Why is Spaying Important? | Happy World Spay Day

The Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering

The health benefits of spaying and neutering alone should be enough to encourage most people to take action. 

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, neutered male pets are less likely to get testicular cancer and are more likely to avoid prostate problems. Spayed female pets benefit even more, especially when spayed before their first heat. Spayed pets have less risk of developing uterine infections and breast tumors, which are cancerous around 90 percent of the time in cats and 50 percent of the time in dogs.

A common misconception about spaying and neutering is that your pet will gain weight as a result of the procedure. However, this is simply not true. Continue providing your pet with plenty of stimulation and exercise by keeping things fresh and exciting with new toys and activities. We recommend our fantastic dog treadmills, fetch toys, and chew toys to keep your pet entertained and active!

Spaying and Neutering Help Behavior Too!

If you have a male dog, they are less likely to wander and try to escape from your home. Neutered males are less likely to spray pungent urine in your house to mark their territory. Neutering your male dog or cat may also reduce the chance of them mounting objects or people.

Per the American Veterinary Association, spayed female cats won’t go into heat, which reduces their need to entice male companions through yowls and increased urination around the house.

Spaying or neutering your dog or cat does not mean they won’t have any of these behavioral problems. Still, the odds are significantly lower, especially if done early on before they develop some of these habits.

The Expense of Spaying and Neutering

While there is an upfront cost for having your pet spayed or neutered, the money saved from pregnancy costs and caring for a litter is substantial. Not only are there many health and behavioral benefits, but you’ll prevent unwanted litters from coming into the world. Unfortunately, there are not enough good homes for many of the animals in shelters, so doing our part by preventing our pets from contributing to the problem is the least we can do as animal lovers!

Additionally, having your cat or dog spayed or neutered can reduce the need for your carpets or furniture to be replaced. Excessive urination during heat or as a territory marker can ruin furniture and carpet.

Even if your pet is spayed or neutered, we recommend having on hand a great Cat Urine & Odor Destroyer or Pet Urine & Odor Destroyer.  Accidents do happen, and the cost of professional cleaning or replacing parts of your home can quickly add up!

Help the animal population receive the quality care they deserve by spaying and neutering your pets to help with the massive homeless animal population and to provide your pets with the many health and behavioral benefits shown to come from spaying and neutering!

For more information on how you can help homeless animals, read our previous piece on International Homeless Animals’ Day here.