce an attractive scent for the males when they are in heat causing the male to search them out, even in your fenced back yard. So even though you only have a female and no male, you could still very easily end up with an unwanted litter. Spaying or neutering your pet makes them less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights.
Spaying or neutering your pet also helps them live longer, healthier lives. This routine procedure can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat. Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the chance of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first heat cycle. Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the chance of prostate disease. Spaying and neutering can make pets’ better, more affectionate companions. Neutering cats makes them less likely to spray and mark territory. Unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems.
As you can see there are so many advantages to spaying or neutering your pet. The health benefits alone are enough to warrant this procedure not to mention the senseless but necessary euthanizing of thousands of unwanted animals every year.
1. Reduces or eliminates the incidence of a number of health problems such as uterine or ovarian cancer, breast cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate disease.
2. Reduces the number of unwanted litters
3. Reduces the amount of senseless euthanizing of unwanted animals every year
4. Makes your pet less likely to roam
5. Can make pet's better, more affectionate companions
6. Neutering cats makes them less likely to spray
These procedures are performed using our state of the art Laser which for your pet means less pain, bleeding, and swelling. (Click the link “Laser Surgery and Your Pet” for more detailed information on the laser.) We do take appointments for these surgeries and in most cases your pet will be able to go home that same day. However, female cats are required to spend one night in the hospital because of the type of anesthesia used. This is included in the total price of the feline spay. When you call to make an appointment for surgery, you will be given specific instructions on what to do the night before surgery. Just as in humans, your pet will not be allowed to eat anything after midnight the night before surgery. However, small amounts of water will be permitted. When you make the appointment, your pet will be asked to be at the hospital no later than 8:00 a.m. the morning of surgery. (Please call ahead to notify us of any cancellations.) Upon arriving at our hospital on the morning of surgery, you will be presented with an authorization for pain medication and for our canine friends, pre-anesthetic blood work will also be offered. We offer the pain medication to your pets to help keep them comfortable when they wake up from surgery and after they go home. Humans don’t have to go through surgery without anything for pain and neither should our pets because they can hurt too. For cats, the pain package includes an injection of a pain medication given during the surgery so that they are comfortable when they wake up from anesthesia and you will be given an oral medication to take home. For dogs, the pain package also includes an injection of a pain medication given during surgery and oral medication to take home. The pre-anesthetic blood work is offered to our canine companions to check their liver and kidney function to help insure that they can filter the anesthesia back out of their system. Our doctors will not do the surgery if abnormalities are shown on your pet’s blood work results. Both the pain medication and pre-anesthetic blood work are optional to you unless the doctors’ feel one or both should be mandatory. Those decisions will be based on your pet and their medical history. However, any special circumstances such as these that develop will be discussed with you.
If you have any additional questions concerning your pet and spaying or neutering or if you would like to request information or set up an appointment, please call the Animal Care Hospital at 731-285-6270.