Saint Lucia: HelpAWS shares information about snap/neuter policy

Castries, Saint Lucia: The animal welfare organisation and dog shelter in Castries, HelpAWS, shared information about their policy on spaying/neutering on January 4, 2023 (Wednesday). The post by the organisation read, “We are sometimes asked about our policy on spaying/neutering the animals we rescue before sending them off to their forever homes and even challenged at times by potential adopters who are adamant an animal should not be altered prior to 6 months of age or even later.”

As per the post by the organisation, with clinical studies and technology, animal health care has greatly evolved and transitioned through the years, including what is considered to be an acceptable timeline for the sterilisation of companion animals. There are many benefits to juvenile spays/neuters in so many more ways than just preventing unwanted litter.

It added that obviously, the primary focus of spaying/neutering is to help control the animal population, and they know that people have good intentions of eventually spaying/neutering their pets if they are adopted while still intact, but the reality is that time gets away from people and accidents happen – a dog gets out or has a little romance at the dog park and, voila, the world has a half dozen more puppies!

HelpAWS further explained that Juvenile spay/neuter has a much faster recovery time; the incisions are smaller and heal quicker, and the animals resume normal activities within hours of the procedure. Spaying/neutering prevents the urge to mate, which in turn reduces sexually transmitted diseases like TVT and the chances of getting cancers. Early spay/neuter can also help to reduce certain behaviours in dogs, such as aggression. “Recently, we have noticed that there is a misconception that early spay and neuter may hamper the normal growth of the animal or cause joint issues later in life. This has been discussed only as a concern in some very large breeds and is still not scientifically proven,” the social media post stated.

It added that, but the bottom line is that everything we do, including spay/neuter prior to adoption whenever possible, is based on vet recommendations. The decisions made by the organisation and the policies they follow are for the lifelong well-being and health of every animal we rescue. The organisation further said over the past two days, the organisation have completed 52 spays/neuters of the animals at the shelter, and HelpAWS will continue to stand by the policy of juvenile s/n for the well-being of the animals we serve!