New Educational Video Promotes Pediatric Spay/Neuter

PetSmart Charities has partnered with the Humane Alliance, the country's leading spay/neuter training center, to produce a new educational video for veterinarians and animal welfare professionals, demonstrating how to perform spay/neuter surgeries on puppies and kittens as small as two pounds and as young as six to eight weeks old. Veterinarians often lack confidence in performing pediatric spay/neuter procedures, but neutering before puberty is the most surefire way to prevent overpopulation caused by accidental litters.

"Spaying and neutering animals prior to sexual maturity prevents unintended litters and ensures numerous well-established health benefits for them," explains Dr. Brenda Griffin, adjunct associate professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida and one of the collaborating veterinarians on this project. "Performing these procedures at an early age also offers the advantage of shorter surgical and recovery times."

Griffin, board-certified in small animal internal medicine, joined forces with two board-certified surgeons, Dr. Philip Bushby of Mississippi State University and Dr. Mark Bohling of the University of Tennessee, as well as Dr. Karla Brestle of the Humane Alliance National Spay/Neuter Response Team (NSNRT). The video was filmed at the NSNRT's state-of-the-art surgical training center in Asheville, NC, where more than 23,000 sterilization surgeries are performed annually.

WARNING: This video includes graphic images of medical procedures performed on cats and dogs. 

Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities is a consistent advocate for the spaying and neutering of pets. Says Executive Director Susanna Della Maddalena: "Pediatric spay/neuter will reduce the number of pets who face euthanasia in overcrowded shelters, and this video will educate veterinarians and animal welfare organizations who want to help end these tragic deaths."