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Take a Page From Bob Barker HOW SPAYING AND NEUTERING KEEPS PETS HEALTHY
and five acres of land, they started giving us more goats! We have a bunch of Oberhasli
now, which are pack goats. Apparently, a lot of people have goats they can’t take care of anymore.
“This is Bob Barker reminding you to help control the pet population — have your pets spayed or neutered.”
In 1979, Bob Barker, host of “The Price is Right,” began ending every episode of the popular game show with a plea to pet owners. Barker’s call
Fortunately, Kristin really loves goats, so she’s happy to take them in. I like goats, too! We play together all the time. I practice herding and sometimes the goats chase me back. We have a blast running around together. Right now, we have 14 goats, but that number will probably be even bigger by the time you get to read this article!
to action was part of a larger movement by animal rights activists working to reduce animal overpopulation by normalizing the practice spaying and neutering pets
In addition to the goats, we have 18 chickens, three barn cats, and two clownfish. It’s a real zoo at home, so things are never dull!
in the United States. The movement was incredibly successful. Today, 83% of dogs and 91% of cats are spayed or neutered.
What few pet owners realize is that by spaying or neutering
their pets, they aren’t just preventing overpopulation; these operations also prevent future health problems. Recently our practice has had a flood of female dogs with pyometra, a severe bacterial uterine infection in which
the uterus becomes filled with pus. If just reading about pyometra made you cringe, imagine how your dog would feel to suffer from it. Dogs suffering from pyometra experience severe lethargy, poor appetite, vomiting, and fever. If left untreated, pyometra can and does kill dogs. The best treatment for pyometra is surgery to remove the infected uterus, but emergency surgery carries complication risks. Putting a sick dog under anesthesia is less than ideal, and since pyometra strikes later in life, there’s a greater risk to older dogs going into surgery. Pet owners often end up paying five times more for pyometra surgery than they would have paid to have their dog spayed as a puppy. While male dogs aren’t at risk for pyometra, unneutered male dogs have health concerns of their own. Unneutered dogs can develop testicular tumors and are much more likely to suffer from prostate disease. Much like with pyometra surgery, addressing testicular tumors or prostate disease is far more expensive than the cost of getting your dog neutered. Spaying or neutering dogs and cats helps fight animal overpopulation, but it also does so much for their overall health. Loving pet owners should take care to get their pets spayed or neutered before they suffer from serious health problems.
Directions
1. Heat oven to 325 F. 2. In a small bowl, beat eggs
and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, coconut oil, and cranberries. Pour in eggs and mix together with your hands until wet dough forms. 3. Mix in 1 tbsp of coconut flour at a time until dough easily forms into a ball. 4. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut with bite- size, heart-shaped cookie cutters. Transfer to cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 5. Bake for 15–18 minutes or until treats are crisp. 6. Remove from oven and let treats cool completely before serving.
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