Pet Sterilization: An act of Humanity and Compassion

What is pet sterilization? It is a quick, painless and quick recovery surgical procedure that consists of removing the testicles in male pets and the ovaries and uterus in female pets.

Main reasons to sterilize your pet

• Spaying female dogs and cats at an early age can help protect your pet from serious, lifelong health problems such as uterine infections and breast cancer. Performing spaying before the animal's first heat occurs offers the best protection against developing these conditions.
• Neutering your dogs and cats (male) at an early age can reduce the risk of developing benign prostatic growth and reduce the incidence of testicular cancer during their lifetime.
• The most common procedure for spaying female dogs and cats is an ovario-hysterectomy. By removing the ovary, your female pet will no longer be in heat.
• Dogs and cats, both male and female, when spayed or neutered at an early age, will reduce the development and expression of undesired behaviors associated with reproduction. It will reduce behaviors such as, for example: searching for mates in the streets (escape/fighting), marking territory, periods of inappetence, and development of aggressive behaviors with humans and other pets, among others. Neutered pets will live their lives with less anxiety.
• Spaying or neutering will not fatten your pet. Although removing the reproductive cycle causes fewer calories to be burned, adjusting diet and exercise levels should prevent overweight.
• Your pet does not need to have sex or give birth at least once in its life to be physiologically, let alone emotionally, complete. This is an erroneously conceived fallacy.
The cost of sterilization surgery is less than the economic and psychological cost of having to care for (+/-) up to eight puppies and in the process take care of them, and then have the responsibility of finding responsible care for them in another home. There are clinics and animal shelters that offer veterinary surgery services at low cost, which makes sterilization accessible to people with low incomes.
• Offspring or offspring of your pet's offspring may end up on the streets and in public spaces. All the dogs and cats that are homeless suffer from multiple deprivations. This is animal abuse. In addition, stray animals present a real public health problem because they can be vectors of parasites and diseases. They can also be recipients and transmitters of the rabies virus, which is deadly in them and in humans. On the other hand, they could cause car accidents, garbage spills, damage from bites, and give an image of overcrowding of our environment and cultural backwardness to visitors.
• Your pet does not need to have a pup for your children to learn about the miracle of life. Allowing your pet to have offspring when you have no intention of raising them is not a good lesson for your children. There are educational materials available to teach your children responsibly.
• Every year in Puerto Rico thousands of dogs and cats of all ages are euthanized or suffer as stray animals. These high numbers are the result of unplanned offspring that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.

What things can I do before sterilizing my pet?

• Verify the facilities, talk to the doctors, and clarify all your doubts, so you will overcome all the myths and fears you may have.
• Make sure that the veterinarian who will perform the operation is licensed and registered in Puerto Rico.
• If you do not want to have puppies for lack of money, time, space, or any other reason, sterilize your pet right now, it has practically no side effects and many advantages.
• Early sterilization is a good option: safe, fast, and with great benefits. If you have a puppy as a companion, don't wait any longer and have it spayed or neutered as soon as possible.

Entities that present low-cost sterilization alternatives

There are inexpensive alternatives to sterilize your pet. Some of the places where you can get information are:

Centro de Control de Animales Municipio de Carolina
787.757.2626 Ext. 4802, 4805, 4806, 4807

Centro de Control y Adopción de Animales Municipio de San Juan
787.480.3432, 787.480.3433, 787.480.3435

Colegio de Médicos Veterinarios de PR
787.283.2840
Email: cmvpr@cmvpr.org
www.cmvpr.org

The Humane Society of Puerto Rico, Inc., Guaynabo
787.720.6038
www.hspr.org

Sources: www.aspca.org/nyc & Carlos M. Carazo Gilot, DVM, Department of Health.