Ten Great Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Adopted Pet

In This Chapter

• Benefiting from inexpensive spaying or neutering surgery for an adopted pet
• Maintaining health, good behavior by spaying or neutering your adopted pet
• Controlling the pet population through spaying or neutering

You know you should do it but for some reason you just haven’t spayed or neutered your new pet. Here are ten reasons why you shouldn’t delay.

You Can Do It on the Cheap

Animal shelters and rescue groups often offer coupons for discounted or free spay/neuter surgery from a shelter-associated vet.

Spaying/Neutering Makes Pets Healthier

Spay/neuter reduces the risks of many kinds of common cancers in pets.

Spaying/Neutering Keeps Pets Home

Dogs and cats on the make tend to escape in search of a mate. Spay/neuter surgery relieves them of the urge so they stay happily at home.

So What If Your Pet Is a Purebred?

Shelters are full of unwanted purebreds. Purebred status is no reason to contribute to the problem of pet overpopulation.

Spaying/Neutering Improves Behavior

Whether Chief keeps courting the innocent legs of your guests or Tiger insists on tomcatting, spaying or neutering your pet will make him calmer and more receptive to training and handling. The same idea applies to ferrets and rabbits, too.

If They Never Do It, They Never Miss It

If pets never experiences the joys of copulation, they won’t keep trying to replicate the experience.

Reproduction Is Risky

Pregnancy and birth are fraught with dangers for the mother and can be traumatic for the babies. Many don’t make it or require emergency vet care.

Your Pet Won’t Miss the “Family Jewels”

Your dog may lick himself in that special place, but he won’t care what exactly he is or isn’t licking.

Eight Million Pets and Counting

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that up to 8 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters every year. Half are euthanized. On behalf of all shelter workers, rescue workers, pet foster parents, and anyone else who ever witnessed firsthand the tragedy of pet overpopulation in its many forms, I implore you: Spay or neuter your beloved pet.

by Eve Adamson