It's Spay/Neuter Awareness Month!
Each year in the United States, 6.5 million companion animals are turned into animal shelters, and every year, about 1.5 million stray animals are euthanized. Spay & Neuter Awareness Month was created to help prevent the overcrowding of animal shelters and needless deaths by spreading awareness about the importance of sterilizing our pets.
Our veterinarians at Signature Veterinary Services encourage our pet parents to spay or neuter their pets not only to prevent the birth of unwanted litters and overcrowded animal shelters, but also to provide their pets with a whole host of health benefits.
4 Benefits of Spaying or Neutering Your Pet
1. Prevent Unwanted Behaviors
Territory marking, unwanted aggression, and howling/yowling are all behaviors associated with your pet’s natural instinct to reproduce. Having a pet spayed or neutered will drastically reduce these instincts, creating a better-behaved pet.
2. Prevent Roaming
Pets that are left intact also have a tendency to roam. They’ll work hard to break out of their fences or sneak out of the house in search of a mate. Spaying or neutering your pet will eliminate their desire to wander and subsequently become lost or injured.
3. Reduce the Risk of Contagious Disease
Pets that are spayed or neutered come into contact with fewer animals throughout their lives. As a result, they’re exposed to fewer contagious diseases and are much more likely to remain healthy.
4. Eliminate the Risk of Reproductive Cancers
Spaying removes a female pet’s ovaries and uterus, and neutering removes a male pet’s testicles. As a result, cancers associated with these organs are eliminated entirely and the risk of developing other cancers, like breast cancer, are significantly reduced.
Is Spay/Neuter Surgery Safe?
The benefits of having a pet spayed or neutered far outweigh the risks. Spay and neuter surgeries require anesthesia. Our veterinarians will perform a physical examination and, depending on your pet’s age, history, and exam findings, will recommend appropriate diagnostics prior to the procedure. These tests ensure your pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.
Although there is always some amount of risk during surgeries, spaying and neutering are both common, routine procedures that our veterinarians are highly skilled and experienced at performing.
Schedule an Appointment for Your Pet Today
To schedule an appointment for your cat or dog or to learn more about sterilizing your puppy, kitten, or intact adult pet, we welcome you to contact Signature Veterinary Services. Our mobile veterinary clinic is fully equipped with a surgical suite to provide all the care your pet needs and to protect our local animal shelters from overcrowding.
