World Spay Day will be observed this coming week, always on the last Tuesday of February. Its purpose is to focus attention on spaying and neutering as a way to save the lives of pet dogs and cats, stray or feral cats and what are commonly called “street dogs” which, like cats, may be stray or feral.
Fifty years ago, only about ten percent of household pets were spayed or neutered. The good news is that now eighty percent of owned pets in American homes are surgically altered. The bad news? More than one million dogs and cats are euthanized in animal shelters, just in the U.S., every year. In the brief time it takes to listen to this radio spot, four animals will lose their lives because there are just too many of them and not enough homes. Each one has the potential to be a great pet, but they will never get the chance.
Spaying (for female animals) and neutering (for males) are surgical procedures performed by a veterinarian. There is also a non-surgical alternative for male dogs called zinc neutering where a drug called Zeuterin is injected by a veterinarian trained in the procedure. The cost is usually less than the surgery, so it might be more affordable. It still requires sedation because the letter ‘Z’ is tattooed in the animal’s groin area to show it has been neutered. And it does not provide the behavioral improvements that often result from surgical neutering.
While World Spay Day has a long history, its message is current and vital. Each owner must make sure their dog or cat is not adding to the problem of pet overpopulation. If you have already taken care of that, perhaps you might be willing to celebrate World Spay Day by supporting efforts in your community to fix stray and feral cats and street dogs. Spaying just one female could prevent hundreds of puppies or kittens from being born into a world where more than a hundred animals must be euthanized every hour. You can make a life-saving difference when you’re speaking of pets.
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