Spay/Neuter Around the world
Yesterday Alabama Spay/Neuter visited with Dr. Augusto Barragan of Panama and Dr. Thomas W. Kahema of Tanzania. They were getting a different perspective of how spay/neuter is done in the United States and they were very impressed.
Dr. Augusto Barragan is with Spay Panama. Spay Panama was started in the Republic of Panama in 2001. For years, a small group of volunteers and vets worked together to make a difference and improve the welfare of the less fortunate animals. The more animals were sterilized, the more animals Pat, founder of Spay Panama, saw that needed to be done; and they were criticized by the Panamanain vet community. In Pat's words,"It was like swimming against a strong current." On the other side was Dr. Isis Johnson-Brown, who after having a successful career as a medical tech, saw the need of the less fortunate animals and went back to vet school and focused on the solution of the root of the homeless animals problem: Spay/neuter services should be within reach - geographically and financially - for everyone who has a cat or dog. For more information visit www.spaypanama.org
Dr. Thomas W. Kahema is with the Tanzania Animal Welfare Society. Tanzania Animal Welfare Society (TAWESO) is a non- profit, non-governmental organization registered in Tanzania with a major aim of promoting animal welfare in Tanzania. They are a group of veterinarians, teachers, members of community, agricultural workers working currently mainly on volunteer basis. The Government does not provide funding to civil societies. TAWESO is grass root community organization registered on 18th of April, 2008. They are volunteer organization devoted to help animals by fighting against all forms of animal cruelty. In Tanzania, animal welfare is not a priority to many people as they are faced with many other life challenges like street children, extreme poverty and hunger and therefore their society is working hard on various animal programmes- Delivery of animal health care, Dog and cat population control, Working Donkey Welfare, Humane Education in order to improve the welfare of street and housed animals in the country. We have representatives in 4 regions of Tanzania in Mwanza, Dodoma, Cost Region and headquarters in Dar es salaam city. For more information visit www.taweso.orgBoth are wonderful organizations making a significant impact on the overpopulation rate in their countries. Over population and euthanasia of healthy adoptable pets is obviously not a problem that is a effecting just Alabama, this problem is global.
By providing sterilizations to a targeted zip code, we have a better chance of reducing or eliminating shelter in take in that area then we move on to another high volume zip code.
But we can not do it alone. Alabama Spay/Neuter has been getting the word out and educating on importance and pros of spay/neuter. Besides reducing overpopulation and euthanasia, there are so many other benefits to spay/neuter such as:
Females:
- No heat cycles, therefore males will not be attracted
- Less desire to roam
- Risk of mammary gland tumors, ovarian and/or uterine cancer is
reduced or eliminated, especially if done before the first heat cycle
- Reduces number of unwanted cats/kittens/dogs/puppies
- Helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives
Males:
- Reduces or eliminates risk of spraying and marking
- Less desire to roam, therefore less likely to be injured in fights or auto accidents
- Risk of testicular cancer is eliminated, and decreases incidence of prostate disease
- Reduces number of unwanted cats/kittens/dogs/puppies
- Decreases aggressive behavior, including dog bites
- Helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives
Other wonderful reasons:
- Sterilization of your cat or dog will increase his/her chance of a longer and healthier life. Altering your canine friend will increase his life an average of 1 to 3 years, felines, 3 to 5 years. Altered animals have a very low to no risk of mammary gland tumors/cancer, prostate cancer, perianal tumors, pyometria, and uterine, ovarian and testicular cancers.
- Sterilizing your cat/dog makes him/her a better pet, reducing his/her urge to roam and decreasing the risk of contracting diseases or getting hurt as they roam. Surveys indicate that as many as 85% of dogs hit by cars are unaltered. Intact male cats living outside have been shown to live on average less than two years. Feline Immunodeficiency Syndrome is spread by bites and intact cats fight a great deal more than altered cats.
- Your community will also benefit. Unwanted animals are becoming a very real concern in many places. Stray animals can easily become a public nuisance, soiling parks and streets, ruining shrubbery, frightening children and elderly people, creating noise and other disturbances, causing automobile accidents, and sometimes even killing livestock or other pets.
- The American Veterinary Medical Association
- The capture, impoundment and eventual destruction of unwanted animals costs taxpayers and private humanitarian agencies over a billion dollars each year. As a potential source of rabies and other less serious diseases, they can be a public health hazard.
- The American Veterinary Medical Association
Please Spay and Neuter your pets. It is the only humane solution
