Why sterilise your pet?
Today, one of the biggest challenges facing animal lovers is ending animal neglect.
306,000 dogs and cats were collected by the Spanish animal protectoras in 2019 according to data from the Affinity Foundation. Although awareness about this problem has been growing in the last decade, in the last two years there has been a notable growth in the percentage of abandoned animals. 15% of these come from unwanted litters. By avoiding these births we will also avoid a lot of suffering, since their destination is not always a home, many of them end up on the street, sick, injured or killed.
Sterilisation has a major impact on reducing the number of homeless animals.
This is Carla who was left in a box next to the rubbish bins yesterday with her six very young kittens. Fortunately she was found and brought to APROP.
What does sterilising a dog or cat mean?
Spaying is the removal of the ovaries and uterus of a female dog or cat.
In the case of males, neutering is the removal of your dog or cat’s testicles.
It is a veterinary procedure that requires minimal hospitalization and offers benefits for the health of your pet for life.
Cats and dogs that are sterilised have a better chance of having a longer and healthier life.
Females: Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and helps prevent breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50% of female dogs and 90% of female cats. Sterilizing your pet before the first period guarantees better protection against these diseases.
Males: Male health also wins out because in addition to preventing unwanted litters, neutering a dog or cat prevents prostate cancer and reduces the appearance of prostatic hyperplasia.
Non-neutered males also have a tendency to fight, which increases their chance of catching diseases such as FIV and Leukaemia, which are incurable.
Sterilising also has behavioural benefits for your pet
You will avoid aggressiveness problems that are influenced by sex hormones.
Males in particular are less inclined to wander looking for females in heat.
Sterilised cats and dogs are less inclined to mark their territory by spraying urine all over the place, so your home will be a cleaner and more pleasant place to live.
How and when to castrate?
There is a view that females must have at least one pregnancy and one litter, or that it is better to do so after the first heat; however, there are no corroborating studies for this. Some veterinarians recommend doing it before the first heat, others afterwards. Sometimes this depends upon the breed of the animal and their specific health needs. So it is best to consult with your veterinarian about the right time to have this done for your animal.
What care will you need after sterilization?
Once you have sterilized your pet, you will only have to control its weight, because it changes its metabolism. This means providing a balanced diet and maintaining normal physical activity, and your vet will be able to give you guidance about this.
Spaying or neutering your dog or cat is the BEST DECISION you can make
Be aware and act responsibly. If you own pets, get them sterilised and don’t let them roam the streets. And if any of them do get pregnant before sterilization, don’t leave their puppies or kittens stranded on the street.
At Aprop we sterilize our animals before adoption (unless they are kittens or puppies that are too young, in which case adopters are asked to sign a contract confirming that they will be sterilised at the appropriate age).
Sterilisation is a solution and preventive measure that addresses the root cause of the issue and will bear fruit in the medium and long term. In this way we will achieve a better quality of life for both animals and society.
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