Individual Health Benefits Ah, one of my favorite topics — there are just so many to discuss! The most impressive is the prevention of mammary (breast) cancer in female dogs. Recent studies have shown that female dogs that are not spayed, or that are spayed after their second heat cycle have about a 27% (greater than 1 in 4!) chance of developing malignant mammary tumors during their life. When dogs are spayed before their second heat cycle, this chance drops to about 8%, and when they are spayed before their first heat cycle, the risk drops (drum roll, please) to nearly 0%! So those “old school” claims that it is good for dogs to have one litter or even one heat cycle before being spayed have been completely scientifically debunked. Following that outdated recommendation can actually be very harmful. Furthermore, sterilizing With so many benefits, female dogs how can you not spay and cats prevents them and neuter your pets? from developing ovarian and uterine cancers and also prevents a potentially fatal uterine infection called pyometra. When intact female animals develop a pyometra, they must undergo a very expensive hospitalization and emergency surgery (often costing upwards of $1,500) and can have a poor prognosis for recovery. So, spaying pets early in life not only is best for their health, but it will save your family money in the long-run. Neutering male dogs and cats eliminates the risk of them developing testicular cancers. Additionally, removing the testicles, and thus the source of testosterone, reduces the risk of developing certain types of prostate problems later in life. For males and females of both species, spaying and neutering eliminates the drive to find matesj20 and therefore decreases roaming behavior, escapes from homes and yards, and to some extent, aggressive behaviors. When dogs and cats escape and roam less, they are less likely to be hit by cars and picked up as strays and put into animal shelters.
Population Health Benefits Every year in the United States, 6-7 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters. Tragically, over 3 million of them (about 50% of dogs and around 70% of cats) have to be euthanized simply because there are not enough adoptive homes for all of them. Plain and simple — homelessness due to overpopulation, is the single biggest cause of death of dogs and cats in the US, more than any sort of trauma, infectious disease, cancer, metabolic disease, or any other health problem. Large-scale spaying and neutering means that far fewer animals are reproducing, which means fewer animals entering shelters, more families adopting homeless animals instead of buying from breeders, and ultimately, lower euthanasia rates of homeless animals. This makes for a smaller and healthier companion animal population. Since animal health and human public health are intertwined in many ways, this also has implications on the health of the human population. J ULY /AUGUST 2010 • MetroPetMag.com
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