In 1970, before spaying and neutering became commonplace, 15 million shelter animals were euthanized each year in the United States. Going back to 2019 (the last “normal” year before the pandemic), that number dropped to 1.4 million. Although still too high, this decline is significant and is largely due to aggressive spay and neuter campaigns, where shelters spay and neuter animals before placing them in their forever homes. Sadly, there are signs that the number of these euthanasias is rising again across the country, highlighting the urgency of continuing to work diligently to spay and neuter as many pets as possible.
Beyond population control, numerous studies have shown that spaying or neutering your beloved pet has health benefits. Spaying prevents uterine infections in women and reduces the risk of mammary tumors. Neutering, on the other hand, prevents testicular cancer and reduces the risk of prostate disease in men.
In our experience, many unaltered pets that succumb to APF exhibit behaviors that strain the bond with their owners. Pets that are spayed or neutered are less likely to develop problem behaviors such as wandering, spraying, or aggression, and they make better companions.
In addition to the direct health and behavioral benefits of spaying and neutering, there are also economic benefits. The costs associated with the responsible care of unplanned puppies and kittens, including vaccinations, feeding, and veterinary care, are combined with other veterinary costs such as emergency C-sections and postpartum complications. This can quickly add up to thousands of dollars.
At APF, our local spay/neuter clinic specializes in these procedures and provides high quality spay/neuter services at affordable prices.
“At APF we perform thousands of surgeries a year and are highly skilled in all types of neutering operations, from small pediatric kittens to large female dog spays,” said APF Veterinary Medical Director. , says Jackie Cooker. “Our team takes great pride in providing quality care to each patient and their family. We use spaying/neutering to reduce animal overpopulation and We are passionate about keeping pets healthy, both medically and behaviorally. We also understand the importance of doing so within the financial means of our community members.”
Although there are no restrictions on who can book surgery for their pet at the clinic, eligible pet owners can benefit from the New York State Animal Population Control Program, which covers a significant portion of the cost, making it affordable for everyone. It will be the price.
For more information, please visit our website at animalprotective.org/clinic or call us at 518-374-3944, ext. 107 or email apfclinic@animalprotective.org.
Joe Risela is the executive director of the Animal Rescue Foundation. APF welcomes animal-related questions and stories about people and animals in our community by contributing articles to Animal Chronicles. Visit Animalprotective.org, follow us on social media @AnimalProtectiveFoundation, or email chronics@animalprotective.org.
