Important Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

Spaying and neutering is commonly thought of as the best way to prevent your pet from breeding in an uncontrolled manner, thereby avoiding an unplanned litter of puppies or kittens. While it certainly does do that, it also offers many other advantages! Learn more here from a Pickerington, OH veterinary professional.

Medical Benefits

Did you know that spaying and neutering offers many medical benefits for your pet? First, the risk of genital cancers in both male and female pets is virtually eliminated. Other cancer types—prostate and breast cancer, namely—are also far less likely to be diagnosed. Even common health ailments, such as urinary tract infections, aren’t as likely to be diagnosed in pets who have had the spay or neuter procedure performed. Rather than spending the money and time required to manage or treat these issues later in life, why not avoid them initially? Have your pet spayed or neutered early on.

Improved Behavior

Pets who have been spayed or neutered behave far, far better than those who haven’t. Intact pets are likely to act out with aggression toward owners or other pets in the house, excessive vocalization, scratching, chewing, digging in an attempt to escape, urine spraying, house soiling, and more. When a pet has been spayed or neutered, these behaviors drop dramatically. It’s not to say that all spayed or neutered pets are perfect angels, but their adverse tendencies will certainly be less dramatic. Ask your vet for more information on the way the spaying or neutering procedure will affect your pet’s behavior.

The Greater Good

Of course, there is a broad benefit to having your pet spayed or neutered. As mentioned above, the procedure avoids the risk of leaving you with an unexpected litter of babies. In a greater sense, this cuts down on the overall homeless pet population around the world, contributing to the greater good. Each and every year, millions of pets across the globe must be euthanized or go homeless simply because there aren’t enough families to take them in. By allowing your pet to breed in an unrestricted way, you’re only contributing to the problem! Do you have questions about the spaying or neutering procedure, or about your pet’s recovery process after the surgery? Are you ready to schedule an appointment for your pet to take care of this essential healthcare step? Call your Pickerington, OH animal hospital today for help.