| |
Spay/Neuter
|
While
you are viewing this page,
thousands of cats and dogsare
being euthanized across the United States
because no one wants them
and
there isn’t enough money or space to care for them.
Equally
horrifying, many more animals are leading lives of quiet desperation
as strays. |
|
Reproduction
Facts
Spaying refers
to the surgical removal of a female companion animal’s uterus
and ovaries. The human equivalent is an ovario-hysterectomy. Females
who have been spayed cannot have babies. They no longer secrete
the hormones that regulate their reproductive readiness. Heat
cycles bring hormonal changes that can lead to personality changes.
Neutering
refers to the surgical removal of a male companion animal’s
testicles. Castration is another term for the same thing. (The
word “neuter” is sometimes used as a gender-free term.
So are the words “fixed,” “sterilized,” and
“altered.”) Males who have been neutered cannot manufacture
sperm.
|
| In
reality, neutering a male is similar to spaying a female. The
gonads are in different locales and the surgical procedure is
different, but the end result is the same—no
more reproduction.
•
Female dogs go into heat every six months usually starting at
six months of age.
•
Starting at five or six months of age, female cats go into heat
usually twice monthly resulting in constant “mate attracting
vocalizations,” as well as territorial urine marking.
•
Dogs and cats are pregnant for 63 days.
•
Nursing dogs and cats CAN get pregnant.
•
Spay/neuter is a one-time expense that will result in a healthier
and happier companion animal.
|
|
|
The
Numbers Are Staggering
•
In 6 years, one female dog and its offspring can be the source
of 67,000 puppies.
•
In 7 years, one female cat and its young can produce 420,000
kittens.
•
70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day in the USA alone.
(Compared to only 10,000 human births, it’s clear that there
will never be enough homes for all these animals.)
•
Almost 8,000,000 dogs and cats are euthanized each year because
there are no homes for them.
Spay/Neuter
Now!
Our
Best Answer to Pet Overpopulation
It is truly a national tragedy that millions of animals are killed
each year simply because no one wants them. It costs government
agencies as much as $176 to capture, house, feed, and eventually
kill each homeless animal.
Spread
the word that when acquiring an animal, you assume sole responsibility
for her. Much like children, animals depend on us to keep them
happy, healthy, and safe. Be part of the solution instead of part
of the problem.
Please
have a heart. Spay/Neuter is the single most important thing you
can do to make a difference.
|
|
Spay/Neuter
Myths Debunked
MYTH— Animals
who have been sterilized get fat and lazy.
Sterilizing an animal does decrease his or
her metabolic rate. That is why this is the perfect time to switch
from a high-energy puppy/kitten food to a diet designed for adults.
After spaying or neutering an adult animal, feed a diet appropriate
to his or her life cycle. Over-feeding and lack of exercise are
the cause of obesity, not sterilizing!
MYTH—Males
don’t need to be neutered because they aren’t the ones
having the litters. Believe it or
not, this is the most prevalent spay/neuter myth. Immaculate conception,
however, does not explain canine and feline pregnancies! One un-neutered
male can impregnate hundreds of female animals in the time it
takes one litter of kittens or puppies to be born.
For some men,
anything to do with “between their legs” is sacred ground,
especially for their faithful hunting dog or tough tomcat. For
individuals who have a need for cosmetic reinforcement, there
are synthetic scrotal implants that can restore that “stud-ly”
look.
BTW, studies
show that the majority of dog bites are made by intact, untrained
male dogs.
|
|
MYTH—Females
need to have one litter before being spayed. There
is no medical support for this. Some people refuse to spay/neuter
because they think it would be “nice” for their
pet to have puppies or kittens.
Keep
in mind that every responsible home found means one less
home available to the many shelter animals hoping for adoption.
Each day animal shelters are forced to kill thousands of
dogs and cats for lack of responsible homes.
MYTH—Sterilization
is cruel. Spay and neuter surgical
procedures are done under general anesthesia.
MYTH—Preventing
animals from having litters is unnatural.
We’ve already interfered with nature by domesticating
dogs and cats several thousands of years ago. In doing so,
we created the tragedy of pet overpopulation. We now have
the responsibility to solve it. |
MYTH—Neutering
male cats causes urethral obstructions which can lead to death.
Exhaustive studies have indicated that urethral obstructions
are not affected by whether a cat has been neutered or not.
MYTH—Spay/neuter
is unnecessary for purebreds because they are in great demand.
One out of every four animals brought to animal shelters
is a purebreed.
MYTH—The
cost of surgery is too high.
Costs tend to be higher in cities and lower in rural areas.
If you believe that a spay or neuter surgery costs too much, how
do you plan to pay for quality pet food and routine medical care?
MYTH—Pets
lament their lost capability to reproduce.
Pets do not nurture their young for 18 years, watch them
go off to college or whatever, marry, and produce grandchildren.
Dogs and cats nurse their young for a few weeks, teach them to
behave like dogs and cats, and go on with their lives. (Males
know next to nothing of what we humans call fatherhood. They rarely
recognize puppies and kittens as their own.) |
Spay/Neuter
Advantages
•
Females
spayed before their first heat have a lower chance of developing
mammary tumors as they age. The possibility of uterine or ovarian
cancer is eliminated.
•
Neutered
males have a lower chance of developing prostate infections.
They won’t develop testicular cancers.
•
Females
will no longer go into heat, eliminating the probability of
getting blood stains on your couch, floor, bed, etc. when your
female has her heat cycle.
•
Both
sexes experience less of a need for territorial marking behavior.
|
| •
Both
sexes experience a decrease in the urge to roam.
- •
Both
sexes become more docile and easier to train.
•
The
personality of both males and females usually improves because
they don’t have to spend so much time and energy seeking
a mate. Neutering will make your pet more affectionate and devoted
to you.
•
Younger,
smaller pets cost less to alter as less anesthesia is necessary.
•
Neutering
lessens your dog’s temptation to fall in love with your guest’s
legs.
- •
Neutered
males tend to become less aggressive and experience a decrease
in the incidence of fighting.
•
City
pet licenses for altered animals are available at a significantly
reduced cost.
•
Having
fewer animals in animal shelters will increase their chances of
being adopted into appropriate homes and lifestyles.
|
|
| •
A
reduced pet population will bring greater respect to (and place
a higher value on) animals who currently are deemed “disposable.”
-
- •
You
will (we hope!) gain great satisfaction in knowing you have
been part of the solution to pet overpopulation, rather than
part of the problem.
|
|
You
May Qualify for Spay/Neuter Financial Assistance
|
|
Thanks
to a generous bequest from the estate of local animal lover
Florence Unash, the JCHS Unash Neuter Program helps pay
for the spaying and neutering of cats and dogs belonging
to residents of Johnson County who qualify financially.
•
The qualification process has been carefully designed to
respect and protect the privacy of the information applicants
are asked to provide.
•
Call the JCHS HelpLine at 338-3357 if you would like to
apply for funds. Or you may pick up a Unash application
at the Iowa
City Animal Care & Adoption Center, located at the
intersection of Kirkwood Ave. and S. Clinton St. in Iowa
City. Call 356-5295 for their hours. |
Concerned
About a Growing Feral Cat (or a Barn Cat) Colony?
Leave
a message for us on the JCHS HelpLine at 338-335
(or e-mail
us).
We’ll
discuss your concerns and strategize with you to
see how we can all pitch in and do something. |
|
Another
Regional Spay/Neuter Resource
Spay
Neuter Assistance for Pets (SNAP)
offers spay/neuter subsidies through participating veterinarians
to qualifying individuals who live in (or adjacent to)
Muscatine County, Iowa. Call 563-264-2370 for more information.
|
|
Low
Cost Spay/Neuter Caveat
If you
find a veterinarian whose spay/neuter fee seems too “good”
to be true, ask some questions before you make an appointment
for Fluffy. Following these procedures may take more time
and may cost more—but
they’re safer.
|
| •
Does
the clinic use a reversible gas anesthesia?
•
Are
the instruments sterilized after every use?
•
Does
the veterinarian scrub between surgeries?
•
Is
the animal put on a heart monitor?
•
Is
the incision closed with layers of sutures? |
|
|
|
