The Central Pennsylvania Humane Society is joining with other local and national animal groups in February to help curb the pet overpopulation in Blair County.
\n\u201cSpay Days\u201d is a nationally observed February event that places emphasis on the importance of spaying or neutering pets. CPHS will use the month-long occasion to raise funds to help those who otherwise couldn\u2019t afford to pay for the procedures and to educate those about the benefits of spaying and neutering. CPHS can provide vouchers for low-income animal owners and work with area vets to help assure that anyone, regardless of financial status, is able to have their pet spayed or neutered.
\n\u201cWe know that all responsible pet owners understand the need to control the pet population. The answer is spaying\/neutering,\u201d says CPHS Executive Director Dave Hopkins.
\nThe ASPCA says pet altering has a variety of great benefits. Spaying females stops the \u201cheat cycle\u201d and eliminates unwelcome visits by males. It also greatly reduces the chances for breast cancer or uterine disease in females or genital problems in males.
\nNeutering male dogs reduces their urge to roam and stops male cats from \u201cmarking\u201d their territory. Both sexes benefit from removing discomfort, distress and distraction and free the pets to enjoy time with their owners according to experts.
\nAccording to information retrieved from the Humane Society of the United States website, female dogs and cats are spayed by removing their reproductive organs, and male dogs and cats are neutered by removing their testicles. In both cases, the operation is performed while the pet is under anesthesia.
\nDepending on your pet\u2019s age, size and health, he or she will stay at the veterinarian\u2019s office for a few hours or a few days. Depending on the procedure, the pet may need stitches removed after a few days.
\nMost pets can be spayed or neutered between two and five months old, before they are sexually mature. Animal experts say owners should consult with their veterinarians to determine the best time for the procedure.
\nEveryone benefits from the procedure.
\nPet owners who have their animals spayed or neutered are rewarded in a number of ways. The procedures make pets better and more affectionate companions; neutering of cats makes them less likely to spray and mark their territory; and it makes pets less likely to bite.
\nFor the animals, it allows them to live longer and healthier lives. It also can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat; eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when the pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle; and neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.
\nThe community also benefits. Spaying and neutering programs decrease the irresponsible breeding, which contributes to the problem of dog bites and attacks. It also control stray pets and homeless animals who get into trash containers, defecate in public areas or on private lawns, and frighten or anger people who have no understanding of their misery or needs.
\nLeft unchecked, the animal population mushrooms at an alarming rate. For example, one pair of cats \u2013 a male and a female if not fixed and none of their offspring is either \u2013 in just 7 years they can theoretically produce up to 420,000 cats.
\nThere are four places pet owners can look once they decide the spay\/neuter programs are to their advantage.
\nOwners are encouraged to contact the CPHS at 942-5402, SPAY\/USA at 1-800-248-SPAY, the local veterinarian or the Pets 911 website.
\nCPHS \u201cSpay Days\u201d 2003 will be headquartered in the Logan Valley Mall the on Saturday, February 22nd and Sunday, February 23rd with an information booth\/display near the food court. Animal lovers are encouraged to stop by and pick up information on spay\/neuter procedures, make donations or apply for the free surgeries.
\nIn addition, CPHS will be placing special \u201csponsor stick-ups\u201d in a number of area establishments. Customers will be encouraged to make a donation and sign the small yellow \u201cSpay Days 2003\u201d sheets that will be posted throughout the participating stores\/restaurants\/bars to show support for the effort. Pet owners\/lovers can facilitate the local program by sponsoring an animal’s surgery. Any dollar amount will help according to CPHS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Central Pennsylvania Humane Society is joining with other local and national animal groups in February to help curb the pet overpopulation in Blair County. \u201cSpay Days\u201d is a nationally observed February event that places emphasis on the importance of spaying or neutering pets. CPHS will use the month-long occasion to raise funds to help […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47295\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}