Pet owners should have their cats or dogs neutered for the animals’ benefit, as mammary tumors are mostly detected in unneutered female cats and dogs aged six to 10, the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office said over the weekend.
People who do not have their pets neutered could face fines of NT$50,000 to NT$250,000 in accordance with the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), the office said.
Pet owners whose pets cannot be neutered due to a medical condition should notify the office, it said, urging pet owners to complete the procedure as soon as possible.
Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office
The New Taipei City Government’s animal shelter in Banciao District (板橋) has received reports from pet owners that they had found tumors in the abdomens of the female dogs and cats they had been keeping, the office said.
Veterinarians found that many of the animals were not neutered and had multiple tumors forming lumps near the mammary glands, it said.
A seven or eight-year-old dog with mammary tumors would have a high survival rate if it were neutered immediately, said Hsu Ai-ming (徐愛明), a veterinarian at the shelter.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Animal Protection Office
However, if the animal was aged 10 or older, its mammary tumors would be more likely to turn into malignant tumors, Hsu said.
In most cases, when mammary tumors are detected in a cat, the animal could only be provided with palliative care, as its tumors are more likely to be malignant, she said.
The chances of a dog developing mammary tumors would be less than 1 percent if it is neutered before its first estrus, the office said.
The risk would increase to 10 percent if the animal is neutered after its first estrus, 25 percent after the second or third estrus and to more than 80 percent after the fourth estrus, the office said.
Cats have to be neutered earlier than dogs, it said.
The chances of a cat developing mammary tumors would be less than 10 percent if it is neutered before six months old, but the risk would be more than 70 percent if it is neutered after reaching two years old, the office said.
Removing the reproductive organs of female pets at any stage of their lives could prevent them from developing common reproductive diseases such as pyometra, it said.
In other news, the Taipei City Animal Protection Office said that it rescued eight masked palm civets from Oct. 1 to Oct. 16.
Masked palm civets, which are omnivorous nocturnal animals, can often be spotted in low and medium-altitude mountainous areas, the office said.
The Council of Agriculture in 2019 changed their designation from “protected species” to “general wildlife” after their population stabilized, it said.
People who spot young masked palm civets near residential areas should refrain from approaching them and wait for the mother to return before driving the animals away if necessary, it said.
They must not startle the mother with noise or movement, as the animal might abandon its young and flee, the office said.
Taipei residents can call the 24-hour (02) 8791-3064 (extenstion 5) animal rescue hotline, the 1999 (extension 4020) citizen hotline, or visit the office’s Web site (https://tcapo.gov.taipei/) if they are unsure how to deal with a wild animal, it added.
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