Low Cost Spay and Neuter Programs for your pets

I want to dedicate this to all the poor furry babies in need of homes. We can make a difference one person at a time. This page has been a very popular one - and why? Cause it was needed.

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I made this site because I am an animal lover for one and for the fact that I am tired of so many animals being put down due to people ignoring what they need to do to help. If I was able I would adopt them all.
I so often see people giving away their pets because they cannot afford to take care of them and always they are never spayed or neutered or up to date on vaccines and so forth.
I also always see puppies and kittens being given away in droves due to people just letting their pets breed, while so many need home in shelters and may never leave.
This is a TRUE problem. We all know pet care is expensive, but there are programs and ways to handle this. People just have to be on top of this and do a little foot work.
I have 8 pets all have been rescues - that is the only way I prefer to get my furry babies. I have used programs that are out there to help defer the costs to spay and neuter them.
I just hope this site can help people find a way to spay or neuter their pets and if I help just one that will make me happy.
Maybe it will even inspire someone to adopt a pet into their family and give a new life to a furry friend and enhance their own by doing so.

First let me explain what the difference is - I know I always got confused so here we go:

Spay - A female cat or dog who has had both ovaries and uterus surgically removed, and is not capable of producing offspring.

Neuter - A male cat or dog who has had both testicles surgically removed, and is not capable of producing offspring. Also known as castration. Some refer to "neutered" as a male or female dog that has been surgically altered to render them sterile (testicles removed or ovaries removed, making them not capable of producing offspring).

Is spaying a major surgery?
Yes, because it involves surgically entering the abdomen, it is considered "major surgery". This should not frighten pet owners however, since this surgery is a routinely performed one, and very safe. There are inherent risks with any anesthesia or surgical procedure, and talking over your fears and concerns with your veterinarian should help you understand any special risks that your pet may have.

Is neutering a major surgery?
No, in the sense that neutering does not enter the abdominal or other body cavities.A general anesthetic is required, however, and there are risks, as with any surgery and anesthesia procedure. Dogs and cats generally recover a bit quicker from neutering than spaying since it is not as invasive as a spay.

Low Cost Veterinary Care

MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.

FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don't give them enough exercise.

MYTH: It's better to have one litter first.

FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures.

MYTH: My children should experience the miracle of birth.

FACT: Even if children are able to see a pet give birth-which is unlikely, since it usually occurs at night and in seclusion-the lesson they will really learn is that animals can be created and discarded as it suits adults. Instead, it should be explained to children that the real miracle is life and that preventing the birth of some pets can save the lives of others.

MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.

FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats-mixed breed and purebred.

MYTH: I want my dog to be protective.

FACT: Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog's natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones.

MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.

FACT: Pets don't have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change a pet's basic personality. He doesn't suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered.

MYTH: But my dog (or cat) is so special, I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her.

FACT: A dog or cat may be a great pet, but that doesn't mean her offspring will be a carbon copy. Professional animal breeders who follow generations of bloodlines can't guarantee they will get just what they want out of a particular litter. A pet owner's chances are even slimmer. In fact, an entire litter of puppies or kittens might receive all of a pet's (and her mate's) worst characteristics.

MYTH: It's too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.

FACT: The cost of spaying or neutering depends on the sex, size, and age of the pet, your veterinarian's fees, and a number of other variables. But whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost-a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits. It's a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to significant veterinary bills and food costs if complications develop. Most importantly, it's a very small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of the births of more unwanted pets.

MYTH: I'll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.

FACT: You may find homes for all of your pet's litter. But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year's time, each of your pet's offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The problem of pet overpopulation is created and perpetuated one litter at a time.

ATTENTION: All Animal Lovers - every bit helps: Sign up here and they will donate $1.00 to your favorite Charity....
And don't forget -- for each day you log in they will make a $.01 donation to the charity you've chosen to support! Invite your friends to join and they will make another $1 donation for their registration!

There are pet contests and more here...

See me there
The Party Animal at Animal Attraction

You decided that you wanted to move to an apartment that didn't allow pets. I don't know what lured you. Maybe it was a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Maybe it was a great view. Maybe you liked the woodwork. At any rate, it was more important to you than she was. So you took her down to the shelter, still wearing her cute little pink leopard collar with a bow, and you cheerfully wrote on the card that she was very healthy for her age and friendly and just likes to sleep in the sun! I guess you knew her pretty well - you put her birthday down on the card, too, making me believe you've probably had her for her entire life.

Then you left, secure in your rationalization that somehow, in the midst of kitten season, your seventeen year old cat would find a home. The shelter took a picture of her scared face and big eyes and put it on the web.

For two weeks, I looked at that picture. I hoped someone else would see her fear and feel compelled to help her, but the public wasn't seeing her. She was back in isolation, getting vitamin B shots and subcutaneous fluids. The tech wrote "depressed" on her card. I'm not surprised. I'd be depressed too if I went from "sleeping in the sun" to a metal cage with a thin layer of newspaper.

Finally today, I couldn't stand it anymore. I felt too guilty thinking about her sitting in that cage at her age. So I went down and I got her, and now she's curled up on a fleece baby blanket in a cat tree in my bathroom. When I go in there, she rubs her head on my hand.

Today, I cleaned up your mess. I felt worse for your cat than you did. And all over the city, other rescuers did the same. They rescued your abandoned cats and dogs and bunnies and exotics. And we all wondered the same thing as we did it: How could you create this situation? How is it that you feel no remorse? How is it that you were you able to walk away from an animal you shared your home with for a year, ten years, fifteen years, knowing that they might die because of your actions?

I'll never meet you to ask you those questions. I just hope I meet the person who will be good enough to give your baby that sunny spot to sleep for the rest of her life (however long that is). She deserves it, and it's a crying shame you didn't have the decency to give it to her.

PetFinder

AdoptaPet.com

1-800-save-a-pet

Pets 911

A Puppy's Friends Rescue - Located in PA - they do great work to help save as many pets as they can - check them out

A great article explaining why you should adopt pets from your local shelters and rescues vs going to a breeder and buying a pet
Click here to read the article I found to be very informative

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Is pet insurance worth the price?

The most important thing you need to know about pet insurance is that it is a form of enforced savings that almost never covers the entire bill. You can accomplish the same thing by paying the same monthly premium to your savings account.

The advantage: If your pet has little cause to visit a vet beyond annual checkups, the amount saved belongs to you, not an insurance company. The risk, of course, is if you run into unusually expensive veterinary needs, though our money-saving tips show how to avoid or reduce those (see 20 ways to cut vet costs).

The problem with pet insurance is all its fine-print pitfalls. Indeed, buying a policy may end up increasing a pet owner's total expenditures on veterinary care by thousands of dollars, according to our analysis of five plans. That's because on top of deductibles required by all the insurers, plus any co-pays, unreimbursed costs, and exclusions--all of which you pay out-of-pocket--you also pay premiums. Seemingly small $11 to $50 per-month premiums can add up to $2,000 to $6,000 or more over a pet's lifetime.

"That's quite a bit of money to shell out 'just in case,'" says Dr. David Lee, a lecturer on practice management at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. "A lot of pets go for many years living a long healthy life without ever needing a $1,000 to $2,000 procedure."

Poor value may help to explain why less than 1 percent of pet owners have bought pet insurance.

To assess this insurance, we created "Lucky," an Oakland, Calif., Labrador retriever, the most popular of purebreds, and gave him some of the most common problems that vets see. We then calculated the benefits that a selection of policies would pay and the premiums Lucky's owner would bear over 11 years.

The results appear in the table below.

COMMON AILMENTS: Pet insurance is no bargain

"Lucky" had 9 claims over 11 years--a broken leg, an ear infection, a cut requiring stitches, an eye infection, hypothyroidism requiring years of drug claims, and a torn knee ligament. Total cost of care: $3,301. The insurance plans below would have cost Lucky's owners an extra $497 to $3,380 for care.



Consumer Reports Pet Insurance Story and to see the Tables - Click Here

Another story on Pet Insurance from MSM Money you may also find informative - Click Here

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This is great - you can help by volunteering. Check this out. This is great for pets lovers looking to also explore the world and make a difference.

World Vets is a non profit organization dedicated to providing veterinary services and knowledge to areas in need around the globe. They work with animal advocacy groups and other non-profits to coordinate veterinary resources and match volunteers with projects needing assistance.

If you would like to help or volunteer to help on one of their projects or trips then visit their website. They have positions for veterinarians, technicians, students as well as animal lovers who are willing to be trained as veterinary assistants. There are so many projects and trips to choose from.

Visit World Vets by Clicking Here