As an employee at the New Albany Floyd County Animal Control & Shelter, I am faced daily with the repercussions of people not spaying or neutering their pets. Across this nation, millions of animals die due to the hard cold reality of pet overpopulation! This is not the fault of animal shelters, it simply is the result of animals being allowed to reproduce without looking at the ramifications of bringing more puppies or kittens into a world where there are already too few homes and responsible pet owners.

Yesterday, I had my heart broken (again) due to a pet owners choice to not alter their dog. I’m a softie for smooshfaced dogs, and when an older little clown came in, I fell in love. This little fella was microchipped, but his chip wasn’t registered. We contacted the dog’s breeder, but never heard back from them. I was disappointed on his initial exam when I discovered that he not only wasn’t neutered, he had a retained testicle. On his surgery day, the end result was what I feared, the word CANCER. His retained testicle had turned into a cancerous entity, eating away at his bladder wall, shortening his life every day. Our veterinary surgeon attempted to remove the tumor, but the attempt was futile and euthanasia became our only option. Alas, a dog that we could have placed in a home in a heartbeat was euthanized needlessly. In so many ways, his loving owner destroyed this dog: not registering his microchip, not neutering him, no identification, and allowing him to roam the streets.

If you do not have a registered dog or cat with responsible homes waiting, why breed them or allow them to reproduce? Every home your pet’s offspring takes, could go to a shelter animal. Every heat cycle that your female pet goes through increases her risk of mammary and ovarian cancer. Male dogs are susceptible to testicular and prostate cancer, especially if they have a retained testicle.  Older females that have not been spayed run the risk of getting a severe uterine infection called a pyometra. If the infection takes hold, the only possibility of saving them is surgery, and its very expensive and the risk of death is high.

If you cannot afford to have your pet altered, WE CAN HELP! There are many resources available to make spaying or neutering your pet affordable for everyone. PLEASE call us if you need assistance. We can direct you to the help that you need, and you can do your part and SAVE LIVES!

Theresa Stilger, RVT 

Animal Care Coordinator