February is Spay and Neuter Awareness Month. The purpose of this holiday is to encourage pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered before the spring and summer months begin. During the spring and summer, many animal shelters experience a significant increase in the cats and dogs they bring in. Spaying and neutering help decrease the number of orphaned pets and essentially save their lives. If you’ve just brought a new pet into your family, you’ll need to make a big decision about their reproductive health. Here is some information about the benefits of spaying and neutering your pets. 

Reduction in Pet Overpopulation
According to The Humane Society of The United States, between 6 and 8 million homeless and unwanted animals enter shelters every year. However, less than half of these animals get adopted into loving families while the others are euthanized. In fact, there are more than 2.7 million animals euthanized each year due to pet overpopulation. Most of these animals are healthy and happy and don’t get the opportunity to make great pets. 

Medical and Health Benefits
Spaying female cats and dogs greatly minimizes their risks of contracting uterine infections, breast tumors and even some cancers. Additionally, neutering your male pets helps prevent testicular cancer and prostate issues. Therefore, if you spay and neuter your pets, they’ll live longer and healthier lives. 

Cost-Effectiveness 
Spaying and neutering your pet costs significantly less than caring for and eventually vaccinating an entire litter of kittens or puppies. Additionally, some pet agencies offer wellness plans including a spay and neuter fee as a covered cost in their insurance packages. 

Improvement in Behavior Problems
Some behavior problems improved by spaying and neutering pets include:

  • Dog aggression- including fighting with other dogs or acting aggressively towards humans
  • Constant barking, mounting and other actions displaying dominance
  • Urine marking in male dogs to mark territory
  • Dogs roaming and cats going into heat

Spaying and neutering your pet is a sign of a responsible pet owner. Contact us at Regal Animal Hospital to beat the Florida summer heat and make an appointment to spay or neuter your pet.