Public Education needed to encourage spay/neutering of pets.
There are common misconceptions about fixing pets such as:
• The cost is too high.
• It will change my pet’s personality.
• It will dimmish my pet’s intelligence or ability to learn and play. • It will cause my pet to become overweight.
• I should wait until my female dog/cat has a litter before spaying. • Spaying/Neutering is not safe for my pet.
• Neutering will make my pet feel like less of a male. (Emasculate them) • My pet will mourn the loss of its reproductive capabilities. • I won’t be able to show my pet if I have them spayed or neutered. • Spaying or neutering my pet will cause it unnecessary pain. • Indoor pets don’t need to be spayed or neutered.
The Cost is Too High
Spaying and neutering are actually very affordable surgeries. And, in most communities, there are low-cost or free spay- and-neuter clinics meaning everyone can have access to the procedures. Compared to the cost of having and caring for a litter (or worse, taking a litter to the shelter), spaying and neutering is definitely a more cost-effective and compassionate choice.
It Will Change My Pet’s Personality
Spaying and neutering have no impact on your pet’s personality. The procedures will reduce or eliminate some undesirable behaviors (aggression, urine marking, roaming, etc.). Furthermore, it often increases your pets’ interest in you since they will no longer be focused on finding a mate! It Will Diminish My Pets’ Intelligence or Ability to Learn and Play The procedures have no effect at all on your pets’ cognitive abilities. They will continue to engage, interact and learn new things as they did before spaying or neutering.
It Will Cause My Pet to Become Overweight
Pets become overweight – just like people – when they are inactive, eat too much and exercise too little, not because they are spayed/neutered. Your pets will stay fit and trim if you control their food intake and make sure they get regular exercise.
I Should Wait Until My Female Dog or Cat Has One Litter Before Spaying It is actually best to spay females before they are sexually mature because spaying reduces the risk of certain cancers in female dogs and cats by as much as 85%.
Spaying and Neutering is Not Safe
These procedures are now the most common surgeries performed by veterinarians. Your pet will experience relatively little pain and discomfort and will be back to normal activities within a few days in most cases.
Spaying and neutering is also associated with increased health benefits and longevity. But if you’re a first-time pet parent, you may have heard or read statements that give you pause. Neutering my dog will alter his personality. Spaying a female cat before a first litter is dangerous. Spay and neuter surgeries are unaffordable. If you’re not sure what to believe, talk to your veterinarian who is intimately connected with the issue help separate fact from fiction. As with human medicine, animals are unique individuals, which is why the best person to talk to about your pet’s health needs is, of course, your vet.
Neutering will make my pet feel like less of a male (de-masculate)
Pets do not have any concept of ego or sexual identity, and neutering won’t change that. What might change, however, is that your male dog will be less likely to roam away from home! An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate, including finding creative ways to escape from the house. Once he’s free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other male animals.
Similarly, spayed female pets won’t go into heat. While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they’ll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house!
Spay/neuter operations will help curb these behaviors and keep your pet where he or she belongs: in your safe and loving home.
My pet will mourn the loss of its reproductive capabilities.
This is entirely false. Like most animals, pets reproduce solely on instinct – to ensure the survival of their species. They have feelings but they can’t rationalize them to pine after offspring they haven’t had and will not be affected by not being able to have kittens/puppies. Bitches/queens will only nurse their puppies/kittens for the two months after their birth, to make sure they are fed, clean and learn the ground rules in life. Meanwhile, male cats/dogs do not even recognize kittens/puppies as their own.
I won’t be able to show my pet if I have them spayed or neutered.
False. Changes in the Kennel Club regulations mean that neutered pedigree dogs can be shown.
Spaying or neutering my pet will cause it unnecessary pain.
All surgical procedures involve a degree of discomfort, but neutering is carried out under a full general anesthetic and animals are given drugs to control any discomfort afterwards. Most animals are up and about just a few hours after the surgery and back to normal within a few days. Neutering a male pets is a quick procedure with a very short recovery time, while your female pet will need a little more rest after being spayed as the incision is larger.
Indoor pets don’t need to be spayed or neutered
Sexual maturity in animals is a risky business. At this stage in an animal’s development, behavior can become territorial, and/or unpredictable.
Spay and neuter operations reduce the hormones that trigger these behaviors. Spayed and neutered pets exhibit fewer territorial or aggressive tendencies and enjoy a more relaxed quality of life.
Additionally, there is no guarantee that your pet will not at some point dash out of an open door unexpectedly and go on an adventure without you, especially if they are in heat and in search of a potential mate. Spaying or neutering your pet guarantees that even in unpredictable cases, they will not be able to mate.