Low Cost Spay/Neuter Options in Colorado:
Denver Dumb Friends League – Denver
Planned Pethood Plus – Denver
Downtown Animal Care Center – Denver
Humane Society of the South Platte Valley – Littleton / South Platte Valley
Spay Today/Neuter Now! Clinic – Lakewood
Humane Society of Boulder Valley – Boulder/Broomfield
Longmont Humane Society – Longmont
Humane Society of Pikes Peak Region – Colorado Springs / Pueblo
Don’t see a clinic listed in your area? Search the Spay Colorado website, or contact your local Humane Society or Animal Shelter. Most shelters provide low cost services to their community, offer vouchers, or can refer you to a local clinic.
Why SPAY AND NEUTER?
Colorado Shiba Inu Rescue believes very strongly that all pets should be spayed/neutered. We spay/neuter all our dogs or puppies prior to placing them in homes. We also do not place dogs in a home with dogs that have not been spayed/neutered. Why is spaying/neutering so important?
Spaying/neutering is critical to keeping the overpopulation of unwanted pets down:
- 6.4 million dogs/cats enter shelters each year in the US
- 1.5 million dogs/cats are euthanized each year in US shelters
- Only 10% of the dogs/cats received in shelters are spayed/neutered
Spaying/neutering is important to the long term health of your pet:
- Spayed females live longer
- Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors, which are malignant or cancerous in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats
- Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases
- Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and prostate problems
Spaying/neutering can prevent or stop unwanted behaviors:
- Neutered males are less likely to mark their territory indoors. Dogs that are know to mark indoors, most likely will stop marking post neuter
- Neutered males are lss likely to mount or “hump” other dogs, people, or objects due to sexual arousal
- Neutered males are less likely to escape (which is already an issue for Shibas), as they will not feel the need to go out looking for a mate!
- Males that are not neutered (or intact) are more likely to be aggressive toward other dogs. Conversely, other dogs, are more likely to behave aggressively towards intact males, wether they are aggressive themselves or not.
Common misconceptions about spaying/neutering:
- My dog will feel like less of a male if he’s neutered – FALSE! Dogs don’t have a sense of ego, bravado, or sexual identity, so the surgery will not impact them in that way. That’s a human emotion being projected onto our dogs!
- Spaying/neutering will cause my pet to become overweight after – FALSE! A lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to become overweight, not spaying/neutering.
- Spaying/neutering is too expensive. – FALSE! The ASPCA and many other organizations offer low-cost spaying/neuter clinics. Many vet clinics have also chosen to keep the cost down to encourage pet owners to spay/neuter. Your dog will live a longer, healthier life and is less likely to get cancer or other health problems which are far more costly to treat than a spay/neuter surgery!
When to spay/neuter:
- Puppies can be spayed/neutered as young as 8 weeks old if they are healthy.
- Traditionally, it is done between 6-9 months for males, as it can take that long for their testicles to “drop”.
- Females should be spayed before going into their first heat, which can happen as young as 6 months old. Studies show females spayed before their first heat are healthier and live longer.
- Adult dogs can still, and should be, spayed or neutered as adults at any age.
