Teach Early Age Spay/Neuter in Vet Colleges
- al: Robin Yager
- destinatario: Lawrence Heider, Executive Director, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleg
Every year hundreds of thousands of unwanted cats and dogs are euthanized for lack of good homes. Many of these litters could be prevented if the pet was neutered prior to adoption or sale. 30 years of experience shows that the technique can be done between 8 and 16 weeks successfully and with minimal complications.
We the undersigned do hereby request that early-age spay/neuter instruction for puppies and kittens between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks of age be added to the curriculum of all veterinarian schools. We understand that it is currently being taught at Tufts, Washington State and Texas A&M and while we appreciate this, we strongly feel that it should be included in all the schools. While this is not a new concept, indeed, it has been practiced by progressive vets for over 30 years, it is still greeted with skepticism by some veterinarians. We feel it needs to be introduced differently to them in school. From a business point of view, if that's how it needs to be viewed, it works like a charm. IE: New Pet comes to veterinarian for shots, with last appointment neuter is scheduled, pet gets neutered before first heat cycle PLUS qualifies for reduced licensing fee. Less blood, less time, fewer complications and a happy owner. A win, win situation for all involved. Please help us fight the pet over-population problem by encouraging your students to be progressive in their practices and techniques.
