More than likely you have heard about the importance of spaying or neutering your pet. Especially if you’ve watched the Price is Right. But do you know why it has such a big place in our society? On February 28th, National Spay Day brings light to why spaying and neutering are so important. In fact, the whole month of February is recognized as Spay/Neuter Awareness month.
Truth is, millions of animals are put down every day due to accidental and unwanted litters. And spaying and neutering. You may be thinking that by saying millions we are exaggerating, but we’re not. One female dog and her offspring can reproduce up to 11,000 dogs…in a year! And a female feline and her kittens can produce up to 60,000 cats at the same time. That’s a lot of animals, right? It’s no wonder so many are euthanized every day.
What is Spaying or Neutering?
Spaying sterilizes a female animal by removing the ovaries. And neutering is also the removal of reproductive organs to avoid any future offspring.
Why is it so important?
There are an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals entering shelters each year. But, more than just reducing the number of homeless pets, there are a lot of benefits to spaying and neutering.
- Pet health: Pets that have been “fixed” are more likely to live longer. They can avoid certain cancers and UTI’s, plus they have a less tendency to roam away from the home. This also saves money in pet care costs.
- Improved behavior: Unneutered animals are more likely to mark their territory through urination. And as we said before, they are more likely to run away or roam. They also are less likely to show aggression. Also, dominance-related behaviors and barking may be reduced as well.
As you can see there are a lot of benefits to spaying and neutering your pets. It’s not only good for the community, it’s good for our pets and our homes.
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