Katelynn Dupras of Gwinn with her beloved female husty mix Homer enjoy a cuddle at the summer family picnic.

By Jessica Potila

Marquette Mining Journal

GWINN — The Upper Peninsula is no place to be a homeless cat or dog. The past few weeks in particular have proven brutal weather-wise in our area. Domestic animals living outside are no match for below-freezing temperatures and winds so bitter they could cause a polar bear to shiver.

Spaying and neutering companion animals reduces the number of homeless pets left to fend for themselves outdoors.

In conjunction with World Spay Day, Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter is aligning local pet owners with reduced-cost spay and neuter services for cats, dogs and rabbits throughout February.

“It is offered to those in Marquette County who are low income and receive government assistance that might be struggling a little bit to come up with all of the money needed for their pet’s surgery. This surgery could be lifesaving for their pet or even others that might be born from an unaltered pet having babies,” UPAWS veterinary assistant Laura Rochefort said.

Companion animals that are spayed or neutered are at reduced risk of developing some life-threatening illnesses. This is especially true for female dogs and cats, according to Dr. Cheryl Shevy of the Negaunee Veterinary Clinic.

“With every heat cycle they are at risk for uterine infection. When this happens, they have to be spayed under emergency conditions.

“Spaying also eliminates the risk of uterine cancer and ovarian cancer because those organs are gone. It also decreases the risk of breast cancer because that tends to be hormonally driven for females,” Shevy said.

She added that neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and reduces the risk of an enlarged prostate gland, which is hormonallly driven, in males.

Clinics participating with UPAWS in the Spay Day program have agreed to perform the services at a reduced cost. These clinics are the Negaunee Veterinary Clinic, Gwinn/Sawyer Veterinary Clinic, Marquette Veterinary Clinic, Northern Veterinary Associates and Stuga North Veterinary Care.

The cost to spay a dog through the UPAWS Spay Day program is $45, or $88 for a spay along with vaccinations. Neutering a dog or spaying a cat will cost $42, or $85 if vaccinations are included. Cat neutering is $39 or $82 with vaccinations.

Only a limited number of rabbits can be spayed or neutered under the program at $42 and $39, respectively.

Pet owners interested in the program will need to fill out an application in person at UPAWS. They will be required to demonstrate proof of Marquette County residency as well as proof in the form of a letter that they are participating in one of the following programs: Medicaid, WIC, Social Security Income, disability payments or SNAP. They must also provide proof of their pet’s current vaccination records. If unavailable or if the pet is not up to date on vaccines, they will be included with the spay or neuter service at an additional cost.

For more information about the program, call UPAWS at 906-475-6661 or email supervisors@upaws.org.