Shilo Gallagher
Monday, February 01, 2021
Hello, fellow pet lovers. In honor of Spay and Neuter Awareness Month I would like to share some information with you about the benefits of spaying and neutering your pets. I have seen firsthand while volunteering with rescue groups, just how important it truly is to help control the animal population.
Around three million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized each year nationwide simply because they do not have homes. Nine out of ten euthanized animals are adoptable, with no painful or life-threatening conditions. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying and neutering.
Did you know that a fertile dog can produce an average of two litters in one year? The average number of puppies in a litter is six to ten which means that an un-spayed female dog and her offspring can have up to five hundred and eight puppies in seven years. That is a lot of puppies that grow into dogs that will need homes. Unfortunately, not all of them will find one. Some will end up as strays roaming the streets, some in overcrowded kill and non-kill shelters, in a foster home, or worse.
As high as those numbers are, they are nothing compared to the number of kittens that can be born in a year. Did you know that a fertile cat can produce an average of three litters in one year? The average number of kittens in a litter is four to six. That is up to four thousand nine hundred forty-eight kittens that can be born from one un-spayed female cat and her offspring in seven years. That is an insane number of cats that need homes. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, there are between sixty million and one hundred million feral cats in the U.S. This can be prevented though.
Females become pregnant during their “heat” periods also known as the estrus cycle. These cycles usually occur twice a year in dogs and at least two to three times a year in cats. Many cats “come into heat” as often as once every two to three weeks, especially in warm climates, and lasting between seven to ten days. The warm weather coincides with female cats’ heat cycles, causing kitten “season” which starts in spring, peaking in the late spring or early summer, and ending in fall.
Pets should be neutered at young ages, before six months for a male and before a female’s first heat. Which is between five to ten months of age. Puppies and kittens can be fixed as early as 8 weeks of age if they are healthy and have the proper weight (two pounds).
Many unneutered pets have aggression problems and will often mark their territory with strong-scented urine. This can be rather difficult to live with. Un-neutered male dogs represent eighty percent of the dogs presented to veterinary behaviorists for cases of dominance aggression. Intact (un-neutered) males are involved in seventy-five percent of reported dog bite incidents. Early neutering can nix aggression.
Neutering a cat or dog reduces their urge to roam and decreases the risk of contracting diseases or getting hurt as they roam. Surveys indicate that nearly eighty-five percent of dogs hit by cars are un-neutered. Pets that are altered on average live two to three years longer than pets that are not.
It has health benefits as well. Spaying and neutering can reduce the incidence of some of the most common types of cancer, making it likelier for animals to live longer and healthier lives.
You may have heard that if you get your pet fixed it will make them fat or lazy. This is not true. Lack of exercise and over-feeding will contribute to your pet packing on the extra pounds. Dogs tend to need about twenty percent fewer calories and to remain physically active after being neutered.
Many states and counties have established low-cost spay/neuter programs that make surgery easily affordable and accessible. Low cost does not mean low quality. I suggest asking for a breakdown of the costs associated with your pet’s procedure to get an idea of what is and what is not included.
Organizations Spay USA and the ASPCA have national databases available to search for locations in your area that offer affordable spay and neuter procedures.
As the former Bob Barker would say “Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered”.
Here are the available low-cost programs available around Tri-Cities, Washington.
PROSSER ANIMAL CLINIC
P.O. BOX 231
PROSSER, WA 99350
509-786-1393
PREVENT HOMELESS PETS
812 DALLAS AVE
BENTON CITY, WA 99320
509-497-1133
PET OVERPOPULATION PREVENTION
P.O. BOX 422
PASCO, WA 99301
509-943-4722
SNAP OF HUMANE SOCIETY OF CENTRAL WA
2405 W. BIRCHFIELD ROAD
YAKIMA, WA 98901
509-457-6854
Resources used for this blog:
ASPCA.ORG, SNAPUS.ORG, and HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES.