Why Spaying and Neutering Saves Lives
Angel was found on the side of the road and brought to HES by a Good Samaritan. She was in active labor. This poor kitty, only 6 months old, was just a baby herself - a sad but common occurrence for unfixed animals, especially during the peak of breeding season in the spring and summer months.
Angel was immediately seen by our vet team, where she delivered just one single kitten. Sadly, he was born premature, weighing only half of what he should, and passed on his own just hours later.
HES Animal Control was dispatched to a property that contained 29 puppies, 4 momma dogs, and one adult male dog. With pups hiding under trailers and in the woods, HES officers rounded up the huge canine family, careful to find every last wet nose and wagging tail tucked away on the scene. The home owners stated the females showed up on their property months ago and all gave birth around the same time, with their personal unaltered dog likely being the father - creating such a large-scale situation. All animals were removed and taken to the shelter, where they were all eventually spayed/neutered and adopted, after weeks of caring for them by shelter staff and volunteers.
A good Samaritan brought 8 cats to the shelter: a mom named “Penne” and dad, and their 3-month-old kittens. Penne was already pregnant, again. The HES medical team checked on her later to find that she had begun given birth, and sadly only two of her kittens made it. Mom rejected the litter, so staff began warming the babies immediately, and attempting syringe feeding.
An ultrasound showed two more kittens still inside her, and that she was in dystocia, or obstructed labor. The kitten that was stuck did not have a heartbeat, and mom was unable to continue labor on her own. To save her and the remaining kitten’s lives, our medical team performed an emergency c-section. Our team WAS able to deliver the kitten safely, but all three newborns ended up passing away just days later.
ALL of these real-life cases that happened at HES could have been avoided and the suffering of innocents prevented if the animals had been spayed or neutered.
There is a pet overpopulation crisis happening in our country - and right in our backyards. Animals are reproducing faster than can be kept up with, and there are not enough homes adopt to support this trend. These animals end up in shelters, quickly overwhelming animal shelter facitlities, and leading to so many unnecessary deaths. We as a society cannot adopt our way out of this catastrophe.
The solution: spay and neuter. It saves lives! Here's how:
Spaying/Neutering Keeps Animals Out of Shelters
Roughly 5.8 - 6.5 million dogs and cats enter animals shelters in the U.S. every year, and 400,00 - 600,000 are euthanized annually. Spaying and neutering to prevent more litters of animals being born can keep millions of pets out of already over-crowded shelters! The less animals there are, the smaller shelter populations will be, the less animals will die in shelters every year. (ASPCA)
BUT IF WE HAVE LESS LITTERS, WON'T WE RUN OUT OF DOGS/CATS? No! Even if everyone stepped up their spay/neuter rates among dogs and cats, there will never be a shortage of them! Right now, we have too many, and THAT is the more pressing issue. Reducing population through spay/neuter can then let us focus on preserving proper and humane breeding for future generations.
Spaying/Neutering Protects Against Health Conditions
You can exlcude the risks of certain cancers such as uterine, testicular and mammary cancer, as well as contracting contagious diseases like FeLv or FIV, if your animals are fixed. You can also reduce the risk of injuries from fighting or roaming to find a mate!
Pyometra (a fatal infection of the uterus) and mammary tumors increase in likelyhood exponentially with every litter an animal has.
Many dogs and most cats can start reproducing as early as 4 months of age, but that doesn't always mean the pregnancies are safe or viable. Babies having babies does not often end well for either mom nor the litter.
Spaying/Neutering Curbs Unpleasant Behaviors
People don't want to keep animals with behavior issues. Spaying and neutering your pet at an appropriate age can reduce or even eliminate unwanted behaiors like mounting, roaming/escaping, marking, over-excitability, and even more serious aggressive behaviors as well.
It all starts with YOU. Each and every one of you. The responsibility of fixing this overpopulation crisis begins with education, and ALL of us taking the initiative to get our pets and strays fixed.
If you are not in a finacial situation to afford spaying or neutering through your vet, we encourage folks to look into local low-cost spay/neuter clinics in their area.
For those local to Chattanooga and surrounding areas, Humane Educational Society offers low-cost spay/neuter options. Please visit heschatt.org/spayandneuter for more info.
