All this month the United States Humane Society and area animal clinics are participating in spay/neuter awareness month hoping to help stamp out animal overpopulation. Each year four to five million cats and dogs are euthanized by shelters mainly because of pet over population. Several area animal clinics are offering spay and neuter services at a discount rate.
So far the veterinarians in our area participating are:
You can also call your local veterinarian to see if they are participating or log on to pets911.com
In addition to awareness month a spay/neuter license plate may soon be available. The Department of Transportation needs to receive 900 applications before the plate can be offered to the public. If you would like to apply for a plate log on to kyrenew.com
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Why Spay and Neuter?
- An estimated 15,000,000 homeless dogs and cats will end up in animal shelters across the U.S. this year.
- Sadly, most of them will be destroyed.
- Animal sheltering and control programs cost billions of dollars each year in taxes and private donations.
- Each week, animal shelters that care for and destroy homeless dogs and cats send tons of animal carcasses to area landfills, creating an environmental nightmare - a problem that future generations will have to solve.
- Every litter of puppies or kittens born contributes to the overwhelming statistics of animal overpopulation.
- One pair of breeding cats, with all of their offspring, will generate 420,000 kittens in just six years and two breeding dogs with their offspring will produce 67,000 puppies in seven years!
- Surgical sterilization of dogs and cats, commonly referred to as spaying or neutering, is an immediate and humane solution to end the crisis of animal overpopulation.
Facts and Myths
- Myth: Female dogs and cats should have at least one litter before having them spayed.
Fact: There is no medical evidence to justify a dog or cat to have a litter before spaying. In fact, spaying female dogs and cats eliminates the possibility of developing uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the threat of mammary cancer.
- Myth: Behavior is adversely affected by sterilization.
Fact: The only changes in dog and cat behavior after spaying or neutering are positive changes. Male cats tend to reduce territorial spraying, depending on their age at neutering. Neutered dogs and cats fight less, resulting in fewer bit and scratch wounds and lessening the spread of contagious diseases. Male dogs and cats tend to stay home more after neutering because they no longer wander in search of a mate.
- Myth: Dogs will not be protective after they are altered.
Fact: Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog’s natural instinct to protect his home and family.
- Myth: Spaying and neutering are painful.
Fact: Surgical sterilization is performed under general anesthesia by a doctor of veterinary medicine. The procedure itself is not felt by the patient. There may also be discomfort after the surgery, but most animals return to normal activity within 24 to 72 hours.
Source: http://www.snaptx.org/default.htm (Spay-Neuter Assistance Program Web site) contributed to this report.
