The Importance of Spaying and Neutering Your Pet
Why spay or neuter your pet? Because spaying and neutering pets is one of the most important steps pet parents can take to protect their pet’s ongoing health and to help the local community with pet population control. Most pets can be safely spayed or neutered by the time they’re 6 months old, but you and your veterinarian can work together to determine the ideal time to spay or neuter your pet. In this blog, our team at Sunrise Boulevard Animal Hospital takes a closer look at the reasons why spaying and neutering pets is the healthiest and safest choice.
Spay and Neuter Health Benefits
Make no bones about it, spaying and neutering pets can help them live longer, healthier lives.
Spaying female pets prevents or reduces your pet’s risk of uterine infection (pyometra), uterine cancer, mammary cancer, and ovarian cancer. Plus, if you have an intact female cat that’s allowed to roam outside, she is more likely to fight over a mate, putting her at a higher risk of infectious diseases like feline leukemia and feline AIDS, which are spread through bite wounds.
Neutering male pets prevents testicular cancer and lowers their risk of developing prostate problems, which can be exacerbated by testosterone levels.
Behavioral Benefits of Spaying and Neutering Pets
Spaying and neutering pets can also tame their behavior and make them better household companions.
The behavioral benefits of spaying and neutering pets include:
- Less aggression
- Less roaming
- Less “marking”
- Less “humping” behavior
- Less crying
- Altered pets are typically more affectionate
- No mess to clean up when female pets are in heat
- Altered males are less likely to run away
Community Benefits of Spaying and Neutering
Shelters are often at maximum capacity, and spaying and neutering pets is one of the most effective methods of pet population control and gives deserving shelter animals a better chance of finding their forever homes.
Spay/Neuter Surgery Pays for Itself With a Lifetime of Better Health
We know budgets can be tight, but spaying and neutering pets is a highly cost-effective procedure that can spare pets from becoming seriously ill with certain cancers later on. Plus, since altered pets are less likely to run away, their chances of requiring emergency veterinary care if injured by a car or another animal are significantly reduced as well.
We understand that surgery can make some pet parents anxious. We’re here to answer your questions about spay and neuter importance and what your pet’s surgery will entail. Contact us today at (916) 726-2334 or ask us about spaying or neutering your pet at your next wellness visit.