GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — February is Spay and Neuter Awareness Month.
It highlights a critical surgery that benefits not only your furry friend, but the animal community as a whole.
By spaying and neutering your pet, you are saving lives and preventing more suffering. If you’re on the fence because of outdated stigmas or financial reasons, there are low-cost options available here in West Michigan.
Spaying or neutering your pet can have a lot of benefits and help them live longer and healthier lives.
Health benefits include decreasing reproductive cancers such as uterine, ovarian, prostate, and testicular cancers. The surgery can also lower the chance your dog or cat will get infections or masses which can lead to expensive treatment or procedures to get rid of.
Fixing can eliminate unwanted behaviors such as spraying or marking inside the home. Plus, roaming-by animals in heat looking to mate only adds to the already staggering number of unwanted animals in shelters.
“If you don't have a set, you know, like a list of people that are waiting to adopt those puppies, it's, you might be risking them ending up in a shelter at some point, and then just creating more overpopulation or just, you know, adding to the burden of our shelter workers," Maggie Latta, Operations Manager, C-SNIP, said.
C-SNIP is an organization in Grand Rapids that offers a high-quality, reduced-cost spay-neuter clinic for pet owners in West Michigan.
Fees start as low as $50 for cats and $115 for dogs. Several shelters in the area also have clinics.
Tuesday, Feb. 22 is World Spay Day.
C-SNIP is hosting a fundraiser that you can donate to starting now.
The money raised will go toward Annie's feral cat fund which is dedicated to trapping, neutering, and returning feral cats, and reducing overpopulation.
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