The largest state veterinary medical association in the United States has taken a stand in favor of spaying pets.
The California Veterinary Medical Association, in support of upcoming Spay Day USA events taking place on Feb. 27, is calling for owners to have their pets spayed.
“We are encouraging small animal veterinarians to participate in spay-neuter surgeries and other Spay Day USA activities during the month of February. And most importantly, we ask pet owners to take action and get their pets spayed or neutered,” said CVMA President Ron Faoro, DVM.
National Spay Day, created by the Doris Day Animal League in 1995, became a program of the Humane Society of the United States in 2006.
According to the HSUS, every year between 6 and 8 million cats and dogs enter U.S. shelters and 3 to 4 million of these animals have to be euthanized because there are not enough homes for them.
And according to the CVMA, spaying or neutering has many benefits:
- Helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives.
- Eliminates or reduces the incidence of a number of health problems that can be difficult or expensive to treat.
- Eliminates the potential of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of mammary cancer.
- Eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.
- Can help reduce aggressive behavior.
For more information on spaying, or on the California Veterinary Medical Association, visit www.cvma.net