Q: Why Spay and neuter?

A: To reduce pet homelessness: By spaying or neutering your pet, you’ll help control the pet homelessness crisis. Here are some of the medical benefits:

• For females, spaying helps prevent a life threatening uterine infection called Pyometra and breast tumors, which are malignant or cancerous in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.

• For males, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer and some prostate problems. Here are some of the behavioral benefits: • Your spayed female pet won't go into heat. While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl even in the middle of the night, try to escape, and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house! • Your male dog will be less likely to roam away from home. An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate, including finding creative ways escape from the house. Once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other male animals.

• Your neutered male may be better behaved. Unneutered dogs and cats are more likely to mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Your dog might be less likely to mount other dogs, people and inanimate objects after he’s neutered. Some aggression problems may be avoided by early neutering. •Intact females (dog and cat) can also attract free roaming males to your property when they are in heat. This can lead to fights and bites. Female dogs may also develop a blood tinged discharge from their vulva while in hear that can have drips on your floor, clothes, and furniture.

Q: Why vaccinate?

A: During the first few weeks after birth, your dog received disease-fighting cells and proteins—called antibodies— in his or her mother’s milk, which provided immunity from disease. After this period, vaccines are needed to protect your dog against disease. Which vaccinations should my dog receive? Veterinarians agree that your pet should be protected against those diseases that are most common, highly contagious, and cause serious illness. These diseases could include canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus, and rabies. Other vaccinations may be recommended, based on your veterinarian’s evaluation of the risks posed by such factors as your dog’s particular environment and lifestyle. When should my dog be vaccinated? The immunity that a puppy acquires at birth is temporary and begins to diminish sometime between 6 and 12 weeks. Initial vaccination usually occurs at 6 weeks of age and is repeated every 2–4 weeks until the puppy is between 3–4 months old. Thereafter, your dog will require repeat vaccinations at regular intervals for the rest of his or her life. Otherwise, your dog may not be protected. Above all, follow the vaccination schedule recommended by your veterinarian.

Q: When can I come in?

A: Clinic Hours are 8:00am-4pm   Monday-Friday

Clinic visits are by APPOINTMENT ONLY.

Q: How do I make an appointment?

A: Contact our clinic staff: clinic@lehighhumane.org or at 610-797-1205