When it comes to rescuing pets, spaying and neutering is one of the most important steps that can be taken to ensure their health and well-being. Spaying and neutering not only helps to reduce pet overpopulation, but also has numerous health benefits for your pet.
The first benefit of spaying or neutering a pet is that it helps to reduce companion animal overpopulation. Every year, millions of animals are euthanized in shelters due to lack of space or resources. By spaying or neutering your pet, you can help prevent this tragedy from occurring. Additionally, sterilizing your pet will increase his/her chance of a longer and healthier life.
Spaying female pets also helps to prevent uterine infections and decreases the incidence of breast tumors, which are malignant or cancerous in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. In male pets, neutering prevents testicular cancer and reduces the risk for prostate disease. Furthermore, spayed or neutered pets are less likely to roam away from home in search of a mate, reducing the risk for injury or death due to traffic accidents or fights with other animals.
In addition to physical health benefits, spaying or neutering can also help address certain unwanted behaviors such as aggression towards other animals or humans, excessive barking, marking territory with urine, mounting furniture or people’s legs, etc. Neutered male cats are less likely to spray urine around the house as well.
Finally, spaying or neutering your pet can save you money in the long run since sterilized animals tend to live longer lives than non-sterilized ones due to reduced risk for certain illnesses associated with reproductive organs such as mammary tumors in females and testicular cancer in males. Additionally, there may be financial incentives available through local shelters when you adopt a pet that has already been spayed/neutered prior to adoption.
Overall, there are many benefits associated with spaying/neutering your pet from a shelter or rescue organization including reducing companion animal overpopulation; increasing their chance for a longer and healthier life; preventing certain illnesses; addressing unwanted behaviors; and saving money in the long run. If you’re considering adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue organization make sure they have been spayed/neutered before bringing them home!
