In our ongoing effort to find homes for all puppies and kittens and reduce or eliminate euthanasia as a form of population control, spaying and neutering is an absolute must. Common practice here in the Mat-Su Valley is to wait until the animals are 6 months old before performing this surgery. There are some significant problems with this practice, however.

Anyone who adopts an animal from the Borough Shelter must agree to get it spayed/neutered within 30 days if it is over 6 months old, or after it is 6 months old. They are required to prepay a portion of the cost, which is then reimbursed after proof of surgery. However, only 60% of the animals adopted from shelters are ever sterilized. This means more puppies and kittens, more homelessness and more euthanasia.

The only solution to this predicament seems to be for each animal to be sterilized before going to its adoptive home.But if the puppy or kitten has to be 6 months old before having the surgery, this obviously won’t work. So there is another option. It is called “pediatric” spaying and neutering. Even though it is not commonly done here, there is a great deal of evidence to support the safety of this practice.

In the United States, pediatric spaying and neutering between the ages of 6 weeks and 3 months began in the early 1920’s. It came into regular use in several states in the 1970’s, and is endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.