On November 1, the Winkler Veterinary Clinic and other Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association clinics will be participating in Manitoba Spay Day.
 
Spay Day is a PSA campaign to inform pet owners about the complications pet overpopulation can cause, as well as offering subsidized spaying and neutering for owners who would not normally be able to afford it.
 
Though the event is held on the one day, Winkler veterinarian Doctor Jacqueline Enns says spaying and neutering are offered at the vet clinic year round.
 
"It’s something that we do every single day. We like to do this procedure on animals before they become mature, so when they're about six months old."
 
Spay Day was founded in the United States in 1995 and has been adopted by 45 countries around the world.
 
In 2013 Quebec started World Spay Day and has been met with much success.
 
The goal of controlling pet overpopulation primarily in cats and dogs was to help reduce the strain on shelters and to avoid having animals unnecessarily euthanized.
 
A survey released by Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) in 2015, estimated 82 thousand cats and 35 thousand dogs went through shelters across Canada.
 
Since 2001, surveys conducted by CFHS have indicated that Canadian shelters take in about twice as many cats as they do dogs, around half of these cats taken into shelters, were euthanized.
 
Beyond helping combat overpopulation Enns explains that having a pet spayed or neutered can have both behavioral and health benefits. 
 
"It does avoid a lot of diseases when the pet is older. Behaviourally it keeps them happier when they are at home and it can help with training."
 
Enns says appointments can be made for a cat or dog by calling most clinics throughout Southern Manitoba.
 
Clinics participating in Spay Day can be found at  www.mvma.ca/animal-owners/manitoba-spay-day-2017