Even in our modern times, a lot of people still have reservations about spaying and/or neutering their pets. In this article we hope to provide you with correct information about what these surgeries are, the health benefits to your pet(s) and to dispel some of the "old wives tales" that are still out there.

A spay, or ovariohysterectomy is the surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus of a female cat or dog through an abdominal incision.

A neuter, or castration, is the surgical removal of the testicles of a male cat or dog. This normally is not an abdominal surgery but may become so if one or both of the testicles have not dropped into the scrotum. If that is the case, the surgery then is similar to a spay because an abdominal incision will be necessary to retrieve the retained testicle(s).

Both surgeries are performed under general anesthesia and may require an overnight stay in the veterinary hospital. This decision is at the discretion of the doctor that performs your pet’s surgery.

Pregnancy prevention – pregnancy and birthing may put your pet at risk for serious, life threatening complications such as infections and metabolic disturbances before, during and after birth

• Neutering greatly reduces the risk of prostate problems and peri-anal tumors – 100% of unneutered dogs will develop prostate enlargement which can cause problems urinating and defecating

• Eliminates the risk of testicular cancers – retained testicles are a higher cancer risk.

Sexually transmitted diseases exist in animals too and can be very serious and some can be transmitted to humans.

• Intact (unneutered) male dogs and cats are more likely to urinate (mark or spray) inappropriately and the urine odor is offensive.

• Intact female dogs will have up to three weeks of vaginal bleeding and discharge with every heat cycle, usually every 6 months

• Female cats in heat are extremely difficult to live with because of significant behavior changes, constant vocalization and attempts to escape. They can be in heat almost continuously since they do not ovulate until they are bred. This draws male cats from all around who will then urinate/mark your property and will fight each other and even attack/fight other neutered/spayed cats in the area.

• It will make my pet fat - Obesity occurs from consuming more calories than you burn. There are plenty of intact animals that are also overweight.

• It will change my pet’s personality – Other than becoming relatively less aggressive, more content to stay home and easier to train there is no change.

• It’s good for a female dog to have one litter – This is an "old wive’s tale". There is NO evidence to support this and plenty to support the benefits of spaying before the first heat.

• My pet is "pure bred" and his/her genetics should be carried on –Even though you love your pet and want to see more in the world with his or her wonderful traits, remember that millions of animals are destroyed each year - and 20-25 percent are pure bred. Careful selection of both sire and dam needs to be practiced in order to prevent the reproduction of undesirable traits such as hip dysplasia, poor personalities, seizures as well as multiple other inherited diseases/problems.

• My children should learn about the "Miracle of Birth" – There are better ways. There are countless videos and books designed for at-home learning. It would be irresponsible to contribute to a population problem that results in so much death in order to teach the facts of life. Teaching our children responsibility is one of the most important lessons of all.

• It stunts their growth – There is no statistical difference in size between intact cats and dogs and those spayed or neutered at as young as 8 weeks of age. In fact, there is research that indicates animals spayed or neutered early in life actually may grow to be slightly taller. This may be because at sexual maturity the sex hormones cause the growth plates in the long bones to close. Since early spaying/neutering eliminates most sex hormones those animals may grow to be a little taller.

• It’s not up to me to alter Mother Nature’s course – Pets are not wild animals. They were created by and depend on human beings to care for them as individuals and as a population. We have made them a huge and meaningful part of our families and society. We have a responsibility to care about all of them.

• I’ll make money from the sale of the puppies or kittens – Responsible breeding requires a huge investment of time and money. If done correctly it yields little to no profit. If complications occur you can be sure to lose money. For instance, Cesarean sections, stillborn puppies/kittens, loss of the mother due to complications, hand raising the offspring due to mom’s death or inability to nurse, heavy parasite burdens in offspring, lack of maternal antibodies and early death due to infections.