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 Can You Hear Me Now?
  
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | Right now everything is fixed at my place (except my stallion). I did use to have a stud German shepherd male that was intact. He had to be for breed shows and I took all the required precautions- he was never out of my sight anyway he was my shadow. My two now are rescue mutts and fixed.
I live on a farm and always get things dumped off here. When I was younger and dad was alive we fixed 27 cats between our house and my neighbours in a year; and we only had one house cat to start off with and she was fixed. People just dumped them. I've woken up to a box of kittens at the end of the driveway, miniature rabbits running around the front yard (really bad after Easter), and a puppy tied to the tree. I usually try and find them a good home or they stay as long as they want in the cats case. I can't keep up with them all anymore but I do feed and fix what stays.
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 Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | My pets are all spayed or neutered, but I do agree the cost is ridiculous in some areas. The cat I have now I had neutered back in 2008 and it cost me $256! That is insane to me, like someone else said, there's a problem when it costs the same to neuter a dog or cat as it does a horse. The low cost programs are nice if they are available in your area, but in my experience finding information about those programs isn't always easy. The mobile unit that came through the town I used to live in was downright secretive. |
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Expert
Posts: 1549
Location: Southwest Louisiana | I believe dumping animals is the worst offense. Deciding you don't want an animal and then loading it up and just leaving it behind on a rural road?!! Saw this way too often growing up at my parent's house and now. Imagine what the stray population would be if no one did this...... |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Disclaimer: this turned into a bit of a rant! Sorry. I spend thousands of dollars a year on rescued animals. BHW helped me place two great young dogs last year, y'all rock! :)
Sad sick story from four years ago: I picked up two tiny puppies that had been dumped. I tried to find them homes, couldn't keep them. No takers. I called every veterinarian in the area, and NOBODY would put them down for me. There I was, offering good money, and telling them that these dogs literally were out of options. I was disappointed. All the rescues within 6 hours were full.
I nor my husband could bring ourselves to shoot them.
I understand being a bleeding heart, because I am one, but these were strays out of help. I payed a hefty donation to the local humane society so that they'd take them. I know they ended up euthanized, but at least they didn't starve to death.
I think it would be better if society as a whole came to terms with humane, painless euthanasia. Euthanasia is better than starvation and terror without love any day.
I have a blue heeler and two chihuahua mixes. They're the best dogs ever, and all three were rescues. I just can't bring myself to buy a pure bred dog from a breeder with all the lonely scared dogs out there.
My puppy I just got 6 weeks ago contracted parvo in the shelter, I had mine for a day before they showed symptoms. All her litter mates were destroyed. Mine was rushed to the vet, I have an $800.00 bundle of love. Worth every penny.
As for spaying and neutering, everyone at my house, including myself, won't be having any offspring. If you can't afford them, dont want them, don't own them or let them perpetuate the situation.
Barn cats are my special pet peeve. There's nothing worse than inbred, reeking, wormy, miserable cats full of diseases. I don't understand how people can stand letting their cats go to pieces. Population control is vital! |
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 Strong Willed Woman
Posts: 6577
Location: Prosser, WA | Our dogs are fixed and one cat. One dog just showed up at our place and we like her but didn't want puppies so we got her fixed. We fluctuate on cats from about 7 to 15 and we have kittens every year. We can never seem to keep our cats around too long so we don't get them fixed. Just too many coyotes that come to close. There have been maybe 2 that have stayed around long enough that we start talking about getting them fixed and then next thing you know we don't see that one any more. Hopefully the next place we live we will be able to keep cats around longer and get them all fixed. I'm always surprised we don't see more stray animals where we live but the coyotes very likely could be getting most of them. One night I counted 16 coyotes not 30' from one of my horse pens. |
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Strong Willed Woman
Posts: 6577
Location: Prosser, WA | ndiehl - 2016-05-25 9:19 AM
Right now everything is fixed at my place (except my stallion). I did use to have a stud German shepherd male that was intact. He had to be for breed shows and I took all the required precautions- he was never out of my sight anyway he was my shadow. My two now are rescue mutts and fixed.
I live on a farm and always get things dumped off here. When I was younger and dad was alive we fixed 27 cats between our house and my neighbours in a year; and we only had one house cat to start off with and she was fixed. People just dumped them. I've woken up to a box of kittens at the end of the driveway, miniature rabbits running around the front yard (really bad after Easter), and a puppy tied to the tree. I usually try and find them a good home or they stay as long as they want in the cats case. I can't keep up with them all anymore but I do feed and fix what stays.
That is just really sad and pathetic. |
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Strong Willed Woman
Posts: 6577
Location: Prosser, WA | ridejg - 2016-05-24 1:18 PM
My New Years resolution this year was to get our 10 female barn cats spayed....Mission Accomplished! YAY!!!!!
Our female dogs are spayed as well, and it bugs me totally that people insist on buying a dog, sometimes for huge amounts of money, instead of going to their local humane society and giving a wonderful animal a forever home. Shelter animals rock!!!!
I'm glad we are able to buy a dog if we want. I support breeders who do the testing on their dogs and spend the time learning pedigrees, dispositions and breeding quality animals. It's great that you want to rescue dogs from a shelter but it is also great that there are responsible breeders out there working towards bettering the breed of animal they raise. We have one dog that we bought and one that came to live with us. I like them both but planning on buying again when we get another one. |
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 Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | MS2011 - 2016-05-24 4:03 PM txbredbr - 2016-05-24 12:42 PM We took 2 rescues from a fencing company 2 years ago- took to my vet and was really caught off guard with the cost - 1 female, not pregnant and 1 male and it was over $150 (can't remember exactly).
Last Summer when it flooded in TX, we rescued 2 more kittens - my husband works in Gainesville and says that cats are like roaches in that town - they run all OVER the place. I searched and searched for low cost for several months and kept missing the scheduled days - I couldn't afford our vet, again- found one that opened May 7 and was so excited about $35 and $45 until reading about all the additional costs that was going to put it well over $100 - mandatory extra $5 for the pain shot - and then ecollar, rabies, etc.
I scheduled a month in advance and after waiting in line for about 45 minutes, at the counter, I did get a surprise of a grand opening special of $20 per animal and free rabies - I just had to pay extra for the pain shots.
But stil - after the grand opening that low cost clinic isn't very low cost!! -- they do have the feral program, but they clip their ear, so we didn't want that for our house kitties, even though we could have left them in Gainesville.
I have 3 kitties from the feral cat program in Weatherford that's thru the shelter. We LOVE them. I don't know why one of them was in there, she's like my 3rd dog. Negs thinks that her ear notch just gives her character.
I'm not sure how they do it, but you can get barn kitties for free that are already fixed and have their rabies.
I have heard of that! Such a cool program! I saw the flier at Hay USA in W'ford.
We already had 3 cats, so we weren't looking for more, but these were in dire need, so my husband brought them home 2 at a time. In a way the notch is good, because anyone can tell their not some Tom Cat, anymore.
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| want2chase3 - 2016-05-25 8:24 AM
I live in a very rural area, so people are constantly dumping animals out here. It's really sad. The crummy part is, we cannot take the dogs or cats to the shelter in town, since we live in a different county. 1 shelter in town might take one but it costs us $55 "surrender fee" .... just what I want, have to pay a surrender fee for someone else's pet that they decided to dump near my house! All the cats that show up are usually Tom cats, I had 1 female cat and she got pregnant, waiting for her to have her kittens then she's going to get fixed! She's inside and staying inside from now on. She got snake bit twice and survived it but walks with a limp. I'll have her kittens fixed too and let them have the run of the barn and property since majority of the cats have disappeared out here due to coyotes or snakes.
Someone dumped a trash bag full of kittens off in front of our farm once. There was at least two litters in there. 2 or 3 were not alive when found but my mom took the rest of them to our local shelter and had to pay a surrender fee also, even though they were dumped. |
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Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | Gator Bug - 2016-05-25 10:11 AM MS2011 - 2016-05-24 4:03 PM txbredbr - 2016-05-24 12:42 PM We took 2 rescues from a fencing company 2 years ago- took to my vet and was really caught off guard with the cost - 1 female, not pregnant and 1 male and it was over $150 (can't remember exactly).
Last Summer when it flooded in TX, we rescued 2 more kittens - my husband works in Gainesville and says that cats are like roaches in that town - they run all OVER the place. I searched and searched for low cost for several months and kept missing the scheduled days - I couldn't afford our vet, again- found one that opened May 7 and was so excited about $35 and $45 until reading about all the additional costs that was going to put it well over $100 - mandatory extra $5 for the pain shot - and then ecollar, rabies, etc.
I scheduled a month in advance and after waiting in line for about 45 minutes, at the counter, I did get a surprise of a grand opening special of $20 per animal and free rabies - I just had to pay extra for the pain shots.
But stil - after the grand opening that low cost clinic isn't very low cost!! -- they do have the feral program, but they clip their ear, so we didn't want that for our house kitties, even though we could have left them in Gainesville.
I have 3 kitties from the feral cat program in Weatherford that's thru the shelter. We LOVE them. I don't know why one of them was in there, she's like my 3rd dog. Negs thinks that her ear notch just gives her character.
I'm not sure how they do it, but you can get barn kitties for free that are already fixed and have their rabies. 
on the other hand, when I wound up looking for a place to spay/neuter those cats we rescued from the streets/fence stain vats, I wasn't thinking on that side of the coin....to bring them to a program like that and not keep them. But I will definitely keep it in mind for the other cats we rescue from the town of cat roaches (but wait, maybe that town needs their own barn cat program!
Edited by txbredbr 2016-05-25 12:35 PM
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 Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
Location: Georgia |
Everything we have is fixed well before they have a chance to reproduce. Honestly some people just dont have the mentality that it's a problem. For example, my boyfriends parents (who I love) took in a female pit mix puppy a few years ago. It took up at their house so they decided it could stay. Fast forward several months....they put off getting her fixed, then it was too late and she ended up having like 8 puppies. They thought it would be really great to keep 2 of these puppies. A male and a female. They did get the momma dog fixed thank goodness. BUT they put off getting the puppies fixed and guess what? Now the female is pregnant. They had lots of opportunities to haul that dog to the vet but never did. So now 7 or 8 more puppies will be brought into the world. They have 3 male dogs that are not fixed and the one female. Which is a problem as well. People with male dogs dont think they are doing anything wrong but they contribute to the problem just as much. Its not hard to get your animals fixed people. If cost if an issue, then you shouldnt own a pet.
Edited by Runninbay 2016-05-25 3:04 PM
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Location: South Dakota | kakbarrelracer - 2016-05-25 12:19 PM ridejg - 2016-05-24 1:18 PM My New Years resolution this year was to get our 10 female barn cats spayed....Mission Accomplished! YAY!!!!!
Our female dogs are spayed as well, and it bugs me totally that people insist on buying a dog, sometimes for huge amounts of money, instead of going to their local humane society and giving a wonderful animal a forever home. Shelter animals rock!!!! I'm glad we are able to buy a dog if we want. I support breeders who do the testing on their dogs and spend the time learning pedigrees, dis positions and breeding quality animals. It's great that you want to rescue dogs from a shelter but it is also great that there are responsible breeders out there working towards bettering the breed of animal they raise. We have one dog that we bought and one that came to live with us. I like them both but planning on buying again when we get another one.
I can understand why people would want a certain type of dog, when our little Rat Terrier passes on, I know I would love to have another one like him. So when that sad day comes, I for sure will check out the local humane societies or look for someone who needs to rehome one first, but if need be, I would consider buying from a breeder, if it comes to that. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | HOLY COW, I only paid like $75 to have my cat spayed.
At some of the costs of these services, I can see why people don't spay/neuter their pets. Crap it costs less to geld a stud than to snip snip a cat/dog lol.
Edited by hoofs_in_motion 2016-05-25 3:54 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1432
Location: Never in one place long | Wow!! you all are giving me hope that SOOO many of you do!!! This crowd is awesome! :) thanks for all the replies!! I TRULY appreciate this!! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Our males are neutered out females are not.
Cost around here, I am not going to pay 500-800 a dog to have them spayed.
I also don't like that the current research my vet was sharing with me is showing spayed females are more likely to develop cancer then non spayed females, this is completely opposite of what most vets are preaching.
The rationale behind the most current research is by removing the organs we are eliminating the hormones. With women how many are on hormone replacement therapy or have physical issues or osteoporosis as a result of having a hysterectomy. It is the same thing with animals.
I also don't see the need for the unnecessary pain we put these females through as it is major abdominal surgery.
Not many vets are doing laparoscopic tubals which is even more expensive but less invasive. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| cheryl makofka - 2016-05-25 6:32 PM Our males are neutered out females are not. Cost around here, I am not going to pay 500-800 a dog to have them spayed. I also don't like that the current research my vet was sharing with me is showing spayed females are more likely to develop cancer then non spayed females, this is completely opposite of what most vets are preaching. The rationale behind the most current research is by removing the organs we are eliminating the hormones. With women how many are on hormone replacement therapy or have physical issues or osteoporosis as a result of having a hysterectomy. It is the same thing with animals. I also don't see the need for the unnecessary pain we put these females through as it is major abdominal surgery. Not many vets are doing laparoscopic tubals which is even more expensive but less invasive.
500-800$$- wow!! I heard that females not spayed and who had never had a litter were at more risk of developing cancer. I have a friend who is going through this with her female dog. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I own a male purebred lab that's unaltered. However, I keep him in his dog pen and he's only around altered females... I don't let him run loose around out here without me watching him. He's happy and healthy. My hubby refuses to have him fixed.. I'm ok with it because I keep him put up and make sure he's not running amok spreading his seed! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| rodeomom3 - 2016-05-25 6:42 PM
cheryl makofka - 2016-05-25 6:32 PM Our males are neutered out females are not. Cost around here, I am not going to pay 500-800 a dog to have them spayed. I also don't like that the current research my vet was sharing with me is showing spayed females are more likely to develop cancer then non spayed females, this is completely opposite of what most vets are preaching. The rationale behind the most current research is by removing the organs we are eliminating the hormones. With women how many are on hormone replacement therapy or have physical issues or osteoporosis as a result of having a hysterectomy. It is the same thing with animals. I also don't see the need for the unnecessary pain we put these females through as it is major abdominal surgery. Not many vets are doing laparoscopic tubals which is even more expensive but less invasive.
500-800$$- wow!! I heard that females not spayed and who had never had a litter were at more risk of developing cancer. I have a friend who is going through this with her female dog.
I know the prices are insane.
As for the cancer research, it was my equine vet who showed me the research, his own dogs he refused to have spayed, but took them to a specialist to have a laparoscopic tubal.
He does everything research based and in the interest of the animal this is also why he doesn't do his own as he is out of practice. I believe he has nothing to loose by showing me the research as he gets no money from me in regards to my small animals.
The local vet won't want to tell you the current info as it affects their bottom line. They would have to purchase new equipment to perform the laproscopic surgery, or refer you to somewhere else. I see this as a conflict of interest for most small animal clinics |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | We have a program called Operation SNIP clinic. Bring your cat in for a free spay/neuter. I always make a donation. They also spay/neuter ferals cats, clip the end of one ear to show they've been fixed, then release them back to where they were so that other cats don't just fill in the spot that they were at. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Well, we woke up to kittens this morning! She had them under my daughters bed on a blanket I has put under there (thank goodness!) Anyway, does anyone know how soon I can get her fixed after she had the kittens? I do not want her going back into heat in my house! |
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