Facts about Spaying and Neutering
Unless you intend to breed your pet, he or she should be surgically altered. The term spaying (ovario-hysterectomy) is the term used for females, neutering is used for male pets. There are a great number of benefits to spaying/neutering your pet. Not only will your pet enjoy better health and behavior (something from which your entire family will benefit), you will feel better knowing that you are helping in the fight against pet overpopulation. Literally millions of unwanted pets are euthenized every year in the United States because of a lack of responsible pet owners.

Dispelling the Myths
Spaying/neutering your pet will NOT make her/him lazy or calmer. It will, however, make your pet more trainable because she/he will be more in-tune to you rather than her/his hormones.There is no known behavioral benefit in allowing a female dog or cat to have one litter. In fact, with each estrus cycle the chances for cancer and other diseases are increased.

Other Facts
The ideal time to spay neuter your pet is 6 months of age. However, your pet is never too old for this surgery. Surgery is performed while your pet is under general anesthesia and all precautions are taken to make pets comfortable and as pain free as possible before, during, and after surgery. Most spayed/neutered pets will go home the same day.

Males
• Neutering your dog/cat will decrease his chances for prostate cancer and will eliminate the possibility of testicular disease.
• Neutering your pet will decrease his desire to roam, decreasing the possibility of accidental injury.
• Neutering your cat will reduce urine odor.
• Neutering will reduce spraying and marking.
• Neutering your pet will decrease inter-male aggression, fights, and dominance struggles between your dog/cat and your family members.

Females
• Spaying will prevent your dog/cat from going into heat cycles (estrus) and will help to prevent stains on your carpets and furniture.
• Spaying will decrease your dog/cat’s chance of developing breast cancer.
• Spaying will eliminate your pet’s chances of developing ovarian and uterine cancer and infection.
• Spaying will prevent unwanted pregnancies.
• Spaying will eliminate intact male dogs/cats prowling around where you live, trying to get to your female, marking territory, possibly destroying property or showing aggression.