How many dead pets will it take?

[CindyR]

From the Petroglyphs Summer newsletter:

UNWANTED SHELTER ANIMALS DUMPED IN LANDFILL EVERY YEAR IN SELECTED CITIES OF NEW MEXICO, MEASURED BY TON

ALBUQUERQUE - 232 TONS
LAS CRUCES - 165 TONS
SANTA FE -- 26 TONS
FARMINGTON - 101 TONS
SILVER CITY -- 60 TONS

SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PET AND ALWAYS ADOPT A SHELTER PET!
PLEASE DON'T CONTRIBUTE TO THIS NEEDLESS TRAGEDY!

[P. Price]

Yes, the numbers are way too high. It is just so shocking to think about such needless death in terms of tons. It illustrates how we all need to collectively strive to do better. Thanks you for sharing, Cindy.

[Lisa]

Good to know Mary. Yes, the big M, glad I am over that. :) Thank you for the info. :)

[mary]

Just wanted to comment on the spay/neuter age issue. I have not seen any new data lately except for a small study that did not seem statistically significant so not worth discussing I don't think. Animal Welfare agencies, high volume high quality spay neuter clinics and others have been altering dogs and cats as young as eight weeks for long enough to know that the benefits outweigh the dangers. There was talk at one time that growth plates closed differently with early age spay/neuter resulting in a taller animal. Others talk about urinary issues but we still don't know for sure. For me and my personal pets, I wait until 4-5 months simply because I worry about anesthesia with the teeny tinys. You can see urinary incontinence anytime hormone levels are disrupted no matter when the animal is spayed. Try menopause :(

[Lisa]

I guess I stick to the old rules, I hate to spay or neuter till they are almost 6 months in age, simply because I have seen too many developmental problems if they are spayed at 6 to 8 weeks of age. Especially with cats. Males have probably the most problems, with urinary tract sand, and still wishing to nurse throughout their early years, to name a couple. I have had a whole lot less problems with them being "fixed" when they were a bit older.
I understand the need to get them sooner than later with the shelter, because people will simply "forget" or it's inconvenient when it is time to do it so it doesn't get done. Which is why I will probably adopt older critters. :)
Either way, if we can even just educate one person at a time about spaying and neutering and adopting unwanted pets, we have made a difference, And we can hope that they in turn will pay it forward. :) All it takes is one step at a time. :)

[Ben Swan]

Hey, just got back from the pool. Still in Las Vegas. Home tomorrow. Mary Martin says it's been disproven that you have to wait a certain amount of time before spaying or neutering. If I'm not mistaken, Mary says they've been spaying and neutering as early as 8 weeks. Will need to double-check that. Perhaps Mary can give us her perspective on it ... I think three months has long been established as the time to have that done.

[CindyR]

Gosh, I sure don't think 6 months is too young. Ginger was 5 months. I think alot of animal shelters nowadays are spaying at just a few months old.
I dunno. Good question though -- since BOTH Ginger and Nita have urinary incontinence. :-(
Any vets or vet techs out there that can answer this one???

[Claudia Inoue]

Cindy, I agree, but what about spaying a female dog TOO early and causing canine incontinence? Have you found that to be true? I wonder about Nita :(.....I wonder if I was OVER zealous and spayed her too young, she was 6 months old :(

[CindyR]

Yup, we're on the same page Lisa. When I picked up Ginger as a new foster pup, she was spayed within 5 days. That was my PRIORITY.

[Lisa]

Yes, and changing a cultural mentality is extremely difficult. Especially about spaying an neutering. :( And it isn't just cats and dogs that are euthanized, it's pet rabbits, horses, burros, guinea pigs, poultry, etc. It shouldn't have to be like this. And people who buy only pets from a "breeder" are only encouraging the problem. That also is a "mentality" problem. I only rescue or adopt. And they all get fixed. :)

[CindyR]

In all honesty, I'm not sure how "current' these numbers are. Maybe Ben can run down the real "scoop!" But the reality is, no matter what the numbers are today -- it's still WAY TOO MUCH.