Bark ATL's Spay/Neuter Requirements

At Bark ATL we require your pet be spayed or neutered in order to join in on the fun. Why?? Well, there a several reasons. The most obvious reason is to prevent adding to the pet overpopulation problem. However, there are other real benefits relating to a pet's health (dog or cat).

Spaying, or ovariohysterectomy, is the surgical removal of the animal's ovaries and uterus. What's more, spaying female pets eliminates:

• Attendant males in abundance while the female is in heat
  
• Spotting during the heat period
  
• False pregnancies (increasingly common with age)
  
• Mammary tumors (less than 1% incidence in animals spayed before their first heat, versus higher than 50% incidence in intact female dogs over 5 years of age)
  
• Uterine infections (increasingly common with age; often life-threatening)
  
• Tumors of the ovaries or uterus
• Stress, leading to increased susceptibility to disease
  
• Need for extra food during pregnancy and nursing

In terms of behavior, male dogs will benefit even more than females from being neutered. Neutering, or castration, is the surgical removal of the animal's testicles. An unneutered male can detect a female in heat even miles away. Neutering decreases roaming by 90%. Responding to the overwhelming urge to reproduce, he will often become nervous and irritable, perhaps picking fights with other dogs, or become lethargic, less responsive to his owner, stop eating, or act ill or depressed. Among the problems reduced or eliminated by neutering male pets are:

• Territoriality and aggression, including urinating to mark territory, and fighting to defend it
  
• Wandering, escaping, and automobile injuries
  
• "Riding" inappropriate objects
  
• Prostate enlargement (occurs in at least 60% of unneutered male dogs 5 years or older)
  
• Prostate tumors and infections
  
• Tumors of the testicles, penis, anal area
  
• Perineal hernia (rupture of the posterior abdominal wall)
  
• Stress, leading to increased susceptibility to disease
  
• Need for extra food

Healthy animals are put down every day because there are simply not enough homes for them - and more and more come in everyday. It is heartbreaking to know that a loving, happy, and healthy animal is to be euthanized. We must all work together to stop uncontrolled and irresponsible breeding of our pets. We can help to stop the suffering of these innocent creatures by reducing the number of unwanted pets being brought into this world. Do your part by having your pet spayed or neutered. You'll be saving more than just one life!

Source sites: here and here.