By Tawnya Summers, Cat Enthusiast, BA (Hon.)
Part of responsible pet ownership is responsible health practices, and for us, that includes sterilizing all of our dogs and cats to prevent unwanted litters.
Sterilization can be a very safe and affordable procedure. We’ve seen it firsthand at Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force clinics, and through the use of our partner vets and low-cost spay/neuter clinics around the city. If you’ve received a shocking price for alteration from your regular vet, or you’re simply looking for places to try, here are some of our favorite clinics you can turn to for another quote:
Edmonton
West Edmonton Spay and Neuter 6023 199 Street
Whitemud Crossing Animal Hospital 110-4211 106 Street
The Spay Clinic 10575 111 Street
Edmonton Spay and Neuter Clinic 13667 66 Street
Edmonton Humane Society PALS Program
http://www.edmontonhumanesociety.com/content/pals
Sherwood Park
Lakeside Veterinary Clinic 993 Fir Street
Beaumont
Montrose Pet Clinic, Inc 109-6002 29 Ave
Morinville
Morinville Veterinary Clinic 9804 90 Ave
Blake Lively, one of our current adoptable dogs.
At Zoe’s, we also know that spaying and neutering does more than just help reduce the pet population… it also has many health benefits for your animals! Here are some of the other reasons veterinarians recommend altering your animals:
- altering your pet can reduce aggression and dominance-related behaviour
- altering your pet can lead to less roaming or wandering away from home
- altering your pet can lead to a reduced risk of developing certain types of cancers (testicular, prostate, ovarian, mammary, uterine etc.)
- spaying your females will dramatically decrease the risk of developing pyrometra (a fatal uterine infection)
- your pet will be less likely to “mark”, “spray”, or urinate around the house
- the cost of caring for an unwanted litter is far greater than one surgery
It is up to you and your vet to determine when you will choose to spay or neuter. Like many rescues, the Humane Societies of North America support early spay and neuter practices, and work to dispel common myths about spaying and neutering.
“Pediatric spay or neuter has been routinely and safely performed for many years now on animals from 6-12 weeks” – Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, extracted February 2015
“Medical evidence indicates that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. (Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age.)” – Humane Society of the United States, August 2014
“Females do not actually benefit from having a litter before they are spayed” – Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, extracted February 2015
“Pets become fat and lazy as a result of overeating and a lack of exercise, not from spaying or neutering” – British Columbia SPCA, extracted February 2015
How else can I help?
- Encourage your friends and family to spay and neuter!
- Educate yourself on how many animals spaying and neutering can save, or how many lives are lost yearly as a result of unwanted litters.
- Volunteer for the Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force, who strives to lower the number of unwanted pregnancies in rural areas.
- Or, sponsor a spay or neuter for your local rescue!
Zoe’s is not paid to endorse these clinics, and we do not guarantee a lower quote or similar surgical outcome to our sterilizations.
Purple demotes some of Zoe’s Animal Rescue’s partner veterinary clinics.
Sources:
The Humane Society of the United States
Canadian Federation of Humane Societies
