Spay & Neuter

SAVE-A-PET at Dothan Animal Shelter

P.O. Box 9323 - Dothan, Alabama 36304- Phone: (334) 796-7727

Frequently Asked Questions about Spaying and Neutering

What is Spaying or Neutering? Spaying or neutering involves a simple surgical procedure that stops your dog or cat or from breeding. Female animals get spayed, males get neutered.

Why should I get my pet fixed? Pet overpopulation is the number one problem for animals in America. Some homeless dogs and cats just roam the streets. Others are killed in city pounds and shelters. Thousands of homeless, unwanted animals are put to death in Dothan and other Wiregrass area shelters each year. Many of these animals are healthy and adoptable. The best way to avoid the problem of unwanted pets, and the kindest thing you can do for animals generally, is to make sure that your cat or dog is spayed or neutered.

But surely my one cat or dog can’t make that much of a difference? One unspayed female cat is actually capable of generating a family of 30 cats in just two years! Besides, fixing your pet will make your life much easier.

Will spaying or neutering affect my pet's behavior? Only in a very positive way! Spaying or neutering your pet can help some of your pet's behavior problems. Some of these problems include:
• house soiling
• marking, spraying
• persistent barking or meowing
• roaming, escaping
• fighting with other pets
• biting humans or other pets
• bleeding and other problems associated with female pets being in heat

Won’t female dogs and cats miss having puppies or kittens? No...Mother dogs and cats care for their young for a few months until they’re weaned, but then they have nothing to do with them.

I feel uncomfortable getting my male pet neutered. I wouldn’t want that done to me! Your pet is not you. His psychology and biology are quite different. His hormones developed in the wild to produce as many offspring as possible so his species could survive. In our modern world, this many offspring only add to the sum total of unwanted pets who live a miserable life of suffering in an alleyway or field somewhere.

Won’t a female dog or cat be a better pet if she has had one litter? No. Having puppies or kittens makes no difference at all to a pet’s temperament.

My dog or cat is purebred and I want to breed her at least once to recoup the price I paid for her. Large numbers of purebred animals are destroyed every year in pounds and shelters. Until they all have homes, it is irresponsible to bring one more litter, even a purebred litter, into the world.

Will spaying or neutering affect my pet’s health in any way? Yes, it will improve the health of your pet. Studies show that spaying a female before her first heat reduces the risk of mammary (breast) tumors or cancers. In males, neutering reduces the risk of prostate cancer in older animals.

So, get your pet spayed or neutered. It's the enlightened, responsible, and right thing to do.

BENEFITS OF SPAY/NEUTER FOR CATS AND DOGS

Benefits of Spaying (females):

· No heat cycles, therefore males will not be attracted

· Less desire to roam

· Risk of mammary gland tumors, ovarian and/or uterine cancer is reduced or eliminated, especially if done before the first heat

cycle.

· Reduces number of unwanted cats/kittens/dogs/puppies

· Helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives

Benefits of Neutering (males):

· Reduces or eliminates risk of spraying and marking

· Less desire to roam, therefore less likely to be injured in fights or auto accidents

· Risk of testicular cancer is eliminated, and decreases incidence of prostate disease

· Reduces number of unwanted cats/kittens/dogs/puppies

· Decreases aggressive behavior, including dog bites

· Helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives

Top 3 Reasons to Spay and Neuter

· It helps to reduce companion animal overpopulation. Most countries have a surplus of companion animals and are forced to euthanize or disregard their great suffering. The surplus is in the millions in the United States. Cats are 45 times as prolific, and dogs 15 times as prolific, as humans. They do not need our help to expand their numbers; they need our help to reduce their numbers until there are good homes for them all.

· Sterilization of your cat or dog will increase his/her chance of a longer and healthier life. Altering your canine friend will increase his life an average of 1 to 3 years, 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.

· Sterilizing your cat/dog makes him/her a better pet, reducing his/her urge to roam and decreasing the risk of contracting diseases or getting hurt as they roam. Surveys indicate that as many as 85% of dogs hit by cars are unaltered. Intact male cats living outside have been shown to live on average less than two years. Feline Immunodeficiency Syndrome is spread by bites and intact cats fight a great deal more than altered cats.

Additional Benefits:

· Your community will also benefit. Unwanted animals are becoming a very real concern in many places. Stray animals can easily become a public nuisance, soiling parks and streets, ruining shrubbery, frightening children and elderly people, creating noise and other disturbances, causing automobile accidents, and sometimes even killing livestock or other pets.- The American Veterinary Medical Association

· The capture, impoundment and eventual destruction of unwanted animals costs taxpayers and private humanitarian agencies over a billion dollars each year. As a potential source of rabies and other less serious diseases, they can be a public health hazard.- The American Veterinary Medical Association

SPAYING AND NEUTERING

Pets Need Forever Homes!