Bob Learns the Truth About Fern

Dear Diary,

I once had a lady lover--she was all I ever wanted and more. Every day I dreamt of our lives coming together, a big cage with a waterfall as our home and four or five tiny snakes slithering around as our offspring. We would be one happy family, eating pinky mice and teasing the man who fed them to us. My future was set, I just needed to find a way to get in Fern's cage. How to do it?

Well, I found the perfect opportunity a little past nine on a Wednesday night. The man who feeds me brought my pinky mouse as usual, but there was a loud crashing noise in the back of the clinic that sent him running away without closing the door to my habitat. I slithered down from the branch I was hanging on, and made my way back to Fern's cage. I was so excited! This would be our second encounter (the first was a movie night in my cage).

I climbed up to her cage, where she was sleeping peacefully. She looked splendid! I lightly rapped my head against the glass of her cage. No response. So I tried again. Nothing. Finally, with all my might, I squeezed my head through the tiny crack between the glass and the cage. At this, Fern opened her eyes.

"What do you want?" her eyes told me. This was not the reaction I was expecting. "I'm here for you, my love," my eyes replied to her.

"My love? You mean like brotherly love, right?"

I was really confused. Fern was not my brother. She is a female. Unless...

"Hey Fern! Do you mean to tell me you won't be able to produce my offspring?"

"How would this be possible? I'm a dude snake!"

Silence (well, it was already silent because we were talking with our eyes).

I was in shock! I had no idea this was what I would encounter when I made the journey from my cage to her (I mean, his) cage.

Finally, after much thought, I told Fern that I would love to be his bro buddy. He seemed to like that and we decided to play a joke on the feeder man. We switched cages!

What is so important about spaying and neutering?

 By having your pet spayed/neutered, you are not only helping to decrease the pet population, but giving your loved one a happy and healthy life.

Millions of healthy cats and dogs are euthanized each year in the U.S. due to overpopulation and homelessness. You can do your part to end this by having your pet sterilized at a young age. There are also health and behavior benefits for your pet that receives the spay or neuter.

Health Benefits

Longevity

Studies show that pets who are spayed/neutered, have a longer life than unaltered animals.

Cancer

Spayed females have a greater chance of avoiding cancer, including breast tumors. Also, females that are spayed before their first heat tend to be healthier than those that wait.

Neutering your male pets can help prevent testicular cancer and prostate problems.

Pyometra

Unaltered female dogs run the risk of contracting Pyometra, which can be avoided if they get spayed. Pyometra is an infection in the uterus that can occur if the female has had several heat cycles without getting pregnant.

Clinical signs of Pyometra are determined by an open or closed cervix. The most common symptom of an open cervix is excretion of pus or abnormal discharge. Other symptoms include fever, lethargy, anorexia and depression. A closed cervix is much more dangerous because the discharge collects in the uterus, causing a distended abdomen. Bacteria from the uterus drains into the bloodstream and the dog can rapidly become ill. Contact our office as soon as possible if any of these symptoms occur in your dog.

Behavior Benefits

Females will not go into heat if they are spayed. A pet in heat normally will urinate all over the house, so you are saving yourself a lot of trouble by having the surgery done.

Roaming is less likely in neutered pets. Intact males like to go out looking for females and will leave your house frequently to find them. They risk getting hit by a car or fighting with other male animals.

Neutered males act much better. Intact males mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine everywhere. They are more aggressive and will mount on almost everything, including your leg. Neutering helps decrease this.

Have we convinced you?

We encourage you to do your research before spaying or neutering your pet, however, do take into consideration that there are more pros than cons for having the procedure done. You can make a huge difference in ending pet overpopulation simply by making the first step and scheduling an appointment with us.