The Single Best Thing You Can Do for Your Pet

Spaying and neutering is a routine surgery - and one of the most important health decisions you'll make for your pet. Karen, Director of Animal Care at the HBSPCA, explains why it matters so much, both for individual animals and for the wider community.

A Health Decision First

For Karen, the case starts with your pet's health.

"Spaying and neutering your pet can greatly reduce some cancers," she explains, "and for female animals, it can stop the possibility of them having an infection in their uterus."

Fixed pets also tend to roam less, mark less, and show less aggression.

Her summary is short: "It's the best thing that you can do for your pet."

More Litters Than Homes

Spaying or neutering protects your pet, and it also eases a problem that affects every shelter in the region. The HBSPCA hospital has run a high-volume spay/neuter program for dogs and cats for 18 years and has completed more than 50,000 surgeries. The need still hasn't slowed down.

"Overpopulation is a huge problem. It continues to be," Karen says. "Animals repopulate really quickly. There is a crisis with cat overpopulation, so even just letting your cat have one litter is really causing additional issues for us."

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Each year brings more animals than there are homes to take them, so preventing a single unplanned litter has a direct effect.

The good news: booking is simple, the price is set to reach the whole community, and most pets are dropped off in the morning and picked up the same afternoon.

What to Expect When You Book

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Booking with the HBSPCA is straightforward. Once you register, you'll get an email with everything you need to prepare your pet, along with your drop-off and pick-up times. Most animals are admitted in the morning, around 8 to 9 a.m., and ready to go home that afternoon, usually between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Every pet gets a pre-surgical exam before their procedure, and the surgery itself comes as one all-in price with no surprises. For cats, that includes core vaccines, a microchip, pain medication, and an e-collar for females - everything they need for a safe surgery and a smooth start to recovery, all in a single visit.

Book Today

Spaying or neutering protects your pet's health, prevents unplanned litters, and reduces the number of animals waiting for homes. It's one appointment with a lasting payoff - for your pet and for every animal still looking for a home.