Pets and Responsibility
Pets provide companionship and make a home quite lovely, however; they come with a lot of responsibility that each owner has to consider. An individual has to ensure their pet is fed well, physically healthy, and has regular exercises. Emotional stability, safety from other people, pets, and cars are some of the other responsibilities a pet owner should consider. Spaying and neutering is an equally imperative factor that pet owners should consider. Spaying refers to the act of surgically removing the reproductive system of a female pet, also known as the ovariohysterectomy while neutering is the removal of testicles from the male pets. For the procedure to be complete, the pets are put under anesthesia and the practitioners use the sterile method. Spaying and neutering ensure that pets lead a healthy and longer life.
Population Control and Behavior Problems
According to Chesterfield Animal Hospital, this practice does not only increase the lifespan of pets but also helps in control of population as well as behavior problems. Chesterfield Animal Hospital posits that a report by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) concluded that each hour in the United States approximately 12,000 puppies are born. This number of pets accumulates, leading to over-population which, in turn, breeds other problems. Spaying or neutering helps in reducing the number of litters born, the number of stray animals in the streets, and the euthanasia procedures conducted in a bid to reduce the population. Pet owners need a lot of education on the importance of spaying and neutering as the practice has a lot of benefits for the pets and the owners. The regulatory bodies, especially the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), should ensure that each pet owner is advised on the importance of spaying and neutering when getting a pet.
Debate and Negative Opinions
The topic has attracted a lot of debate and negative opinions from individuals and critics who think that spaying and neutering do not have any benefits for the pets. The Author of the article believes that spaying or neutering pets is a brutal way of interfering with the natural cause of procreation (Afternoon Cocktails). The author also states that spaying or neutering is an ill way of ensuring that there is control in the market price of pets. If pet owners will have the freedom of ensuring their pets give birth to the maximum number of young ones they can, no one will benefit from selling the pets. In addition, the author posits that veterinaries are in the schemes as they pocket loads of money after very spaying or neutering surgery they conduct. Evidently, the claims laid out in the article are quite insignificant. A report released by the State of Pet Health in 2013 completely overshadows the claims outlined in the article by confirming that spaying or neutering has a significant effect on the lifespan of pets.
Health Benefits and Behavior Control
The report by Banfield Pet Hospital revolved around data analysis collected in 2012, among 460,000 cats, and close to 2 million dogs. The report centered on chronic and common diseases, overall pet health, and the lifespan of all the pets. According to the report, the procedure increased the lifespan of a dog by 4 percent while that of the cat increased by 10 percent. The report confirms that pet owners that conducted the medical procedure on their pets always experienced improved behavior, health, and happier pets.
Reduction in Homeless Animals and Behavior Issues
The Humane Society of the United States states that homeless animals are on the rise in every state and communities. In the United States alone around 6 to 8 million animals are processed in the shelters each year. However, only half of the animals manage to get secure homes while the rest get euthanized with the aim of controlling the population. Thus spaying and neutering pets reduce the number of pets that get to shelters and the ones that unfortunately get euthanized. The Humane Society of the United States also adds that spayed and neutered pets have a longer lifespan since they are not caught up in street fights with other animals, car accidents, and roaming. Spaying also reduces the chances of getting pyometra, cancer of the reproductive system, and uterine cancer. ASPCA also asserts that female pets that undergo spaying and neutering are at a low risk of contracting malignant and cancerous breast tumors and uterine infections. Spaying the female dog before they get to their first heat episode helps in ensuring protection from these diseases. In the male pets, the risks of contracting prostate and testicular cancer are minimal (The Humane Society of the United States).
Cost-Effectiveness and Regulations
The practice offers an effective method of behavior control in pets. Urine marking is a common phenomenon in unneutered animals, especially with male dogs and cats. ASPCA confirms that spaying and neutering reduce the urine marking habit by 90 percent in both male and female animals. Aggression is also a common behavioral problem in many unneutered pets. Additionally, animals that have the tendency of excessive mounting and barking eventually stop when spayed or neutered. Roaming animals, in most cases, get into accidents, fights, and may pose a danger to many people in the streets. Such animals head to shelters since they become a nuisance to the community, thus increasing the numbers of pets that get euthanized. Spayed and neutered pets refrain from the act of roaming since their urges are reduced. This does not only ensure their safety but moreover, reduce the number of animals in shelters.
Cost-Effectiveness
Spaying and neutering is a cost-effective method for most pet owners. The Humane Society of the United States states that when a pet gives birth to young ones, the pet owner has to incur extra costs of taking care of the smaller pets, which are quite expensive. The litter requires food, medical care, playing amenities that sometimes cost a fortune. This procedure saves the owners a little extra cash. Diseases are inevitable and quite expensive to treat. Unneutered pets that contact chronic illnesses use more than five times of the money the owner would have used in the spay or neutering surgery (ASPCA). In some countries, the laws and regulations demand that pet owners with unneutered or spayed pets pay higher fees when they renew their licenses. This is an avoidable expense that spaying and neutering save for a pet on genres.
Conclusion
In conclusion, pet owners have a number of issues to consider, which include the health of their pets, their convenience, and the plight of stray and animals in the shelters. Pet owners should have the best interest of their pets at heart. Making informed choices for the pets is the sole responsibility of the one. Overpopulation affects everyone in the community and in a country. The facts presented in the paper confirm that spaying or neutering is more beneficial to a pet and its owner. Clearly, all animals should undergo this procedure to safeguard their health and future.
Works Cited
"Don’t Spay or Neuter Your Pets | Afternoon Cocktails." Afternoon Cocktails | The Philosophy of Life with a Twist, 23 Sept. 2010, afternooncocktails.com/blog/2010/09/23/dont-spay-or-neuter-your-pets/.
"News Room - Banfield Pet Hospital." Veterinarians: Banfield Pet Hospital® Provides Superior Pet Health Care Services, www.banfield.com/about-us/news-room/press-releases-announcements/spaying-and-neutering-may-contribute-to-longer-lif.
"Spay " Neuter in Chesterfield | Veterinary Group of Chesterfield." Veterinary Group of Chesterfield | Chesterfield Animal Hospital, 2018, www.veterinarygroup.net/veterinarian/mo/chesterfield/spaying-and-neutering.
"Why You Should Spay/Neuter Your Pet: The Humane Society of the United States." The Humane Society of the United States: The Humane Society of the United States, 2018, www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/why_spay_neuter.html.
Spay/Neuter Your Pet." ASPCA, 2018, www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/spayneuter-your-pet.
