Spay/Neuter Information

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WHY SPAY / NEUTER

By spaying or neutering your pet, you’ll help control the pet homelessness crisis, which results in millions of healthy dogs and cats being euthanized in the United States each year simply because there aren’t enough homes to go around. There are also medical and behavioral benefits to spaying (female pets) and neutering (male pets) your animals.

Here are some of the medical benefits:

  • Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life. Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors, which are malignant or cancerous in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
  • Neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer and some prostate problems.

And behavioral benefits:

  • Your spayed female pet won't go into heat. While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house!
  • Your male dog will be less likely to roam away from home. An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate, including finding creative ways escape from the house. Once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other male animals.
  • Your neutered male may be better behaved. Unneutered dogs and cats are more likely to mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Your dog might be less likely to mount other dogs, people and inanimate objects after he’s neutered. Some aggression problems may be avoided by early neutering.

Spaying/neutering your pets is also highly cost-effective. The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is far less than the cost of having and caring for a litter.

Debunking Spay/Neuter Myths and Misconceptions

  • Spaying or neutering will not cause your pet to become overweight. Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor her food intake.
  • Neutering is not a quick fix for all behavior problems. Although neutering your pet often reduces undesirable behaviors caused by a higher level of testosterone, there’s no guarantee that your dog’s behavior will change after he’s neutered. Although the surgery will reduce the amount of testosterone in your dog’s system, it won’t eliminate the hormone completely. Neutering will also not reduce behaviors that your pet has learned or that have become habitual. The effects of neutering are largely dependent on your dog’s individual personality, physiology and history.

When to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

  • For dogs: While the traditional age for neutering is six to nine months, puppies as young as eight weeks old can be neutered as long as they’re healthy. Dogs can be neutered as adults as well, although there’s a slightly higher risk of post-operative complications in older dogs, dogs that are overweight or dogs that have health problems.
  • For cats: It is generally considered safe for kittens as young as eight weeks old to be spayed or neutered. In animal shelters, surgery is often performed at this time so that kittens can be sterilized prior to adoption. In an effort to avoid the start of urine spraying and eliminate the chance for pregnancy, it’s advisable to schedule the surgery before your own cat reaches five months of age. It’s possible to spay a female cat while she’s in heat.

Talk to your veterinarian to determine the best time to spay or neuter your pet.

 

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10 Razones Principales para Esterilizar o Castrar a su Mascota

Ya sea si recién ha adoptado una mascota o si lo está considerando, una de las decisiones sanitarias más importantes que tomará es esterilizar o castrar a su gato o perro. Esterilización; remover los ovarios y útero de una mascota hembra, es un procedimiento de un veterinario que requiere hospitalización mínima y ofrece beneficios para la salud de por vida. Castrar; remover los testículos de su gato o perro macho, mejorará ampliamente la conducta de su mascota y lo mantendrá cerca de casa.

¿No se convence todavía? ¡Vea nuestra lista manual y convincente de las 10 razones principales para esterilizar o castrar a su mascota!

  1. Su mascota hembra vivirá una vida más larga y más sana. 
     La esterilización ayuda a prevenir las infecciones uterinas y el cáncer de mama, el cual es fatal en alrededor del 50 por ciento de los perros y 90 por ciento de los gatos. Esterilizar a su mascota antes de su primer celo ofrece la mejor protección de estas enfermedades. 
      
  2. La castración proporciona mayores beneficios de salud para su mascota macho. 
     A más de prevenir crías no deseadas, la castración de su compañero animal previene el cáncer a los testículos, si se lo realiza antes de los seis meses de edad. 
      
  3. Su hembra esterilizada no entrará en celo. 
     Aunque los ciclos pueden variar, las felinas por lo regular entran en celo cuatro a cinco días cada tres semanas durante la temporada reproductiva. ¡Con la intensión de llamar la atención de los machos, aullarán y orinarán más frecuentemente, algunas veces por toda la casa! 
      
  4. Su perro macho no querrá vagar fuera de casa. 
     ¡Un macho intacto hará simplemente casi cualquier cosa para encontrar una compañera! Esto incluye excavar debajo de la cerca y hacer acrobacias como Houdini para escapar de la casa. Y una vez que está libre para vagar, puede ser lastimado por el tráfico e involucrarse en peleas con otros machos. 
      
  5. Su macho castrado se comportará de mejor manera. 
     Los perros y gatos castrados enfocan su atención en sus familias humanas. Por otro lado, los gatos y perros no castrados pueden marcar su territorio rociando orina de fuerte olor por toda la casa. Muchos problemas de agresión pueden ser evitados con la castración temprana. 
      
  6. La esterilización o castración NO engordará a su mascota. 
     ¡No utilice esa excusa vieja! La falta de ejercicio y la demasiada comida hará que su mascota aumente libras extras, más no la castración. Su mascota permanecerá en forma y reluciente mientras continúe proporcionándole ejercicio y controlando el consumo de comida. 
      
  7. Es muy económico. 
     El costo de la cirugía de esterilización/castración de su mascota es mucho menos que el costo de tener y cuidar a una cría. También gana al costo del tratamiento cuando su gato macho no castrado escapa y pelea con los perros callejeros del vecindario! 
      
  8. Esterilizar y castrar a su mascota es bueno para la comunidad. 
     Los animales callejeros presentan un problema real en varias partes del país. Pueden vivir de la vida salvaje, causar accidentes de carros, dañar la fauna local y espantar a los niños. La esterilización y castración es un arma poderosa para reducir el número de animales en las calles. 
      
  9. Su mascota no necesita tener una cría para que sus hijos aprendan sobre el milagro de la vida. 
     Permitir que su mascota tenga crías cuando usted no tiene intensión de criarlas no es una buena lección para sus hijos, en especial cuando demasiados animales no deseados terminan en los refugios. Existen muchos libros y vídeos disponibles para enseñar a sus hijos sobre el nacimiento de una forma responsable. 
      
  10. La esterilización y castración ayuda con el exceso de población de mascotas
     Cada año millones de gatos y perros de todas las edades y razas son sometidos a la eutanasia o sufren como animales callejeros. Estos altos números son el resultado de las crías no planificadas que pudieron haber sido prevenidas por la esterilización o castración.

Clifton Animal Shelter:  www.cliftonanimalshelter.com

Information for Low-Cost Spay/Neuter:  http://cliftonanimalshelter.com/index.php/lowcostspay/ 

LOW COST SPAY & NEUTER FACILITIES:

PEOPLE FOR ANIMALS
401 Hillside Ave
Hillside NJ

973.282.0890
www.pfaonline.org

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION : See https://www.nj.gov/health/vph/pop-control/ for more information .

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Vaccines help prevent many illnesses that affect pets. Vaccinating your pet has long been considered one of the easiest ways to help him live a long, healthy life. Not only are there different vaccines for different diseases, there are different types and combinations of vaccines. Vaccination is a procedure that has risks and benefits that must be weighed for every pet relative to his lifestyle and health. Your veterinarian can determine a vaccination regime that will provide the safest and best protection for your individual animal.

Understanding Vaccines

Vaccines help prepare the body's immune system to fight the invasion of disease-causing organisms. Vaccines contain antigens, which look like the disease-causing organism to the immune system but don't actually cause disease. When the vaccine is introduced to the body, the immune system is mildly stimulated. If a pet is ever exposed to the real disease, his immune system is now prepared to recognize and fight it off entirely or reduce the severity of the illness.

Core vaccines are considered vital to all pets based on risk of exposure, severity of disease or transmissibility to humans.

For Dogs: Vaccines for canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis and rabies are considered core vaccines. 

For Cats: Vaccines for panleukopenia (feline distemper), feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type I (rhinotracheitis) and rabies are considered core vaccines. 

Your veterinarian can determine what vaccines are best for your pet.

Your veterinarian can best determine a vaccination schedule for your pet. This will depend on the type of vaccine, your pet’s age, medical history, environment and lifestyle.

For puppies: If his mother has a healthy immune system, a puppy will most likely receive antibodies in mother’s milk while nursing. Puppies should receive a series of vaccinations starting at six to eight weeks of age. A veterinarian should administer a minimum of three vaccinations at three- to four-week intervals. The final dose should be administered at 16 weeks of age.

For adult dogs: Some adult dogs might receive certain vaccines annually, while other vaccines might be given every three years or longer.

For kittens: Kittens automatically receive antibodies in the milk their mother produces if their mother has a healthy immune system. When the kitten is around six to eight weeks of age, your veterinarian can begin to administer a series of vaccines at three- or four-week intervals until the kitten reaches 16 weeks of age.

For adult cats: Adult cats might be revaccinated annually or every three years.