There are lots of responsibilities that come with being a conscientious pet parent. One of those which may not be obvious but is still exceptionally important is getting your pet spayed/neutered. Spaying is normally the term used to describe the removal of the reproductive organs in females, while neutering can be used to describe the process in males or interchangeably between the sexes. Regardless of what you call this elective surgery, it should be a priority for pet owners as soon as their animal reaches the appropriate age.

Here are some of the top reasons why you need to schedule an appointment to spay/neuter your pet.

Females Who are Spayed Live Longer, Healthier Lives

All pet owners want their animals to remain with them for as long as possible. Spaying your female is one simple way of extending their life expectancy. Spaying helps to prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in around half of the female dogs and a whopping 90% of female cats. Spay your pet before their first heat cycle to ensure that they achieve the greatest level of protection.

Females Who are Spayed Won’t go Into Heat

Going into heat can be a messy and unpleasant business for animals and owners. Although exact cycles can vary, heat cycles can be fairly frequent – with some cats going into heat for 4/5 days every 3 weeks! When this happens, not only will they bleed but they will also display a range of undesirable behaviors including yowling, urinating more frequently and wherever they please, and trying to escape to find a mate. Spaying stops your female from going into heat.

Males Who are Neutered Will Live Longer Too

If you get your male pet neutered, they won’t be able to develop testicular cancer, another potentially fatal condition. Testicular tumors are considered one of the most common tumors in older male dogs, so neutering is recommended to keep your boy safe.

Neutered Males are Better Behaved

All pets have the ability to develop undesirable behaviors from time to time, but unneutered males can become a real nuisance. They may mark their territory by urinating all over the boundaries to your property and inside your house, hump anything and everything that they can get near to and make excessive amounts of noise. They can also roam away from home or try and escape so that they can look for a mate. Neutering can curb these behaviors and make your home a nicer place to be!

Spaying/Neutering is Cost-Effective

Many owners are put off of spaying/neutering because of the small cost involves in getting the procedure done. However, let us reassure that the cost of the surgery is much less than you will have to pay out if your pet becomes pregnant and has a litter of little ones to look after! This makes it a cost-effective treatment as well as something that is beneficial for the health of your pet.

You, Will, be Helping to Reduce Overpopulation

Millions of animals are living in shelters across the United States or running as strays as a result of the current overpopulation crisis. Whether they have been unwanted and abandoned by their owners or reluctantly given up because their human was no longer able to look after them, these animals all deserve loving homes. Unfortunately, every year a large percentage of those living like this die prematurely or are euthanized because there aren’t enough people prepared to take them on. By having your pet neutered, you are playing a small but vital role in reducing future overpopulation.

If you’d like to hear more reasons why you should spay/neuter your pet or to schedule an appointment for the procedure, please contact our animal clinic in Birmingham, AL today.