Good Medicine
Did you know that a spayed or neutered animal will live longer, healthier life?

Spaying a female (removing the ovaries and uterus) or neutering a male (removing the tescicles) are veterinary procedures performed under general anesthesia. Both surgeries usually require minimal hospitalization. The ASPCA scrongly recommends spaying or neutering your pet as early as possible. Besides preventing unwanted litters neutering a male car or dog before six months of age prevents testicular cancer and prostate disease. Spaying a female cat or dog helps prevent pyometra (a pusfilled uterus) and breast cancer. Treatment of pyometra requires hospitalization, intravenous fluids, and antibiotics and spaying. Breast cancer can be fatal in about 50 percent of female dogs and 90 percent of female cats. For an older, seriously ill animal, anesthesia and surgery are complicated and costly. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.

Peace of Mind
Did you know that a spayed or neutered animal is better behaved?

Males: Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unsterilized males roam in search of a mate, risking injury in traffic and in fights with other males. They mark their 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 hone 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 during breeding season, they yowl and urinate more frequently sometimes all over the house-advertising for mates. Female dogs generally have a Bloody discharge for about a week, and can conceive for another week or so. Often, they attract unneutered males-some from great distances-who spray urine around the females homes.

Responsible Care
Join in the fight against pet overpopulation

Millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized annually or suffer as strays. Many of these are the result of unwanted, unplanned by spaying or neutering rarely surviving for more than a few years on their own, strays die painfully by starvation, disease, freezing or being hit by cars.

Just the facts, Please
   Debunking dangerous myths about spaying and neutering

Myth: My female cat or dog should have a litter before she is spayed.
Fact: The sooner you spay your female, the better her health will be in the future. As long as a kitten or puppy weighs more than two pounds and is two months old, he or she can be neutered or spayed. Many veterinarians practice safe early sterilization. The longer a female goes unsprayed, the greater the likelihood of developing mammary tumors or uterine infection. In fact, a female spayed before her first heat (six to nine months of age) has one-seventh the risk of developing mammary cancer as does an intact female.

Myth: Spaying or neutering will alter my pet’s personality.
Fact: Regardless of the age when spayed or neutered, your pet will remain a caring, loving and protective companion any slight changes will be positive. Neutering will reduce the need to breed, which has a calming effect on many animals. Both neutered male canines and felines tend to stop roaming and fighting and they also lose the desire to mark their territory with urine.

Myth: Companion animals will become fat and lazy if they are neutered.
Fact: Absolutely not! Lack of exercise and overfeeding make pet’s fat and lazy-not neutering, your pet will not gain weight if you provide exercise and monitor food intake. Also, Sterilized pets tend to live an average of two to three years longer than unsterilized pets.

Myth: Letting my pet have a litter will allow my children to witness the miracle of birth
Fact: Countless books and videos are available to teach your children about birth in a responsible manner. Letting your pet produce offspring that you have no intention of keeping is reaching your children irresponsibility. Anyone who has seen an animal euthanized in a shelter for lack of a home knows the truth behind this dangerous myth.     

HOT WEATHER TIPS

Never leave your pet alone in a vehicle. Even with the windows open, a parked car, truck or van can quickly become a furnace on a hot day-and overheating (heat prostration) can kill an animal. Parking in the shade offers little protection, as the sun shifts during the day. Always carry a gallon of cold water for your pet.

Don’t force your animal to exercise after a meal in hot, humid weather. Exercise her in the early morning or in the evening, and keep walks to minimum.

Never leave your dog standing on hot asphalt. His body can heat up quickly and his sensitive paw pads can burn.

Do not take an animal to the beach unless you can provide a shaded spot and plenty of fresh water for him to drink. Rinse him off after he has been in salt water.

It’s smart to provide plenty of shade and a well constructed doghouse for animals staying outside during the hottest part of the day, and make sure she has plenty of cool water. Keep cats indoors.

Be extra sensitive to old and overweight animal in hit weather. Brach cephalic or snub-nosed  dogs such as bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers, Lhasa apses and shih and shih Tzu’s as well as those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air conditioned rooms as much as possible.

Avoid walking your dog in areas that you suspect have been sprayed with insecticides or other chemicals. Be alert for coolant or other automotive fluid for coolant from your vehicle. Animals are attracted the sweet taste, and ingesting just a small amount can be fatal. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at -888-4ANI-HELP if you suspect that you’re animal has been poisoned. 

Keep your animal well-groomed to stave off summer skin problems. Shaving a heavy-coated dog’s hair to a one-inch length helps prevent overheating. Don’t shave the hair down to the skin, though, or you will rob him of protection from the sun. Cats should be brushed often.

Bring your companion animal to the veterinarian for a spring or carly summer check-up-including a test for heartworm, if your dog isn’t on year round preventive medication. Ask your doctor to recommend a safe pest control program to combat fleas and ticks.   

To prevent escape and/or accidental falls, make sure all windows in your home are properly screened.

COLD WEATHER TIPS

Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife.

During the winter, outdoor cats some times sleep under the hoods of cats. When the motor is started, the cat can he injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the cat hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape

Never let your dog off leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm. Dogs can lose their scent and become lost. More companion canines are lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure you’re always wears ID tags

Thoroughly wipe off your dog’s legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, Antifreeze or other chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may bleed from encrusted snow encrusted ice.

Own a short-haired breed? Consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to underneath the belly. For many dogs. This is regulation winter wear.

Never leave your pet alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.

If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him outdoors only to relieve himself.

Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs, and may be difficult to house break during the winter. If your puppy appears to be sensitive to the weather, you may opt to paper train him inside.

Does your dog spend a lot of time urine engaged in outdoor activities? Increase his supply of food, particularly protein, to keep him-and his fur –in tip-top shape.

Like coolant antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain loss toxic propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol.

Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog, be sure to completely dry him before taking him out for a walk.

      SPANISH