Early Age Spay/Neuter:

The Best Option for Your Pet!

"Early Age Neutering" - any elective surgical sterilization on a dog or cat at less than the conventional age of six months or more.

Early Age has become vital to shelters, both public and private, rescue groups and foster care givers who embrace the neuter before adoption policy in their efforts to help curb pet overpopulation.  Since youngsters are far easier to place, early age neutering affords these agencies an advantage in their adoption efforts.

In six telephone surveys, all of which are quite close in results.  About 85% of cats and 70% of dogs in pet owning households were reported as neutered (which sounds pretty good); however, in response to the question of whether female dogs and cats had litters before the spay, 20% of the owners said "Yes, one or more!"

The surgery for dogs can be done with the rabies vaccination at four months.  This works out nicely as one trip to your vet's office includes the last vaccination, neuter, certificate of sterility and certificate of rabies.  The neutered dog is then ready to license, which in most areas is at a reduced fee.  Everyone wins!  The surgery for cats will most likely be at three months.

Pet owners have a busy home life, which equals procrastination and forgetfulness and before they know it, estrous has struck.  Most pet owners are not prepared to understand the single mindedness of purpose and the degree to which their pet will go to effect a union.  This quite often results in one of those 20% "oops" litters.  House arrest is not an effective method of pet birth control.

The AVMA supports the concept of early (prepubertal, 8 to 16 weeks of age) gonadectomy in dogs and cats, in an effort to reduce the number of unwanted animals of these species.

We seemingly have the perception that something so small and cuddly must also be delicate and therefore tolerate a minimal latitude for error.  Quite the opposite, these furry little creatures are marvelously resilient and quickly recover from this relatively short procedure.

Excerpted from an article by:

W. Marvin Mackie, DVM, Owner/Director

Animal Birth Control Clinics

email: spaydvm@aol.com