Donations needed to help fund spay/neuter efforts

Pinal County Animal Care and Control urges pet owners to spay and neuter all companion animals, especially cats and dogs.

Arizona’s special Pet Friendly license plates generate funds specifically used toward spay and neuter programs. A little more than half of the special plate fee goes into a spay/neuter fund. The county applies to the fund for grants and received a grant of $9,500.

Unfortunately, the cost to spay and neuter the county’s animal population far exceeds the grant funding. More donations are still needed to meet demand.

Pinal County has two programs that aim to reduce the number of unwanted animals through spay and neuter programs. There are mobile clinics announced during certain times of the year (watch http://co.pinal.az.us/AnimalControl/ for announcements).

The other program is a voucher program offering discounted spay or neuter surgery. Donations to either program are vitally needed and every penny counts.

To donate, mail your contribution to:

Pinal County Animal Control
Attn: Spay/Neuter Program
P.O. 3061 RS
Casa Grande, AZ 85230

You may also donate in person. Visit the shelter at 764 South Eleven Mile Corner Road in Casa Grande weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adoption hours are between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. The San Manuel shelter, located at 27390 South Veterans Memorial Boulevard, is open by appointment only.

“The majority of the pets we spay and neuter through our mobile or on-site clinics would never have been seen by a vet, even for routine care,” Animal Care and Control Director Ruth Stalter said. “Without discount spay and neuter programs, we will have more litters of unwanted animals clogging our nation’s shelters. Education and prevention are the only solutions.”

Many people, Stalter said, misunderstand spay and neuter surgery – either thinking that it’s painful for the animal or harms them somehow. It is actually far less painful than carrying and birthing a litter. She also cited numerous studies proving that spayed or neutered pets are healthier and less prone to problem behaviors.

Pet overpopulation has reached near epidemic proportions. The problem grows larger when people don’t spay or neuter their animals. One male dog can sire over 750 offspring during a lifetime.

Shelters, breed rescue groups and humane societies across the nation have many more animals than they can care for, leading to rising euthanasia rates. As a result, state law requires pets adopted from a shelter to be spayed or neutered.

What is spay or neuter surgery?

Spay refers to the removal of female reproductive organs in dogs, cats and rabbits. Males are neutered by removing their testicles. The operation is typically performed in a veterinarian’s office or in a mobile veterinary clinic. Pets are given anesthesia and, sometimes, a pain medication for the first day or two after surgery. A pet’s age, size, disposition activity level or health may require an overnight stay, but that is not usually the case. Sometimes a quick return visit is necessary to remove any stitches.

Why should I spay or neuter my pet?

Aside from helping to reduce the number of unwanted or abandoned animals, there are a number of important benefits to spaying or neutering. For example:

Dogs, cats and rabbits live longer with fewer health problems. Spayed females cannot get uterine or ovarian cancer. Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and lowers the potential for prostate disease.

Cats are less likely to spray and mark their territory.

Spayed females do not go into heat. Females in heat can become nervous, fearful and aggressive, or they may cry or act out. Females can go into heat two to three times a year with messy discharge lasting six to 12 days. Rabbits go into heat more often.

Animals that are spayed or neutered often have fewer problems with aggression, biting, roaming, bad temperament or other behavior issues.