The Critical Importance of Spaying or Neutering Your Pet

You can help provide a free spay or neuter to League City Animal Shelter

We are excited to announce that we will be partnering with League City Animal Shelter to provide free spays and neuters to their animals in foster care.

Thousands of abandoned, lost, or homeless animals enter shelters every year. The fate of these animals is not only heartbreaking – it’s entirely preventable via spaying or neutering. Pet overpopulation is a bona fide threat to the safety and sustainability of our community, but it doesn’t have to be. Together we can make a difference.  Anytime Bayside Animal Hospital spays or neuters a pet, $25.00 will be donated to the League City Animal Shelter Spay/Neuter Fund. This fund provides free spays or neuters to the animals that are in the shelter’s foster program.

Too Many Kittens and Puppies

Why should I sterilize?

Too often unwanted puppies and kittens end up on the streets and grow up as strays. Strays mate with other strays, but they also tend to mate with pets that may be allowed to roam or “escape” from their home.  Even experienced breeders get “oops” pregnancies. Male dogs will go to extreme lengths-climbing or digging around fences, bolting through doors, even jumping through screened windows to find the female in heat that they smell. Those raging hormones often result in unwanted pregnancies. It’s not uncommon for those “extra” babies to end up in shelters or on the streets. Spaying and neutering breaks the cycle of unwanted pets. When animals are sterilized, they no longer have the ability to reproduce, reducing numbers of unwanted litters and lowering the number of animals living in shelters. Responsible pet ownership includes spaying or neutering your pet at an early age.

What It Means to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

Spaying is a surgical procedures that removes both the ovaries and the uterus. We recommend spaying and neutering between 12 and 16 weeks of age, before their female pets first heat cycle. This may not be right for you and we will work with you to determine when the right time might be.

Aside from eliminating the possibility of future pregnancies, spaying also:

• • Reduces the risks associated with mammary gland cancer and pyometra (uterine infections)

• • Eliminates the need for sanitary pads or the mess all over your house (think stains on your carpet, chairs, bed and car every 6-8 months lasting 14-21 days) for your girl’s entire life.  No Menopause for our pets!

• • Eliminates the rather unattractive (read totally stinky) smell associated with a female in heat. Again their entire life!

• Increases lifespan: altered females often live longer than unaltered.

Neutering is a surgical procedure that removes the testicles from the scrotum.   A small incision is made in the scrotum and the testicles are tied off, cut and removed.  Neutering is also recommended between 12 to 16 weeks of age.

The health benefits and positive effects on your boy’s behavior are many:

• • Greatly reduces the risk of testicular cancer

• • Reduces risk of an enlarged prostate which is common in older unaltered males

• • Reduces likelihood of urinating or marking territory inside the home and less stops on your daily walk

• • Reduces the mounting, humping, roaming, fighting, aggression and other dominance-related behaviors when the testosterone-producing testicles are removed

• • Allows your boy to be calmer

• Increases lifespan: neutered males often live longer than those who remain intact

Taking Good Care

Our caring, compassionate staff take pride in offering excellent care to our patients from the moment they arrive. We perform pre-surgical exam and bloodwork to ensure the best support for your pet throughout the surgical procedure. We constantly monitor your pet’s vitals and go the extra mile for their complete safety and comfort.

Please contact us to schedule an appointment or if you have any questions. Bayside partners with League City Animal Shelter to provide free spays and neuters for their sheltered animals. We set aside a total of  $25.00 from every spay/neuter we do in our hospital toward that program. As a leader in League City area veterinary care, we look forward to serving and supporting your pet’s health.