The best decision you can make for your pet is to spay or neuter him/her. All pet owners should be required to have their pets spayed or neutered because failure to do so overburdens shelters, they have unruly behavior, and increases the health risks of pets. Everywhere in the United States, there are approximately 6-8 million homeless animals that go in animal shelters every year. Not even half of those animals are adopted, and the rest of them are euthanized. “Many people are surprised to learn that nationwide, more than 2.7 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters annually” (The Humane Society). The only one hundred percent effective birth control for your pets is to spay and neuter him/her.
A USA Today …show more content…
Unspayed female dogs and cats have a huge chance of developing pyometra, uterine cancer, and mammary cancer. Pyometra is a fatal uterine infection that occurs when hormones cause the uterine lining to thicken and form cysts creating an ideal breeding ground for bacteria that ascend from the vagina, and result in a life threatening infection. Cats and dogs can get one of two different types of pyometra infection. The first is an open pyometra, which is the cervix stays open and pus will drain from the uterus through the vagina to the outside. The second is a closed pyometra, which is the cervix is closed and the pus that formed is unable to drain out. It collects in the uterus causing it to swell. Animals with pyometra become ill very rapidly. Undetected pyometra is almost always fatal. It requires an emergency …show more content…
“It is most commonly seen in pets that are not spayed, or have been spayed after two heat cycles. Cancer may occur in any of the 8-10 glands present along the chest and abdomen” (Breast Cancer). If the mammary cancer is left untreated it can metastasize to other mammary glands such as the lymph nodes, the lungs, and other organs throughout the body. In dogs, 50% of mammary cancers are benign. In cats, 90% of mammary cancers are malignant, and often recur. Surgical removal of the tumors and surrounding mammary glands is the treatment of most affected pets. 65% of the surgically removed tumors will occur within a year. Unfortunately, most cats survive less than a year after initial diagnosis. However, when small tumors are caught early and aggressive treatment is used cats and dogs can live 2-3 more
A USA Today …show more content…
Unspayed female dogs and cats have a huge chance of developing pyometra, uterine cancer, and mammary cancer. Pyometra is a fatal uterine infection that occurs when hormones cause the uterine lining to thicken and form cysts creating an ideal breeding ground for bacteria that ascend from the vagina, and result in a life threatening infection. Cats and dogs can get one of two different types of pyometra infection. The first is an open pyometra, which is the cervix stays open and pus will drain from the uterus through the vagina to the outside. The second is a closed pyometra, which is the cervix is closed and the pus that formed is unable to drain out. It collects in the uterus causing it to swell. Animals with pyometra become ill very rapidly. Undetected pyometra is almost always fatal. It requires an emergency …show more content…
“It is most commonly seen in pets that are not spayed, or have been spayed after two heat cycles. Cancer may occur in any of the 8-10 glands present along the chest and abdomen” (Breast Cancer). If the mammary cancer is left untreated it can metastasize to other mammary glands such as the lymph nodes, the lungs, and other organs throughout the body. In dogs, 50% of mammary cancers are benign. In cats, 90% of mammary cancers are malignant, and often recur. Surgical removal of the tumors and surrounding mammary glands is the treatment of most affected pets. 65% of the surgically removed tumors will occur within a year. Unfortunately, most cats survive less than a year after initial diagnosis. However, when small tumors are caught early and aggressive treatment is used cats and dogs can live 2-3 more