When dogs are spayed or neutered, we give them the best chance at loving homes and long, healthy lives. Read on to learn why it’s so important to spay and neuter your pets.
Care for even one baby and you can’t even imagine a litter. Four, five, even six little babies all competing for your time, all the time, no wonder doggie moms sneak naps all day. Though canine motherhood must have its charms, more often than not, it results in suffering for the pups. With so few homes available for puppies, the sweet little furballs too often end up braving the elements alone without food, veterinary care or shelter. The Humane Society of the United States reports, “Seven dogs & cats are born every day for each person born in the U.S. Of those, only 1 in 5 puppies and kittens stay in their original home for their natural lifetime. The remaining 4 are abandoned to the streets or end up at a shelter.”
This Mother’s Day, Woof Report does right by all the doggie moms everywhere. By advocating spay and neuter, we give pups the best chance at loving homes and long, healthy lives. Following are the top reasons to insist on these safe, effective procedures for the dogs we love. Save a dog’s life. Pass them on.
Bring Down the Numbers
Spaying and neutering prevents unplanned litters that contribute to the millions of dogs and cats of all ages and breeds that are euthanized each year. Even if you do find homes for all of your pet’s puppies or kittens, each home is one less for the dogs and cats in shelters that need them.
Live Long, Live Strong
Increase your dog’s chance of a longer and healthier life. According to Spay USA, “altering your canine friend will increase his life an average of 1 to 3 years (and felines, 3 to 5 years). Altered animals have a very low to no risk of mammary gland tumors/cancer, prostate cancer, perianal tumors, pyometria, and uterine, ovarian and testicular cancers.”
There Goes the Neighborhood
Both spayed and neutered dogs are less likely to roam and get into trouble while in search for a mate. Male dogs on the scent of a lady pup in heat will stop at nothing. They dodge speeding cars, fight off the competition, and lay down their lives for their lovely ladies, and females in heat will actively search out male dogs just the same. Spare your dogs and your family the drama and risks of breeding season. And with that, avoid many aggression problems and indoor territory marking with male dogs.
Trim Out the Fat Excuse
It’s just not true. Spaying and neutering do not add extra pounds to your pup’s waistline. Dogs gain weight for the same reason people do: eating too much and moving too little. To help manage your dog’s weight, boost physical activity and control calories.
Spay Now, Save Later
Caring for a litter of puppies or kittens is a costly endeavor. Cut your pet care costs considerably with a simple, safe spay or neuter procedure. Your return on investment will boost your bottom line and your pet’s chance at a better life.
Tune Out the Static
The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association support early-age/pediatric neutering, which is performed as early as eight weeks of age versus six months for dogs. Yet a controversy continues with some veterinarians delaying the procedure until later in life. Concerns about obesity, underdevelopment of sex characteristics, behavioral problems and host of other conditions have been addressed in veterinary literature and found unwarranted. The ASPCA cites, “Any differences that have been found appear to have no clinical significance, or occur regardless of the age at neutering.” For more information on the research and results, read on.
The Scoop:
Spay/USA is a program of the North Shore Animal League America. Its mission is to reduce the number of unwanted dog and cat births and make spay/neuter services affordable to those who might not otherwise spay/neuter their pets.
www.spayusa.org
Visit our new Woof Report tip category, Lend a Paw, to see all tips supporting animal welfare causes.
www.woofreport.com/lendapaw
Thank you to Kate Brady on flickr for the photo.
Originally published May 2011; reviewed and updated May 2017.
