Spay/Neuter/Lower-Cost : Pet Resources : Tri-County Humane Society

What is Spaying & Neutering?

Spaying is removing the ovaries and uterus of a female pet. It is a veterinary procedure that requires minimal hospitalization and offers lifelong health benefits.

Neutering is removing the testicles of your male pet. It will vastly improve your pet’s behavior and keep him close to home.

NOTE: Tri-County Humane Society ensures all its dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, and rabbits are spayed/neutered before their adoptions; however, we are not licensed to spay/neuter the public's pets.

Top 10 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet:

Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying helps prevent uterine infections such as pyometra and mamary tumors, which are fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat cycle is recommended.

Neutering provides major health benefits.
Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer if done before six months of age.

Your spayed female won't go into heat.
While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house!

Your male dog won't want to roam away from home.
An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.

Your neutered male will be much better behaved.
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.

Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
Don’t use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.

It is highly cost-effective.
The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered pet escapes and gets into fights with the neighborhood strays!

Spaying and neutering your pet is good for the community.
Stray animals pose a real problem in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets.

Your pet doesn't need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth.
Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is not a good lesson for your children—especially when so many unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are tons of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way - or you can foster a pregnant animal from your local animal shelter!

Spaying and neutering helps fight pet overpopulation.
Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.

Click here for more from the ASPCA on spay/neuter benefits.

Click here to read about the health benefits of spaying/neutering puppies and kittens.

MnSNAP will be returning to Tri-County Humane Society in spring 2025 for the following surgery dates:

May 25
June 1
July 6
August 3
September 7
October 5

MnSNAP will start accepting appointments about four weeks out from the surgery dates. All questions should be directed toward MnSNAP; their team uses TCHS' property for the clinics, but TCHS doesn't have anything else directly to do with the clinics.