cats

The last day of February is World Spay Day. As the world moves away from winter and outdoors into spring, consider the benefits of making sure your pet is spayed or neutered.

Spaying your pet is just one way to help keep homeless pet populations down. Without enough homes for pets they often enter into the shelter system where millions are euthanizes each year.

While there are medical and behavioral benefits to neutering pets, let’s consider a few myths that still exist. According to the ASPCA, two common myths that simply aren’t accurate are:

Spaying or neutering will not cause your pet to become overweight.
Neutering is not a quick fix for all behavior problems.

What is true is that you can oftentimes enjoy medical benefits from spaying your pet. For example, your female pet will be less likely to experience breast tumors or uterine infections resulting in a healthier, longer life. Your male pets will be less likely to experience testicular cancer or prostate problems.

There are behavior benefits as well. Your male dogs are less likely to roam as far away from home when mating season rolls around. This will limit attempts to escape to find a lady friend and potentially incur injury from traffic or other hazards. Your female cat won’t go into heat which can sometimes include a great deal of yowling and urination, sometimes all over your house.

Contact your veterinarian or seek out a low-cost clinic to find out how to spay or neuter your pet. Do what is best for your pet’s health and research what makes the most sense for your pet.