3 Health Benefits to Encourage You to Spay Your Pet

World Spay Day is an annual campaign to encourage people to save animal lives by spaying companion pets and feral cats. Spaying your pet provides many health benefits and helps reduce the pet overpopulation problem. Here are three reasons why it's essential to spay your female cat or dog.

#1: Spaying your pet greatly reduces their risk of developing mammary cancer

By spaying your pet before their first heat cycle, you can significantly reduce their mammary cancer risk. Cats spayed before six months of age have a seven-times reduced cancer risk. A dog's risk for developing a cancerous mammary tumor is 0.5% if spayed before their first heat, 8% after their first heat, and 26% after their second heat.

#2: Spaying your pet prevents unwanted behaviors during her heat cycle

If you've seen a female cat in heat, you likely understand why cat owners want to spay their pets before their first heat cycle. Excessive yowling and howling, aggressive or irritable behavior, and bloody vaginal discharge can occur during a pet's heat cycle.

#3: Spaying your pet keeps her safe from a potentially complicated pregnancy and delivery

Pregnancy and labor can be hard on a female pet. Puppies can grow too large to be safely delivered naturally, and even kittens can become stuck during birth, requiring an emergency Cesarean section.

Contact our team for advice if you want to schedule your pet's spay surgery.