Veterinary Blog

Why Should You Spay or Neuter Your Pet?

cat-with-recovery-cone-after-surgery

Spaying or neutering your dog or cat provides benefits for both you and your pet. At Vedder Mountain Veterinary Clinic, we recommend that pets who are not intended for breeding be spayed or neutered.

During March, we’re offering 10% off spay/neuter procedures. Call us to reserve an appointment today!

We typically recommend that cats and most dogs be spayed or neutered around 6 months of age.

The Benefits of Spaying/Neutering

By spaying or neutering your pet, not only will you be helping the Chilliwack and surrounding community by not contributing to the pet overpopulation issue in our area, but you’ll also be:

  1. Preventing or Reducing the Risk of Certain Diseases
  • Removing a cat or dog’s reproductive organs makes a pet far less likely to develop diseases such as breast (mammary gland), prostate, or uterine cancer and eliminates the risk of ovarian or testicular cancer.
  • Female dogs and cats who are not spayed can get pyometra, a serious bacterial infection of the uterus. A pet who is spayed early in life has a far lower risk of developing this potentially deadly condition.

Spaying or neutering will give your pet a healthier life—and may even help your pet live longer.

  1. Reducing Undesirable Behaviors
  • Spaying and neutering tend to reduce or eliminate certain behaviors such as humping/mounting, fighting, defending territory, and spraying urine.
  • The procedure may also help prevent aggression in some pets.
  • In addition, pets who have been spayed or neutered are less likely to roam or try to escape to find mates.
  1. Reducing Other Behavioral and Health Risks
  • Spayed female pets won’t go into heat. Not only does this mean that female dogs won’t have discharge (similar to menstruation in women), but female dogs and cats won’t suffer from hormonal fluctuations that can cause medical and behavioral issues.
  • Spayed pets also can’t get pregnant or give birth, so they avoid any associated health complications, some of which can be life-threatening.
  1. Saving Money
  • Besides reducing undesirable behaviors, spaying your pet means you won’t have to pay for expenses related to your pet’s pregnancy, birth, or litter.
  • Because spaying or neutering prevents or reduces the risk of certain diseases, you won’t have to worry about paying for veterinary care related to those conditions down the road.

Did You Know?

  • Contrary to popular belief, spaying/neutering doesn’t make pets fat. A pet’s metabolism may slow a bit after the procedure, but you can counter this by continuing to watch your pet’s food intake, cutting calories if needed, and making sure your pet gets enough exercise.
  • Spaying or neutering won’t change a pet’s natural instincts, intelligence, playfulness, or personality (and neutering doesn’t make male dogs less masculine).

Schedule Your Pet’s Spay/Neuter Procedure Now

Make an appointment today to take advantage of our 10% off spay/neuter procedures in March. You’ll help reduce the number of unwanted animals in our area while giving your pet a healthier life—and possibly even a longer amount of time to spend with you!

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