Many dog and cat owners have heard that spaying and neutering is an important step toward pet health and responsible pet ownership. They know that spaying and neutering means pets cannot mate and produce litters, but may not clearly understand the other benefits for pets. 

The Neighborhood Veterinary Centers team is committed to pet owner education as key to making informed decisions about their pet’s health and wellbeing. Here are our top five simple, yet powerful, reasons to spay or neuter your pet.

#1: You want only the best for your pet

You’re not biased—your pet is the best! So, they deserve your best, especially when you can enhance their quality of life. Spaying or neutering your pet isn’t about what’s being taken away (i.e., their reproductive abilities), but about the exceptional benefits provided, which include:

  • Increased longevity
  • Improved health (e.g., eliminating the risk for reproductive cancers and emergencies)
  • Fewer unwanted behaviors
  • Reduced lifetime veterinary costs

Spaying and neutering is often described as the best decision you could make for your pet, and at Neighborhood Veterinary Centers, we agree. 

#2: You want your pet to enjoy a long life

On average, spayed and neutered pets live longer than unaltered pets. Spayed female dogs lived 23% longer, neutered male dogs lived 18% longer, spayed female cats lived 39% longer, and male cats lived a remarkable 62% longer than their unaltered counterparts, according to a large-scale review of more than 2.2 million dog and cat medical records.

Compared with people, pets already live incredibly short lives. Spaying and neutering can increase your beloved pet’s time significantly.

#3: You want to help reduce pet overpopulation

Your pet is one of a kind, but millions of equally unique and wonderful dogs and cats wait in shelters, humane societies, and animal control facilities. Approximately 6.3 million homeless, stray, or abandoned pets enter shelters every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and of those pets, at least 920,000 are humanely euthanized. 

Spaying and neutering remain the best options for combating pet overpopulation and reducing the number of unwanted pets. You may think that one pet can’t make a difference, but consider this—every day, 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in the United States. Breeding projections by the North Shore Animal League show that spaying and neutering one pair of cats or dogs can prevent as many as 2,000 unwanted births in only four years. 

#4: You want to protect your female pet from reproductive conditions and emergencies

In addition to heat cycles (i.e., estrus), which influence a female pet’s behavior and attract unneutered male dogs or cats, unspayed female pets are at risk for serious reproductive problems, including:

  • Pyometra — Pyometra is a dangerous uterine infection that, left untreated, can enter the bloodstream and result in death. Spayed pets cannot experience pyometra, because the uterus is removed during the procedure.
  • Dystocia — Pregnant female dogs and cats can experience dystocia when a puppy or kitten becomes trapped in the birth canal. Without veterinary intervention, dystocia can be fatal for the dam or queen and the remaining neonates in utero.
  • Cancer — Unaltered female pets are at increased risk for uterine, mammary (i.e., breast), and other reproductive cancers that may metastasize to other body areas.  

#5: You want to reduce or prevent hormone-related pet behavior 

Hormone-influenced behaviors, such as urine-marking, territorial aggression, roaming, and humping, can be significantly decreased with early spay or neuter procedures (i.e., surgery performed before the pet reaches sexual maturity). However, altered pets can still exhibit—albeit less frequently—some of these behaviors, such as humping and urine-marking, because they have other purposes (e.g., emotional over-arousal, communication). Veterinarians and behaviorists recommend combining spaying and neutering with consistent training to effectively curb or prevent unwanted pet behaviors.

Talk to your veterinarian about spaying or neutering

Despite the impressive benefits, signing your pet up for surgery is always an important decision that deserves thoughtful consideration. The Neighborhood Veterinary Centers team wants to ensure you feel confident that you’re making the best choice for your pet. For additional information, or to schedule your pet’s spay or neuter consultation, contact a Neighborhood Veterinary Centers location near you.