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Laura Welling
Math 1030
Final Project
The Numbers Behind Spaying and Neutering Your Pet
I have always loved animals. They have been a part of my life for as long as I can
remember. It saddens me deeply that so many animals have to be put to death because there is
not enough room for them all. The most important thing about spaying and neutering is that it
saves lives but I believe that spaying and neutering your pet has many advantages beyond just
reducing the unwanted pet population. I have used numbers, statistics, and quantitative reasoning
in this paper to amplify and deliver my point.
Every day, approximately 10,000 humans are born in the United States while 70,000
puppies and kittens are born (www.thedogrescuers.com). As long as these birth rates exist, there
will never be enough room for all the animals. The only hope is spaying and neutering. Since the
number of dogs and cats in the United States has more than doubled in the past four decades and
more than 3 out of 5 US households own a pet, you would think we, as owners, would be more
responsible. But this isn't the case.
The number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year is 6-8 million. Between 3-4
million adoptable animals (about 1 every 11 seconds) are euthanized simply because they do not
have homes (www.dosomething.org). Millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness or
injury before dying. These high numbers are almost all the result of unplanned litters that could
have been prevented by spaying and neutering.
There are specific health benefits for your pet if you spay her or neuter him. The risk of
mammary gland tumors, ovarian and/or uterine cancer is reduced or eliminated, especially if you

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spay the animal before her first heat cycle. Likewise, neutering males prevents testicular cancer if
done before six months of age. Spaying prevents uterine and breast cancer, which is fatal in
about 50% of dogs and 90% of cats. Altered animals have a very low to no risk of prostate
cancer, perianal tumors, and pyometria. Spaying eliminates the heat cycle. Dogs are in heat for
about 21 days. This can happen twice a year. Cats can be in heat 3-15 days at three or more
times a year. Fixing them also eliminates any chances of miscarriage and delivery complications.
Overall, you will be giving your animal the gift of a longer, healthier life.
Altering your dog will increase her/her life by an average of 1 to 3 years and altering your
cat will increase his/her life by an average of 3-5 years. Neutered dogs live 18% longer than unneutered dogs and spayed female dogs live 23% longer than unspayed dogs. Pets who live in
states with the highest rates of spay and neutering live the longest. In Mississippi, which is the
lowest ranking state for pet longevity, 44% of dogs are not neutered or spayed.
(www.humanesociety.org) Part of the reduced lifespan of unaltered pets can be attributed to their
increased urge to roam, exposing them to fights with other animals, getting struck by cars, and
other mishaps.
Spaying and neutering also reduces bad behavior. It decreases roaming, aggression and
excessive barking. It will stop the urge to spray their urine. It also decreases howling, fighting,
and the urge to stray. Intact males will do anything to find a mate. They will dig under fences
and engage in risky behavior like running in traffic, fighting with others and getting lost. A
common disease among cats, the Feline Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is spread by bites and intact
cats fight a great deal more than altered cats, spreading this disease. Overall, spayed and
neutered animals are able to focus their attention on their human families.
There are many myths associated with spaying and neutering. One is that it is better

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having one litter before spaying a female pet. The truth is, every litter counts. The average
number of puppies in a canine litter is 6-10. For a feline, a litter is usually between 1-8 per litter
with an average of 3-5 (nalspayneuter.org). Sterilizing at eight weeks of age (which is now when
veterinarians suggest) will prevent these extra puppies and kittens.
Another myth is that the dog will be more protective if he isn't neutered. It is a dog's
natural instant to protect his home and family. Being neutered will not change that. It will be his
aggression that will be decreased not his ability to protect.
I have heard the argument that only females need to be fixed since the litters are their
owner's responsibility. I wonder if whoever said that missed a lesson in biology. How do these
pets get pregnant in the first place? A male pet can easily father more than 750 offspring in his
lifetime. This figure will often increase, as I will show later on.
It is a myth to assume that you will find good homes for all the puppies and kittens. You
may be lucky and find homes for your pet's litter but what happens after that? Your pet's puppies
and kittens, or their puppies and kittens, could end up in the animal shelter, as one of the many
homeless pets in every community competing for a home.
The most common myth has to be that it is too expensive to have my pet spayed or
neutered. The cost of your pet's spaying and neutering surgery is a lot less than having and caring
for a litter. When you factor in the long-term costs potentially incurred by a non-altered pet the
savings afforded for spaying and neutering are obvious. For example, caring for a pet with
reproductive system cancer of pyometra can easily run into the thousands of dollars 5 to 10
times as much as a routine spay and neuter.
I did some research and contacted thirty-four of the major veterinary hospitals in the Salt
Lake Valley to see how much they charge to spay or neuter cats and dogs. The variables which

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affected the cost of neutering a cat involved pre-anesthetic blood work which would add an extra
$40.00 and extra pain medication which was around $20.00. I recorded the prices without these
extras. The range was between Southeast Valley which was the highest at $360.87 and the Spay
& Neuter Clinic which was the lowest at $32.00. The mean price to neuter a cat was $96.20.
Spaying involves more invasive surgery than neutering so it was no surprise that it is more
expensive. To spay a cat there were several variables that could affect the cost. If the cat is in
heat or pregnant it costs $25.00 extra. The pre-anesthetic blood work was $40.00. The extra
pain medication was $20.00. And, finally the IV fluids were $50.00. Again, I just figured the base
price. The range was between Holladay Veterinarian Hospital at $532.00 and the Spay & Neuter
Clinic again at $42.00. The mean price to spay a cat is $190.33.
To neuter a dog several more variables come into play. The price depends on the weight
and age of the dog. The pre-anesthetic blood work is $40.00. The extra pain medication is
$20.00 and a e-collar (if necessary) is $10.00. I based the price as if the dog were a three year old
Labrador Receiver who weighed 70 pounds. The more the dog weighs and the older the dog, the
more expensive the procedure is. The range was from East Valley Hospital at $400.00 to
Midvalley Animal Clinic at 89.00. The mean price to neuter a dog was $205.62.
Finally, spaying a dog is also affected by the dogs weight and age. There are lots of
variables for this procedure. If the dog is in heat or pregnant it is an extra $25.00. The preanesthetic blood work is $40.00. The extra pain medicine is $20.00 and IV fluids were $50.00.
To keep the prices consistent I used a 70 pound, 3 year old Labrador Receiver again and did not
include any of the extra charges in the base fee. The range was between Southeast Valley at
$563.00 and the Spay and Neuter Clinic again at $100.00. The mean price for spaying a dog is
$280.00.

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The Spay and Neuter clinic is one of a few low-cost spay and neuter clinics. The other
two that I found were the Humane Society of Utah and No More Homeless Pets. They charge
considerably less for these procedures yet offer the same operation done by a licensed
veterinarian.
There are many benefits to the community to have pets spayed and neutered. In this
country tax-payers spend two billion dollars annually to pick up, house, and euthanize homeless
animals (ASPCA). If only 5% of that total were allocated to spay/neuter programs, we could open
up 250 public, low-cost spay/neuter clinics across the country and sterilize more than four million
animals each year.
Stray animals can easily become a public nuisance. They prey on wildlife, cause car
accidents, damage property, and may attack other animals or people (especially children). There
is also the threat of rabies and other serious diseases which can be a public health hazard.
What about breeding? Approximately 25% of dogs taken to the animal shelter are
purebred. All breeders, whether they are responsible or not still contribute to what has become
an overwhelming, overpopulation problem.
It comes down to the fact that there are not enough homes for all of the cats and dogs.
They are extremely prolific. I couldn't believe it myself when I saw the actual figures of how
many offspring an unspayed dog or cat can produce in its lifetime. The figures are staggering.
One unspayed dog, her mate and all of their offspring, plus the offspring's puppies, if none are
spayed or neutered add up to: 4 offspring in the first year (if two of them are female), 12
offspring by the 2nd year, 36 offspring in the 3rd year, 324 offspring in the 5th year and an amazing
4,372 offspring by the dogs 7th year (nccn.net).
The statistics on cats are even more scary. An unspayed female cat, her mate, and all of

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their offspring, producing two litters per year with 2.8 surviving kittens can total: 12 offspring in
the first year, 144 offspring in the 2nd year, 1,724 offspring in the 3rd year and an unbelievable
10,736 offspring by only its fourth year (nccn.net).
There are many reasons to spay and neuter your pet. Whether it is to improve their health,
modify their behavior, save future vet costs, or help the community, the bottom line is that spaying
and neutering your pets is a good thing to do. These animals are dependent on us. They need
our help to reduce their numbers until there are good homes for them all.

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References
(2014) Retrieved from www.ASPCA.com.
(2014) Retrieved from www.dosomething.org.
(2014) Retrieved from www.humanesociety.org.
(2014) Retrieved from www.nalspayneuter.org.
(2014) Retrieved from www.SpayUSA@AnimalLeague.org.
(2014) Retrieved from www.SpayUSA@AnimalLeague.org.
(2014) Retrieved from www.thedogrescuers.com.

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