The evidence shows that spay/neuter correlates with both positive and adverse health effects in dogs. Millions of pets end up in shelters each year, and many never find homes. Spaying and neutering prevent unwanted litters, helping reduce the number of homeless animals. Spaying females before their. Your pet's health and longevity the average lifespan of spayed and neutered cats and dogs is demonstrably longer than the lifespan of. Spaying or neutering your pet early helps reduce pet overpopulation and provides a number of health benefits. To be eligible for spay/neuter surgery, kittens must be at least 2 pounds or 8 weeks of age. Dogs must be between 10 weeks and 7 years of age. The program is only available to broward county residents. More recent research on dogs has shown that the lack of natural hormones resulting from spay/neuter can lead to other serious health complications. This page provides an overview of the research on the health effects of spay or neuter. Spaying and neutering dogs is commonly used to prevent the birth of unwanted animals and eliminate the risk of reproductive diseases. However, removal of the gonads prevents the feedback of estrogen and testosterone on the pituitary and hypothalamus. You eliminate the risk of certain types of cancer. Neutering dogs and cats leads to benefits such as the prevention of undesired reproduction, decreased incidence of neoplasia, and increased life expectancy in dogs and cats. In contrast, neutered animals may be more predisposed to obesity.