The Ocooch Mountain Humane Society is working to reduce the overpopulation of unwanted pets in the community and surrounding area. The Spay Neuter program was begun 8 years ago and continues to fill a vital need in providing lower cost spay and neuter surgeries.
Program QuickLinks:
Who can apply?
Anyone in Richland County, WI, and surrounding areas. These clinics are designed for those individuals and families who cannot afford full fees for spay or neuter surgery. (Top)
How can I apply?
Call (608) 604-9554 or email us (Top)
Where do I bring my animal for spay or neuter surgery?
Spay-neuter clinics are held twice a month in Richland Center, usually the second and third Fridays of each month. Clinics are staffed by a veterinarian and veterinary technician from the Dane County Humane Society Shelter Outreach Services (“SOS”) program and volunteers from OMHS. You will be given the clinic location when you are contacted by the volunteer staff.
We also offer SNAP vouchers for discounted spay/neuter rates at participating veterinary clinics, including the Richland Veterinary Service and Shireman Veterinary Clinic in Richland Center, the Spring Green Animal Hospital, and Barcee Veterinary Clinic in Viola. Please inquire about the SNAP vouchers when you contact OMHS. (Top)
How much does it cost?
Rates are flexible, depending on financial need. Call (608) 604-9554 for information. (Top)
Why is it important to have your pets “fixed?”
Each year, 3 to 5 million dogs and cats are euthanized at shelters in the United States because there aren’t enough good homes for them all. Many more are abandoned or mistreated.
A single un-spayed female cat and her mate and their offspring can produce and average of 12 kittens in one year, 67 in two years, 376 in three years, 2,107 in four years, and 11,801 in five years! Dogs are very prolific parents, too.
Your Veterinarian is your partner for keeping your pet safe and healthy. Talk to your vet about spaying and neutering your pets. The vet can explain details about the surgeries. (Top)
What progress has OMHS made with the Clinics?
In the eight years since beginning the program OMHS has helped to spay or neuter over 2,400 cats and dogs!
Families have come from eleven Wisconsin counties and three neighboring states to bring their animals to our spay/neuter clinics. This is a good beginning, but much more work needs to be done to prevent more homeless pets. (Top)
The OMHS spay/neuter program depends on donations and community fund-raisers to keep this important program going. Small grant support is available from time to time for special programs. (Top)
Any financial contribution to help families who need to get their dogs and cats “fixed” would be appreciated! The amounts below would cover about one-half of our costs for one animal:
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Cat neuter - $15
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Cat spay – $25
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Dog neuter - $30
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Dog spay – $40
An extra $10 would provide basic vaccinations for one animal. (Top)
We can ALWAYS use more volunteers at the spay/neuter clinics and to help with scheduling and sharing information about the program. Call (608) 604-9554 if you’d like to help. (Top)
Myths and facts about sterilization of pets…
There are many myths about canine reproductive needs. Chiefly among these are the suspicion that neutering turns a male into a sissy and spaying causes a female to get fat and to lament her lost capacity.
The truth is that male dogs, especially those with a submissive personality, are usually better pets if they are neutered. They may have less desire to roam, to mark territory (including furniture), and, if neutered before sexual maturity, they may be less likely to exert dominance over family members. They may also be healthier pets: no testicles means no testicular cancer.
A word of caution, however. Neutering a dog reduces production of testosterone but does not eliminate this hormone. Thus a neutered dog, especially if he has a dominant character, may also retain his desire to roam and an assertive or even aggressive personality. Owners who depend on neutering to resolve behavior problems run a high risk of being disappointed unless they also train the pet to have good manners at home and in public.
Females also tend to be better pets if they do not experience oestrus every six-to-nine months. Heat cycles bring hormonal changes that can lead to personality changes, and oestrus females must be confined to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Repeated heat cycles may subject the reproductive system to uterine and mammary cancers as they age. Some bitches experience false pregnancies that can be a bother to deal with and uterine infections that can be fatal.
While the hormone changes caused by sterilization can contribute to overweight, dogs and bitches do not generally get fat simply as a result of spay or neuter surgery. Like other mammals, they gain weight if they eat too much and exercise too little or are genetically programmed to be hefty. Weight gain that follows sterilization surgery may be linked to those hormone changes but will be aggravated by continuing to feed a high energy diet to a dog that is reducing the need for energy as he reaches his adult size. Excess energy in the food becomes excess fat on the body.
As far as we know, dogs do not lament their lost capability to reproduce. They reproduce to ensure survival of their kind. Bitches nurse their pups for a few weeks, teach them to behave like dogs, and go on. Males know nothing of fatherhood; they do not recognize pups as their own.
Basic Spay Neuter information… (Top)
Ovariohysterectomy: An ovariohysterectomy (OHE) or spay is the complete removal of the female reproductive tract. The ovaries, oviducts, uterine horns, and the uterus are removed. If the surgeon simply tied or obstructed the Fallopian tubes (the channel where the eggs must pass into the uterus) in order to make the female dog or cat sterile, she would still come into heat, attract males, and attempt to breed. Experience has shown that the best procedure is to perform a complete ovariohysterectomy.
Not only does this procedure prevent the animal from becoming pregnant, it also eliminates the twice-yearly heat cycles. The surgery removes the source of production of such hormones as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are responsible for stimulating and controlling heat cycles and play a major role during pregnancy. But they also have other effects on the body and some of them are potentially harmful. Spaying a female can prevent mammary cancer, uterine infections, and tumors in the reproductive tract. There is no evidence that a pet suffers from any personality or emotional harm by having their ovaries removed. The uterus is also removed to insure that it does not become a source of infection over a period of time. (Top)
What is neutering a dog or cat?
Neutering consists of surgically extirpating both of the cat or dog's testicles, making it impossible for the animal to produce sperm and testosterone. This operation is relatively simple. The doctor makes an incision in front of the scrotum and through that incision accesses each testicle. The fibrous coverings of the testicles are incised and each testicle is removed after securely ligating the blood vessels that attach to each testicle. It is done with general anesthesia and the dog or cat usually recovers within a few hours. It's normal for the animal's scrotum to slightly swell, but it does not seem to bother The dog will probably want to run about as normal but it is suggested for the pet to get as little exercise as possible for a few days. Neutering is useful to prevent certain hereditary diseases and significantly reduces prostate and testicular cancer. The benefits of having a dog and cat neutered are well documented. And to simply do a vasectomy to render the male sterile would not alleviate the scent marking, desire to breed, territorial defense and other testosterone driven behaviors. Even in guard dogs and hunting dogs, many owners report improved behavior and manageability when the dog has been neutered. (Top)
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