Spay and Neuter
| When it comes to your pet, what's the best way to practice preventive
medicine? Have your pet spayed or neutered. These routine operations halt the production
of hormones that govern an animal's sex drive-and help prevent the suffering and death of
millions of dogs and cats every year who are euthanized because of pet overpopulation. Intact female cats can go into heat repeatedly for four or five days every three weeks. When in heat they yowl and urinate more frequently, and can attract unneutered males, who will spray urine around the females' homes. Female dogs go into heat two times a year, for approximately 3 weeks, and have a bloody discharge for about one week of that time.The process of giving birth also can take its toll on a female's health. But removing the ovaries and uterus of a female-otherwise known as spaying-will stop this behavior and help prevent pyometra and breast cancer. Pyometra is an infection of the uterus that may require emergency hospitalization,and in some cases, surgical removal of the uterus. An animal spayed before she reaches sexual maturity at 6 to 9 months has one-seventh the risk that an intact female has of developing breast cancer. Unneutered males mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine. Indoors, dogs may mount furniture and human leg. Outdoor cats, heeding the call to breed, will roam and fight with other males. ASPCA experts believe that many aggression problems can be avoided by neutering a male, or removing his testicles, by the age of six months. The surgery also prevents testicular cancer, prostate disease and hernias. No longer preoccupied with the search for a mate, neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. And contrary to what you may have heard, neutering does not cause an animal to become fat and lazy-lack of exercise and overfeeding do! If you provide ample exercise and monitor the food intake of your neutered animal, he or she will not gain weight. The only side effects of spaying and neutering are positive ones. A 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 just one year. With never enough homes for these unfortunate animals, millions of cats and dogs are euthanized annually or lead short, painful lives as strays. Think of all the suffering just one neutered animal can save! |
Ani-Med Pet Care Information: http://www.animed.org/responsible_spaying_and_neutering.htm |
