The neutering of our pets has become an important aspect of preventative medicine. 

Spaying and castration are surgical procedures that remove the sexual organs.  Today, both of these are proven therapeutic and preventative procedures, but it was not always this way. 

Before these procedures became widely accepted and practiced, there was a terrible problem with stray and feral animals. The population of stray or feral animals presented a serious health risk to the human population.  The number one problem was the spread of the rabies virus incurred from infected dogs and cats.  This situation occurred because the stray dog and cat populations were interacting with the wild animals and becoming infected.  Then, due to their domestication, they would readily interact with people, which provided the opportunity to spread the virus.    It was because of this public health risk that the first effort was made to decrease stray populations of animals through surgical sterilization. 

Since that time, we have experienced other positive results from spaying and neutering.  Females spayed early in life will significantly decrease their chances of mammary carcinoma, a deadly cancer originating from the mammary glands.   Also, because they will not experience pregnancy, numerous potential pregnancy-related complications are avoided.  Neutered males exhibit much less aggression which decreases the number of bite victims every year, as well as the number of dogs and cats that are presented with injuries from other animals.  They are also less likely to roam which decreases their chances of being hit by a vehicle on the road.