Getting your pet spayed or neutered will be one of the best things you ever do for your pet. Spaying or neutering improves their health, behavior, and life span. Faith Veterinary Clinic in North Brunswick, NJ, presents the facts about spaying and neutering your pet.
request an appointmentSpaying and Neutering Makes Pets Healthier
Spaying and neutering your pet makes them unable to get cancer of the reproductive organs. Female dogs spayed before their first heat will have a 99% chance of never developing mammary tumors. Female dogs are also prone to potentially deadly uterine infections if they are not bred, but spaying helps prevent this condition. Neutered male dogs have a lesser chance of getting hernias and some kinds of prostate problems.
Spaying and Neutering Helps Pets Live Longer
Banfield Pets did a major study of over three million pets in 2013. Spayed and neutered pets lived longer than those left entire. Neutered male cats lived the longest, an average of 62% longer than entire male cats. Spayed and neutered pets are less likely to get in fights with other pets for mates, or escape from home and get hit by traffic.
Spaying and Neutering Improves Pet Behavior
Although spaying or neutering does not change the basic personality of a pet, it can make them less aggressive and more easy-going. Dogs are more likely to pay attention to you, making them easier to train. Male kittens do not start the habit of spraying, or marking their territories with urine, if they are neutered before they are six months old.
Spaying and Neutering Reduces the Number of Homeless Pets
Baby animals are great, but they need homes. You cannot keep them all. Even if you find homes for the babies, you cannot guarantee that the new owners will keep the pet for its entire life. It may wind up in an animal shelter. It’s estimated that 1.5 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year in the United States. Records are not kept for other pet species.
Can Only Dogs and Cats Get Spayed or Neutered?
No. Other pets like ferrets, rabbits, and guinea pigs can also be safely spayed or neutered by your veterinarian or animal hospital.
Why Should Female Ferrets Be Spayed?
Female ferrets suffer from a unique condition called aplastic anemia. This causes problems in the bone marrow. If female ferrets do not mate when they go through their estrus cycle, they can die. If a female ferret is not part of a breeding program, then she needs to be spayed at a pet clinic to avoid aplastic anemia.
Still Have Questions?
If you have further questions about the benefits of spaying and neutering your pets and live in the North Brunswick, NJ, area, contact Faith Veterinary Clinic at (732) 658-6777 to make an appointment today.