![]() Performing neuter surgery prior to puberty in dogs can help to prevent unwanted behaviors, such as mounting pets or people. It’s not uncommon for them to escape their yards and cross many streets in an attempt to find a mate, and sometimes with disastrous consequences. Male dogs can detect a female in heat from several blocks away, and their hormonal drive to reproduce means they will go to great lengths to do so. The simple solution to stopping these hormonally-driven medical conditions is to reduce hormone levels through spay and neuter surgery.ĭogs have a remarkably keen sense of smell. Enlarged prostate glands can occur, which could cause difficulty passing urine. In male cats and dogs, elevated testosterone levels can result in testicular and prostate cancers, the latter being less common. Pyometra surgery is more complicated, and there is an increased risks of death during and after surgery. ![]() ![]() The treatment for pyometra is an emergency spay surgery and antibiotic medications. If left untreated, this condition can rapidly become life-threatening. Pyometra – an infected uterus – often occurs once a dog or cat has gone into heat. For every heat cycle they go through, their risk of developing one of these cancers later on in life increases. We encourage pet owners to spay their female dogs and cats prior to their first heat cycle (before 6 months). The elevated estrogen levels produced by unaltered female cats and dogs contribute to not only uterine infections and cancers, but also greatly increase the risk of developing mammary cancer, which is often very aggressive and can spread quickly. A female cat could potentially have up to four litters in a season, which is why controlling the homeless cat population tends to be even more difficult than with dogs. Female cats have a seasonal heat cycle, which is most of the year, and can go into heat roughly once a month during that time. This combination of circumstances can result in animals being euthanized.Ī female dog goes into heat roughly two times a year, which means they could potentially have two unwanted litters in a year. Seattle Humane runs a high-quality and high-value spay and neuter program, but not all shelters have the capacity or resources to provide this service, let alone to care for so many unwanted animals. This scenario plays out in animal shelters in the United States and around the world. We see unwanted litters come through Seattle Humane regularly, and particularly during kitten season. There is the added expense of caring for a litter of puppies or kittens, not to mention the potential complications that can arise during the pregnancy and while giving birth your mother-to-be could require an emergency C-section. ![]() Let’s start with the very simple fact that unaltered cats and dogs can get pregnant and, in many cases, this is an unexpected and undesired surprise for pet owners. While there are varying opinions regarding the age when spay and neuter surgeries should be performed, the majority of veterinary experts agree it will result in better behaved and healthier pets. Every shelter pet that comes through Seattle Humane is spayed or neutered before going home with their new families, but maybe you have an unaltered pet at home and are on the fence. World Spay/Neuter Awareness Month is a perfect opportunity every year in February for veterinary professionals to raise awareness and promote these lifesaving procedures. There are many reasons to spay or neuter your pets, beyond the obvious desire to avoid unwanted pregnancies and address the pet homelessness crisis. Caitlin Malarkey performs a spay surgery inside the Schuler Family Medical Center Seattle Humane Senior Staff Veterinarian Dr.
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