BY: Savanna Pruitt
Did you know that, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized each year? A large portion of those cats and dogs are euthanized because shelters simply don’t have room for the influx of homeless animals they’re receiving. Spaying and neutering your pet can help eliminate this problem, and it will also benefit your pet and their overall well-being in a number of ways.
Health
The ASPCA reports that female cats and dogs who are spayed at the proper age live longer and healthier lives overall than pets who aren’t spayed. Why is this? Spaying has been shown to help prevent both uterine infections and breast tumors— two conditions that can be deadly for pets. Neutering male dogs also decreases their chance of developing testicular cancer and other reproductive system-related issues.
A University of Georgia study actually found “the average lifespan of spayed and neutered cats and dogs is demonstrably longer than the lifespan of those not” (Humane Society). The study showed that the life expectancy of neutered male dogs was 13.8% longer and the life expectancy of spayed female dogs was 26.3% longer.
If for no other reason, pet owners should seriously consider spaying and neutering their pets for the sake of the pets’ overall health and quality of life.
Behavior
Lots of the behavioral problems seen in pets can be solved by simply spaying or neutering them. The ASPCA explains that spayed female pets won’t go into heat, which eliminates a lot of the urine-marking and bad behavior that accompanies a cat or dog’s cycle. Neutering male pets also cuts back on or eliminates breeding-related behaviors like roaming, urine-marking, and mounting.
Overpopulation
As mentioned before, thousands and thousands of cats and dogs are euthanized each year due to overpopulation, which is largely due to pets not being spayed or neutered and having litter after litter of puppies and kittens.
Humane Society International (HSI) reports, “Sterilization is critical for management of free-roaming dogs and cats and related disease control concerns.” They also claim that sterilization, or spaying and neutering, is one of the most humane and effective ways to reduce the number of homeless pets that end up in animal shelters. Interestingly, HSI also reports that shelter euthanasia rates increase greatly in areas that don’t have affordable and accessible spay and neuter programs.
Spay and Neuter Your Pets.
It’s the responsible thing to do, and it’s really better for your pets in the end. You’ll also be doing your part in lowering shelter euthanasia rates, and that’s something you can be proud of.