I found this and wanted to share!!
Hope those interested will pass the message!!
MELOT And MOM
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Did you know that every single litter of puppies and kittens contributes to the overall number of animals who need homes?
Each year, millions of puppies and kittens are born in the United States, far too many for the number of people willing to adopt them. Many of these animals will end up homeless or abandoned, and many will be euthanized because shelters do not have enough room to house them. Even allowing your dog or cat to reproduce just once contributes to pet overpopulation, since each animal born at home means one less animal adopted from a shelter.
One easy way you can help alleviate pet overpopulation is by getting your own animal spayed or neutered—or helping other pet owners get their animal spayed or neutered. Such is the purpose of the 11th annual Spay Day USA, scheduled this year for Tuesday, February 22.
Sponsored by the Doris Day Animal Foundation, Spay Day USA has two main functions: to promote subsidized and free spay/neuter surgeries at clinics all over the country for pets living in low-income families, and to educate pet owners as to why this routine surgery is so vitally important. To make all this happen, many veterinarians, animal care professionals, business owners, and concerned citizens across the country will participate in the event.
What's more, many local and regional animal welfare organizations and veterinary clinics will be taking part in Spay Day USA, including The Humane Society of the United States, which is part of the Spay/Neuter Coalition of the Washington D.C./Metropolitan Area.
"Spay Day USA is a great opportunity for veterinarians and other animal lovers to lend a hand to pet owners who may have trouble affording the surgery, or to have their own pet spayed or neutered," says Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for The HSUS's Companion Animal section.
"There are many benefits to having your pet spayed or neutered," The HSUS's Shain says. "Medically, spaying and neutering can help dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by eliminating or reducing the incidence of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat."
Shain adds that spaying your pet eliminates the possibility of her developing uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces her risk of breast cancer, particularly when she is spayed before her first heat cycle. Likewise, Shain says, neutering your pet eliminates his risk of testicular cancer and decreases his risk of prostate disease.
For pet owners worried about the procedure itself, Shain has this to say: "The surgery itself is done entirely under anesthesia, and post-operative pain killers can be utilized, so there is very little discomfort. In most cases the animal is back to normal and bouncing around the room only a few days after surgery!"
In addition to medical benefits, there also are behavioral benefits to spaying or neutering your pet, Shain notes. Sterilized pets are less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights, while neutering your cat will help to eliminate urine spraying.
Just as important, Shain says, many sterilized pets develop a calmer and gentler disposition, thereby reducing their chances of being abandoned because of behavior problems. And from a broader perspective, she adds, sterilized animals can save taxpayers millions of dollars annually by reducing the need for city and county animal control agencies to spend funds on responding to calls.
"Spay Day USA is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness and have pet owners take an active role in helping to control pet overpopulation in America," Shain says. "Altering your pet prevents any potential offspring, offspring that could eventually end up homeless or abandoned due to a lack of available homes.
"And considering that one female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years, and that one female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 in seven years, you are literally preventing thousands of animals from ending up homeless, abandoned, or euthanized when you prevent your own pet from producing a litter," Shain continues. "Preventing your pet from producing offspring also helps to steer families in search of puppies and kittens to their local shelter."
Finally, spaying and neutering your own pet helps spread the message of responsible pet ownership to your friends, neighbors, and other pet owners. And remember, Shain adds, every spayed and neutered animal helps us win a battle in the war against pet overpopulation.
To check for local Spay Day USA events in your community, log on to Pets911.com, and enter your zip code in the search engine. If your community doesn't have an event planned, check with your local shelter to see if you can "sponsor a spay" through a clinic, or ask a financially strapped friend if you could pay for her animal's sterilization.