Dr. Ford’s Blog – May

Mother’s Day is a joyous holiday; it is a time to show gratitude towards the mothers in our individual lives and to celebrate and honor motherhood in general.  In the veterinary industry, however, motherhood is not so celebrated.  I would like to share in this month’s blog, this the month of Mother’s Day, the importance of spaying your dog or cat.

Cat and dog overpopulation is a major problem in America today.  Determining the exact number of homeless cats and dogs is very difficult, but it is estimated that an astonishing 70 million stray cats alone run wild in the US.  That number increases every year.  A fertile cat can produce three to four litters a year, with four to six kittens per litter.  A fertile dog produces two litters a year, with four to five puppies per litter.  Many of these puppies and kittens will end up in shelters nationwide.  Roughly five- to seven-million dogs and cats enter shelters annually, and of those, 60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats are euthanized - about one every eight seconds.  A large portion of animals that enter shelters are not just the offspring of stray dogs and cats; they are the offspring of unfixed family pets as well.  The fight to control overpopulation starts with spaying your female cat or dog.

Not spaying your cat or dog has major health implications as well.  Pyometra is a very harmful and often fatal condition that affects fertile female cats and dogs.  During every heat cycle, which occurs about twice a year in female dogs and almost constantly in female cats, the can become infected and fill with pus.  The infection can sometimes become severe enough to require a dangerous and costly surgery during which the infected uterus is removed.  The risk of breast cancer is drastically higher for intact female dogs than the risk for spayed females.  Female cats are also more susceptible to AIDS and leukemia viruses when they have sexual contact with an infected male.  If a female cat contracts AIDS or leukemia, which are both untreatable diseases, and becomes pregnant, a third of its kittens will be born with it as well and will have to be euthanized if taken in by a shelter.

Many pet owners believe they don’t have to spay their female cat or dog because they have no intention of letting it out of the house or yard.  I frequently receive questions from clients like, “If I don’t spay my cat (or dog), it will be fine as long as I don’t let it outside, right?” Wrong.  Spaying your female cat or dog will greatly reduce possible health risks as well as help control the homeless pet population if your little loved one possibly escapes.