Spay Neuter pet month 2

February is the month of romance for humans– but it is also the month of Spay and Neuter Awareness (aka Beath the Heat) for animals. Each year, millions of cats and dogs end up in shelters across the United States, so this month serves as a great reminder that spaying and neutering are in the best interest of our pets.

Caring for pets can be expensive, especially when it comes to their health. But consider this – having your dog or cat spayed or neutered can reduce the risk of serious, and costly, health problems later in life. A big part of responsible pet ownership is preventing health issues before they occur. Spaying females can avert uterine infections and breast tumors, which are malignant in 50% of dogs and 90% of cats. Neutering males decreases the chance of testicular cancer and prostate problems.

Spaying and neutering also curbs problematic behaviors. Nonneutered animals are more likely to mark their territory with pungent urine. When in heat, many pets escape their homes to look for mates, which may lead to vehicular accidents, exposure to pathogens, and fights with other animals. If you’re apprehensive about the cost of the surgery, know that it will be much less than what you would spend on taking care of a litter or treating one of the diseases listed above.

We all want our pets to live long and healthy lives and having an animal spayed or neutered actually increases their longevity. According to published reports, neutered male dogs live 18 percent longer than unneutered males, and spayed females live 23 percent longer than spayed females.

Broader benefits of spaying or neutering your pet includes minimizing the burden on animal shelters. Shelters are overly burdened with sheltering, feeding, and caring for homeless dogs and cats. Spaying and neutering your pet means that they will not be contributing to the overpopulation problems facing these facilities.

By altering your pet, you indirectly save lives by helping animals in shelter find homes. Reducing the number of unplanned puppies and kittens helps to increase the chances that pets living in animal shelters are adopted into forever homes.

Like Bob Barker used to always say, “and remember folks, always spay and neuter your pets!”

If you have any questions about spaying or neutering your pet, ask your vet!

Please send all your veterinary questions to: or mail them