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Why Spay / neuter your pet?
"There has been a lot of debate on this subject-whether spaying / neutering your pet is 'humane', ethical and the right to do. In most cases those who are against this notion are usually the ones who do not understand the full benefits it entails nor do they know much about the topic. Hence I urge all PIN members to read this and contribute any comments to why we should ALWAYS enforce and encourage all responsible loving per owners to neuter / spay their pets. These are answers to the most common questions I get asked about neutering / spaying a pet:
What's the difference between 'Spaying and Neutering'?
These are the general terms used -'spaying 'refers to the ovariohysterectomy of a female animal and' neutering 'refers to the castration of male animals. (It's common however for the term 'neutering' to be used for either sex)
What is it exactly?
It's a surgical procedure performed by a Veterinarian which renders the animal incapable of reproducing.
Is this not wrong? I love my pet! Why should I have him / her 'fixed'?
It is a big misconception to believe that this is a horrible and 'wrong' thing to do to your pet. What IS wrong is to allow these animals to reproduce millions of unwanted offspring that are eventually killed because there are not enough homes or responsible owners. What IS wrong is to find thousands of pets dumped on the streets who are reproducing, suffering at the mercy of starvation, thirst, possible abuse if not death on the streets. We might feel powerless and frustrated when we keep coming across case after case of more and more unwanted pets, but one simple way of helping to decrease this is by neutering / spaying animals. There are more homeless, unwanted animals on the streets EVERYDAY and you are encouraging and supporting this by not putting a stop to it. It's simple; if you don't wish to see this suffering continue; neuter / spay your pet.
Are there any benefits to neutering / spaying my pet?
"Through neutering, you can help your dog or cat live a happier, healthier, longer life. Spaying eliminates the constant crying and nervous pacing of a female cat in heat. Spaying a female dog also eliminates the messiness associated with the heat cycle.
Neutering of male dogs and cats can prevent certain undesirable sexual behaviors, such as urine marking, humping, male aggression and the urge to roam. If you have more than one pet in your household, all the pets will generally get along better if they are neutered.
A long-term benefit of spaying and neutering is improved health for both cats and dogs.Spaying females prior to their first heat cycle nearly eliminates the risk of breast cancer and totally prevents uterine infections and uterine cancer. Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and enlargement of the prostate gland, and greatly reduces their risk for perianal tumors. "
If I give up my kitten / puppy for adoption it becomes the responsibility of the new owner right? Am I contributing to the problem?
Unfortunately you are part of the problem if you are not going to take the lead in the solution. Every pet that you give up for adoption should be neutered / spayed. You can then be assured you have done the best thing for your pet and know you have helped many more not being brought into life only to suffer. Remember only a certain number of people want pets. So every home you find for your pet's offspring takes away a home from a loving animal already at a vet / shelter etc "
Can I not just spay my female pet after she has had one litter at least?
It's better to have your cat spayed before she has her first litter of kittens. There are so many unwanted homeless cats and kittens, that there's simply no reason to add to the overwhelming numbers of excess kittens. Some people think it's "healthier" for an animal to have babies before being spayed, however your Veterinarian can tell you this isn't true. Its best to spay your cat before she sexually matures (first goes into heat) which is around. It is considered safe for kittens as young as eight weeks old to be spayed or neutered.
I want my kids / friends / family members to experience seeing what its like for my cat / dog to give birth. It's a miracle and it should be seen!
A more important lesson to teach others would be how to be a responsible pet owner and the concern for life by explaining why their pet should not have babies. Do not think of a short term goal -by neutering / spaying a pet you are contributing to a long term effect which is what it should be.
It's too expensive to neuter / spay my pet.
Expensive compared to what? The many lives you could be saving by giving an unwanted animal a possibility of a home? That's a very small cost compared to what the beneficial effects of spaying / neutering has.
Most clinics in Jeddah and Riyadh perform this at a cost ranging between 300 to 800 SAR (spaying usually costs more than neutering can go up to 950 SAR). For more information you can contact your preferred Vet clinic or Gus's Hope on Facebook who can help you get your pets neutered at a cheaper price. Ask your local vet if they offer special prices for rescued pets. Please check the 'Resources' tab for groups which offer affordable neutering and spaying services for rescued pets.
As a PIN member, we pride ourselves to do the right thing for our pets, to help and encourage pet adoption and to ensure our pets are spayed / neutered. There are simply no excuses as to why they should not be neutered / spayed (as most of the reasons would be for the persons own benefit and not the animals).
For all those who have attacked this subject stating that it has always been natural and part of mother nature and part of history of hundreds of years and neutering / spaying did not exist before, so why should we interfere with nature's cycle? My simple answer is years ago we did not have so many abandoned, suffering, homeless animals as we do now. More and more pets are left to fend for themselves or left at shelters or clinics and are euthanized because there is no one that wants them. In simple terms-for every pet that you are letting have more babies-you are encouraging the killing of the unwanted ones who already exist. Harsh but true. All those cats we see members posting about, desperately wanting to rescue them off the street are a result of their mother's not being neutered. This can be controlled. But only if YOU are part of the solution.
To learn more about neutering / spaying, you can read the article that was posted on the Jeddah blog found at:
http://jeddah-blog.com/2014/06/08/why-spay-or-neuter-your-pet/
We strongly encourage you to research the topic more online, as well as ask you veterinarian for additional information if needed.
"There has been a lot of debate on this subject-whether spaying / neutering your pet is 'humane', ethical and the right to do. In most cases those who are against this notion are usually the ones who do not understand the full benefits it entails nor do they know much about the topic. Hence I urge all PIN members to read this and contribute any comments to why we should ALWAYS enforce and encourage all responsible loving per owners to neuter / spay their pets. These are answers to the most common questions I get asked about neutering / spaying a pet:
What's the difference between 'Spaying and Neutering'?
These are the general terms used -'spaying 'refers to the ovariohysterectomy of a female animal and' neutering 'refers to the castration of male animals. (It's common however for the term 'neutering' to be used for either sex)
What is it exactly?
It's a surgical procedure performed by a Veterinarian which renders the animal incapable of reproducing.
Is this not wrong? I love my pet! Why should I have him / her 'fixed'?
It is a big misconception to believe that this is a horrible and 'wrong' thing to do to your pet. What IS wrong is to allow these animals to reproduce millions of unwanted offspring that are eventually killed because there are not enough homes or responsible owners. What IS wrong is to find thousands of pets dumped on the streets who are reproducing, suffering at the mercy of starvation, thirst, possible abuse if not death on the streets. We might feel powerless and frustrated when we keep coming across case after case of more and more unwanted pets, but one simple way of helping to decrease this is by neutering / spaying animals. There are more homeless, unwanted animals on the streets EVERYDAY and you are encouraging and supporting this by not putting a stop to it. It's simple; if you don't wish to see this suffering continue; neuter / spay your pet.
Are there any benefits to neutering / spaying my pet?
"Through neutering, you can help your dog or cat live a happier, healthier, longer life. Spaying eliminates the constant crying and nervous pacing of a female cat in heat. Spaying a female dog also eliminates the messiness associated with the heat cycle.
Neutering of male dogs and cats can prevent certain undesirable sexual behaviors, such as urine marking, humping, male aggression and the urge to roam. If you have more than one pet in your household, all the pets will generally get along better if they are neutered.
A long-term benefit of spaying and neutering is improved health for both cats and dogs.Spaying females prior to their first heat cycle nearly eliminates the risk of breast cancer and totally prevents uterine infections and uterine cancer. Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and enlargement of the prostate gland, and greatly reduces their risk for perianal tumors. "
If I give up my kitten / puppy for adoption it becomes the responsibility of the new owner right? Am I contributing to the problem?
Unfortunately you are part of the problem if you are not going to take the lead in the solution. Every pet that you give up for adoption should be neutered / spayed. You can then be assured you have done the best thing for your pet and know you have helped many more not being brought into life only to suffer. Remember only a certain number of people want pets. So every home you find for your pet's offspring takes away a home from a loving animal already at a vet / shelter etc "
Can I not just spay my female pet after she has had one litter at least?
It's better to have your cat spayed before she has her first litter of kittens. There are so many unwanted homeless cats and kittens, that there's simply no reason to add to the overwhelming numbers of excess kittens. Some people think it's "healthier" for an animal to have babies before being spayed, however your Veterinarian can tell you this isn't true. Its best to spay your cat before she sexually matures (first goes into heat) which is around. It is considered safe for kittens as young as eight weeks old to be spayed or neutered.
I want my kids / friends / family members to experience seeing what its like for my cat / dog to give birth. It's a miracle and it should be seen!
A more important lesson to teach others would be how to be a responsible pet owner and the concern for life by explaining why their pet should not have babies. Do not think of a short term goal -by neutering / spaying a pet you are contributing to a long term effect which is what it should be.
It's too expensive to neuter / spay my pet.
Expensive compared to what? The many lives you could be saving by giving an unwanted animal a possibility of a home? That's a very small cost compared to what the beneficial effects of spaying / neutering has.
Most clinics in Jeddah and Riyadh perform this at a cost ranging between 300 to 800 SAR (spaying usually costs more than neutering can go up to 950 SAR). For more information you can contact your preferred Vet clinic or Gus's Hope on Facebook who can help you get your pets neutered at a cheaper price. Ask your local vet if they offer special prices for rescued pets. Please check the 'Resources' tab for groups which offer affordable neutering and spaying services for rescued pets.
As a PIN member, we pride ourselves to do the right thing for our pets, to help and encourage pet adoption and to ensure our pets are spayed / neutered. There are simply no excuses as to why they should not be neutered / spayed (as most of the reasons would be for the persons own benefit and not the animals).
For all those who have attacked this subject stating that it has always been natural and part of mother nature and part of history of hundreds of years and neutering / spaying did not exist before, so why should we interfere with nature's cycle? My simple answer is years ago we did not have so many abandoned, suffering, homeless animals as we do now. More and more pets are left to fend for themselves or left at shelters or clinics and are euthanized because there is no one that wants them. In simple terms-for every pet that you are letting have more babies-you are encouraging the killing of the unwanted ones who already exist. Harsh but true. All those cats we see members posting about, desperately wanting to rescue them off the street are a result of their mother's not being neutered. This can be controlled. But only if YOU are part of the solution.
To learn more about neutering / spaying, you can read the article that was posted on the Jeddah blog found at:
http://jeddah-blog.com/2014/06/08/why-spay-or-neuter-your-pet/
We strongly encourage you to research the topic more online, as well as ask you veterinarian for additional information if needed.
