Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 25, 1993 TAG: 9304230143
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Karen L. Davis
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"Books will tell you that if you're not going to be a breeder, you should have your animals spayed or neutered because they will live longer," Obenshain said.
It's true.
Spaying and neutering really do tip the odds in favor of your pet living a longer and healthier life, according to literature distributed by the Humane Society of the United States and The Fund for Animals.
Spaying is a surgery performed on females to remove the ovaries, tubes and uterus. The operation eliminates heat periods and the ability to become pregnant. It also eliminates the possibility of any diseases or infections in those organs and decreases the chance of breast cancer later in life.
Neutering is a surgery performed on males to remove the testicles. This operation eliminates sperm production and the ability to impregnate females. It also eliminates testicular diseases and decreases the chance of prostate cancer later in life, as well as diseases in other glands affected by male hormones.
Spaying and neutering also reduces an animal's desire to roam in search of mates. Roaming animals are more likely to be killed by a car, injured in a fight or exposed to disease.
The general rule of thumb is to wait until the pet is at least six months old before having either operation done.
"We have two golden retrievers, a Pomeranian and one 18-year-old black cat," Obenshain said. "We want our pets to live as long as they possibly can because we enjoy them so much. I love animals and I believe in responsible pet ownership."
She also believes in education.
As a Roanoke Valley SPCA volunteer, Obenshain mans the Pet Education Booth on the first Saturday of every month at a Kroger store in Vinton, handing out literature about the benefits of spaying, neutering and vaccinations.
"Our purpose is to educate people about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets," Obenshain continued. "If they say they can't afford to do it, I give them a PAL card. I carry PAL cards in my pocketbook all the time. With an organization like PAL, there's really no excuse for not spaying or neutering a pet."
PAL, the Pet Assistance League, is a non-profit, low-cost spay/neuter program financed solely through contributions. The independent corporation was started a little more than a year ago by sisters Jacki Lucki and Robin Watts after they read an article in Cat Fancy magazine on Spay Inc. (Society for the Prevention of Animal Young) of Arlington.
Modeled after Spay Inc., PAL's purpose is to reduce the staggering death toll of unwanted animals by reducing the pet overpopulation, Watts said.
According to PAL literature, 20 million dogs and cats will be euthanized this year throughout the United States - 7,000 in the Roanoke area alone - simply because there aren't enough homes to go around for them.
Watts used to work for the SPCA and knows firsthand about the tragic consequences of pet overpopulation.
"I was the first person trained to euthanize animals there by injection," she said.
PAL is open to everyone, regardless of income.
"The idea is not to screen who can or cannot afford the surgery," Lucki said. "The idea is to get the animals spayed or neutered" in hopes of one day ending the need for euthanasia.
The PAL procedure is simple, "but a lot of people don't know about it," Obenshain said.
Obenshain recently had her 7-month-old golden retriever, John Major, and her 9-month-old Pomeranian, Peanut, both males, neutered through PAL
"It cost me $35 for each of my males, whereas the regular cost would have been from $50 to $70 apiece," Obenshain said.
Here's how the low-cost spay/neuter program works:
Call PAL's answering service at 345-2915. The recording tells you to send your name, address and telephone number with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to PAL, P.O. Box 957, Salem, VA 24153. Volunteers will contact you by phone, or by mail if you don't have a phone, and issue you a free certificate for low-cost spaying or neutering at a participating veterinarian's office.
When you receive the certificate in the mail, call and set up an appointment with the area's only participating veterinarian at this time, Dr. Sharon Coleman of North Roanoke Veterinary Hospital on Peters Creek Road.
Then on the appointment date, deliver your pet with the certificate and pay the discounted fee when the service is rendered. The program is not subsidized; the fee you pay is all the veterinarian gets, Lucki said.
The discounted fees are $17.50 for neutering a male cat; $30 for spaying a female cat; $35-$40 for neutering a male dog, depending on weight; and $40-$50 for spaying a female dog, depending on weight.
In its first year of operation, PAL already has made a difference. Since June, Lucki said 1,872 certificates have been issued and 820 animals have had their surgery.
The SPCA also noted an intake drop of more than 800 animals in 1992, according to Bobbi Nagy, former public relations director for the SPCA.
"I think PAL has made an enormous difference," Nagy said.
You don't have to be a mathematical genius to figure out how big a difference preventing a single litter makes. For example, an average litter of five kittens or puppies will mature within a year to reproduce five more kittens or puppies apiece. In simple arithmetic, that's 25 kittens or puppies in one year, from one litter. Those 25 will have 5 more apiece, adding up to 125, and so on.
Of those 125, a few will find good homes. The rest will be surplus. What happens to them?
Figure it out.
Have a question for The Pet Podium? Send your questions to The Pet Podium in care of the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. Be sure to include your name, address and telephone number for verification.
Karen L. Davis is a Roanoke free-lance writer and pet owner. Her column runs twice a month.
by CNB