Spay & Neuter Information

"Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered."

Bob Barker

Benefits of Spaying & Neutering Your Pets

When it comes to making the decision about spaying and neutering your pets there are some things that you want to think of. There are some health risks that come with neglecting to spay and neuter your pet. For females being spayed helps reduce the risk of infections and tumors that have the potential for being deadly. For your male pets having them neutered reduces their risk for testicular cancer and some prostate problems that could develop over time.

Combined with the health benefits, there are some behavior benefits that are caused by having this procedure completed. Your female pet friends will not go into heat, which saves the hassle of trying to make sure they are not around any male dogs that are not neutered, clean up after them during their cycle, and the possibility of them urinating in the house significantly decreases.

If you have male animals living in your home, once you have them neutered you will not have to worry about them leaving your home when trying to find a mate. Male pets are sneaky when it comes to finding ways to get out of a house. Another benefit of having your pet neutered is the behavior change. A male pet will be less likely to have to mark their territory.

When to Spay or Neuter?

Dogs can be spayed or neutered as young as eight weeks old as long as they are healthy. Cats are similar to dogs as it is best that they have the procedure as young as eight weeks old.

The traditional age for neutering is six to nine months old. Dogs can be neutered as adults though there are some risks for complications.

If you want to eliminate the risk for you female cat to get pregnant, you would want to get your cat spayed before she reaches five months of age.

Ready to Decide?

If you decide that you would like to have your pets spayed or neutered, there are some programs that will assist with the cost of getting this procedure taken care of (if applicable). These programs are sponsored by the Humane Society of Tuolumne County and are in place to ensure that everybody has the option available to them.

Spay & Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) is only available to feline owners. The goal of SNAP is to end pet overpopulation by reducing the number of homeless animals and to educate the public about the importance of spaying/neutering your pets.

The Low Income Spay & Neuter program is available to both felines and canines. This program offers the ability to get this procedure done for both dogs and cats as long as you qualify financially. This program ensures that everybody has the option available to them.

Please print the brochure, fill out, then mail or hand deliver to the Humane Society of Tuolumne County. If you need help filling out the document a staff member at the shelter will be more than happy to help you fill out the form.

These programs exist because feline and canine overpopulation is a problem. There are hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs that enter shelters every years, and when they are not adopted, they are euthanized. By having pets spayed and neutered this significantly lowers the amount of animals that end up homeless, in a shelter, or euthanized.

Resources

“Spay/Neuter Your Pet.” ASPCA, www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/spayneuter-your-pet.