GO COLTS!

Spaying or Neutering Your Pet

Each year, an estimated 4-6 million animals are euthanized in shelters. Millions
more die by injury, poisoning, exposure, starvation, and disease. Most of these
victims are the unwanted offspring of family pets. Not spaying or neutering your
pet comes at great cost, including the estimated $2 million spent by U.S. taxpayers
each year to round up, house, kill, and dispose of homeless animals. Only you can
stop the suffering that results from pet overpopulation. Spay or neuter your pet
today.

Why should you spay (female animal) or neuter (male animal)?

1. Peace of Mind. A spayed or neutered (sterilized) animal is better behaved:
    
   • Males - Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unsterilized, unsupervised males roam in search of a mate, risking injury in traffic and in fights with other males. They mark territory by spraying strong-smelling urine on surfaces. Indoors, male dogs may embarrass you by mounting furniture and human legs when stimulated. Don't confuse aggressiveness with protectiveness; a neutered dog protects his home and family just as well as an unneutered dog, and many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering
      
   • Females - While their cycles vary greatly, most female cats exhibit the following signs when in heat. For four or five days, every three weeks, they yowl and urinate more frequently - sometimes all over the house - advertising for mates. Often, they attract unneutered males who spray urine around the females' home. Female dogs in heat also attract males from great distances. Female dogs generally have a bloody discharge for about a week, and can conceive for another week or so.*
      
2. Good Medicine. A spayed or neutered animal will live a longer, healthier life:
    
   • Spaying a female (removing the ovaries and uterus) or neutering a male (removing the testicles) are veterinary procedures with the same general anesthesia used in human medicine. Both surgeries usually require minimal hospitalization.
      
   • Neutering a male cat or dog by six months of age prevents testicular cancer, prostate disease and hernias. Spaying a female cat or dog helps prevent pyometra (a pus-filled uterus) and breast cancer; having this done before the first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. Treatment of pyometra requires hospitalization, intravenous (IV) fluids, antibiotics and spaying. Breast cancer can be fatal in about 50 percent of female dogs and 90 percent of female cats. With an older, seriously ill animal, anesthesia and surgery are complicated and costly.*
      
3. Responsible Care. You can help prevent the suffering and death of millions of animals:
    
   • Conservative estimates state that every spay/neuter prevents on the average four unwanted births in each of the next three years. Almost everyone loves puppies and kittens, but some people lose interest when these animals grow up. As a result, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized annually or suffer as strays. Rarely surviving for more than a few years on their own, strays die painfully by starvation, disease, freezing or being hit by cars.*
      
4. It is MANDATORY in Hamilton County. Anyone residing in Hamilton County that chooses to not spay or neuter their pet must complete and submit a Breeders Permit Application. The application is available at the Humane Society for Hamilton County or can be accessed at the following link:
   http://www.co.hamilton.in.us/services.asp?id=4009&entity=2316

Low Cost Spay Neuter Services

The Hamilton County Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic is located next to the Humane Society for Hamilton County. For information regarding their products and services or to make an appointment call (317) 706-0537 or visit their website at www.lowcostclinic.org.

Please note the Humane Society and the Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic are operated separately and have different hours of operation.

The FACE Clinic is located in downtown Indianapolis at 1505 Massachusetts Avenue. To schedule an appointment, call 317-638-FACE (317-638-3223) between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursdays.

FACE offers a limited number of free spay/neuter surgeries based on financial need and availability. They also offer FREE spay/neuters for dogs in “high risk” categories such as Pit Bulls. Please contact FACE for more information on these programs. http://www.facespayneuter.org.

Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana, Inc. (SNSI) provides low cost spay/neuter solutions for those who financially qualify. You may pick up applications at the shelter or download them from the SNSI website provided below. Please note the fee required for the application is $20 and should be paid to SNSI. We are unable to accept payment and applications at the shelter. For information on the SNSI program, income requirements and how to apply for a certificate, please visit their website at: www.spayneuterservices.org.

NEW: SNSI and the Friends of IACC would like to announce a FREE Spay/Neuter Program for Spring 2008! Pre-registration is required and all animals altered through the program will ALSO receive FREE vaccinations and microchipping! There are no financial requirements to qualify for the program which means there are NO excuses for not spaying or neutering your pet! Stop the pain and suffering caused by pet overpopulation...call for your appointment today! Click here for the flyer and further information.

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If you have questions regarding the Spay/Neuter Assistance Program offered through SNSI, you can send an email to info@spayneuterservices.org or call 317.788.6330.

*Source: FACE Clinic of Indianapolis