The Great Benefits of Spaying and Neutering

Any veterinarian will tell you—spaying or neutering your animal companion is one of the best things you’ll ever do for your beloved family pet. Have you ever wondered exactly what the benefits are? Learn more below from your Fort Myers, FL vet.

Behavioral Improvements

Pets that have been spayed or neutered consistently behave far better than those who remain intact. Avoid the hassles of house soiling, urine spraying, aggression toward owners or other pets in the home, chewing, scratching, escape attempts, and other undesirable behaviors. It will be costly and time-consuming to deal with these problems down the road, so nip them in the bud as much as you can by having your pet spayed or neutered early on.

Hormone Control

When your pet’s sex organs are removed, they don’t have nearly as many hormones coursing through their systems. This provides multiple benefits for pet owners. Female pets—cats in particular—won’t experience a full-fledged heat period during their breeding seasons, lessening the likelihood of urine spraying and other undesirable behaviors. Male pets won’t experience the desire to roam in order to find a mate, preventing escape attempts, chewing, digging, and more.

Lowered Cancer Risk

One of the main health benefits of spaying and neutering is the elimination of genital cancer risk; both male and female pets will have virtually no chance of developing this cancer type once they’ve been fixed. Other cancers, like breast and prostate cancer, are also far less likely to occur in pets who have had the procedure performed. Even urinary tract infections and other common urinary- or reproductive-system health concerns are less likely to be diagnosed in spayed or neutered pets. Save yourself a lot of money, time, and heartache by avoiding these problems initially via the spay or neuter procedure.

Preventing Unplanned Litters

Of course, spaying and neutering eliminates the chance of unplanned litters by removing your pet’s ability to reproduce. This benefits the greater good—each and every year, hundreds of thousands of pets go homeless or must be euthanized, simply because there aren’t enough homes to take them in. Leaving your pet intact is only contributing to the problem!

If you have questions about the spaying or neutering surgery or post-operative care, call us today to speak with a professional. If you’re ready to have your pet spayed or neutered, set up an appointment with your Fort Myers, FL animal clinic.