Here at Plaza Veterinary Hospital, our goal is to help you keep your pet as healthy as possible. If you have a female cat or dog, an essential part of maintaining their health is to have them spayed. Most people are familiar with the practical reason to spay your pet, which is preventing you from having to deal with a litter of puppies or kittens you’re not prepared for, but there are also important medical reasons to have this procedure done. In this article, our team will go over some of the medical reasons you should spay your pet.
- Prevents Breast Tumors- One medical reason to spay your pet is that it will help prevent them from developing breast tumors. If dogs are spayed before their first heat cycle, their likelihood of developing breast tumors is only 0.05%, but that chance will increase the longer you delay the procedure. For cats, spaying is even more important, as 90% of breast tumors in felines are cancerous. If you want to protect your pet from these problems, we at Plaza Veterinary Hospital recommend that you have them spayed as soon as possible.
- Prevents Pregnancy Complications- In addition to not wanting to care for a litter of puppies or kittens, there are other reasons to want to prevent your pet from getting pregnant. Pregnancy carries significant risk of complications such as eclampsia, which can cause your pet to experience seizures or develop heart problems.
- Prevents Pyometra- A third health problem that can be prevented by spaying your pet is pyometra. This condition primarily affects dogs, and it causes the uterus to fill with pus. From the uterus, this infection can then spread to other organs, most commonly the kidneys, and make your dog very sick or even kill her. If you want to avoid this risk, we encourage you to reach out to our team at Plaza Veterinary Hospital to have your dog spayed.
We hope that this article has emphasized the importance of spaying your pet. If you have further questions about this procedure or its benefits, just give us a call.