Dog and Cat Owners

[CharmedPhoenix]

Are all your dogs and cats fixed? 

I just took my kitties in to a county run, mobile clinic advertised at the library.  Due to my current circumstances I qualified for a grant which made it much more affordable than I expected.  It was just in the nick of time too as my one male had just come of age as my female went into heat, just days before their appointment.  Whew!  He got to her well enough she stopped being in heat.  I know she was a couple days pregnant, but the doctors said she wasn't.  (I've had vets tell me that before and they were wrong each time.)   

What gets me this time is that they marked their beautiful, pristine white bellies with a green dot tattoo without my consent.     I understand why they do it, but you should ask the owner before you permanently mark their animal, not after.  When I found my boys, stray-born under my home, they were losing their belly fur due to bird mites.  (Mom was a good hunter of mourning doves.)  I was so delighted to see them grow back all their fur and have unmarred white bellies.  Now they have an ugly green dot in the middle, where the female incision would be.  (The female has one next to her stitches too.)  I hate green and would have refused this mark.  My house cats stay in 24/7/365 and do not need this.  Why do vets think they can make decisions about our four-footed children?!  If a pediatrician did this sort of thing the parents would be outraged and the doctor would be in danger of losing his license.

The lessons here:
Get your dogs  and cats  neutered.
Watch for programs in your area and/or ask about grants.
When you take them in for neutering ask questions.    You should know and have say so over everything they are going to do to your four-footed children.
Keep your animals contained or leashed.  It's safer for them and your neighbors.

[handllucas]

I have always spayed and nuetered my pets. I do not want to be responsible for creating more pets that I can take care of.

[SherylsShado]

My pets are fixed.  Another great place to check to discount pet services (spaying, neutering, micro-chipping, vaccinations, etc.) is your local humane society.  Ours recently started adding these services and they keep adding to them, last year they were also offering discounted prices on things like nail trims on certain dates when people came in and showed their ebt card.  They're doing everything they can to help people with pets!!

[cbrown25]

None of my cats are fixed, but there so old they don't even go into heat anymore so Idon have anything to worry a

[ladavia89]

My dog is spayed but I worked at animal hospital at the time so it was highly discounted. I miss that employee discount every time I have to take her to the vet

[maxinmotion]

We have two dogs that have to be spayed but the oldest dog will go first and soon. We also, well my daughter has a pop-belly-pig. Do they have to have shots? This pig is great fun and funny. Sometimes she sleeps in the house. People always asks what do she eat? They act surprised when I say pig food. Back in the day the pigs were fed table scraps and corn but they also had pig food then.

[SherylsShado]

We have two dogs that have to be spayed but the oldest dog will go first and soon. We also, well my daughter has a pop-belly-pig. Do they have to have shots? This pig is great fun and funny. Sometimes she sleeps in the house. People always asks what do she eat? They act surprised when I say pig food. Back in the day the pigs were fed table scraps and corn but they also had pig food then.

   I had a friend a few years back that had a pitbull...and a vietnamese pot-bellied pig.  He'd been giving me alot of advice about pitbulls (I had just gotten a puppy and wanted "the best" for her and he'd had his for a few years).  I never had a clue that he had a pet pig until one day he asked me to "pet-sit" the pig, he was taking the dog on vacation.  He thought it was so funny that I was so "surprised".  I honestly thought he was joking the entire week about having a pet pig because he didn't seem like a pet pig 'kind-of-guy'.   
    He had one though...she was alot bigger than I had assumed, and you're right..."fun & funny".  She was really cute.   She  had her own room decorated all in pink, she had a little custom-made hanger that held all her boas, she had her own floor-level mirror, and her name was "Diva".   
    Pigs aren't a popular pet in my area, I know a couple of people that either had to move or give their pet pigs up because their neighbors complained.  (It wasn't that the pigs weren't being taken care of...it was because some people just aren't happy unless they are complaining about something.)
    The guy never said anything about shots, you should ask your veterinarian or whoever you got the pig from.
   

[jwallbank]

I always spay or neuter my Pets. I have mostly had strays except a few that I picked up at a shelter, so I normally get them in to have all their shots and spay or neuter them, not knowing their age or situation. I have had only one from a pup and Two from kittens. I feel it is better off they be fixed because there are too many strays I see on the streets. Some people don't seem to care and just let them loose.

[meguk]

My kitty is fixed!  Has been since we got him, since he was an SPCA special, and that was one of the conditions of adoption.

[dymondzncurlz810]

All my dogs are fixed. My opinion is if you can't afford to spay/neuter you shouldn't have the animal. Finding affordable or cheaper care is always a plus. But pets are expensive and come with A LOT of responsibilities!
 http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/caring-for-your-pet/spaying-neutering.html

 "one cat and her offspring can produce up to 420,000 kittens in a mere six years."

[Boise40]

I have a male dachshund who I have scheduled to get him fix in a few weeks. He is now a year and 1 month old. I was told to get him fix when he was 6 months old but, I couldn't afford to do so at the time. I hate to get him fix because I like to see him have puppies 1st. Its just one those stupid rules that I gotta follow while living here in my apartment. Its not like I'm gonna take him outside and let him mate with all the female dogs in my neighborhood. Anyways, I'm getting him fix by going through Second Chance Companions and it will cost me only $40. Normally, I think it costs about $150 to get a male dog fix.

[LAkathi]

I have three dogs two girls and one boy.  And yes they are all fixed, it is just part of the package of being a good animal owner.  One of my female dogs was tatooed with a good size green"s" when she was spayed.  But so what, she doesn't care, so why should I?

[littlejefe]

My pets are fixed. I have 2 dogs a bacion and a boxer 

[luv4lighthouses]

My cat was adopted and was "fixed" when I got her. I thought at first that I was doing the wrong thing by getting a cat but she is he most lovable companion. She is also so great with my grandkids. Never scratches no matter how they carry her.

[froggylover227]

I have one cat, a 3-year old male. He is strictly an indoor cat, and the only time he has ever been outside is when I take him somewhere (like the vet) in his carrier. We initially wanted to get him fixed, but we never got around to it. Sometimes people tell me to get him fixed now. But I'm worried that fixing him will change his personality, or I've heard too that fixing cats can sometimes make them lethargic and overweight. He never marks his territory either, which is reassuring since most people have told me male cats will. I love him the way he is, and don't want to take any chances at making him love me any less. Like I said before, he is indoor-only, and he won't be able to re-populate even if he wanted to!!