By spaying or neutering your pet, you are helping them live longer, happier lives. By spaying your cat or dog, you are reducing their chances of getting mammary or uterine cancer and having frequent heat cycles. By neutering your male dog or cat, you are decreasing their chance of acquiring testicular and prostate cancer. It is a well-known fact that 97% of dogs that are hit by cars, are un-neutered male dogs.
Why? Because they will stop at nothing to find a female in heat. Behavioral issues can sometimes be caused by the fact that your pet is not spayed or neutered. Aggression can be caused by a surge of hormones or your pet’s own frustration at not being able to mate. Marking their territory with urine, barking, and howling are all signs of un-wanted behavioral problems we often see with un-neutered male dogs.
When to spay or neuter
We determine the best age to spay or neuter your pet, case by case. Your pet’s individual care is a priority for us. Different sizes of pets can determine the best age to spay or neuter, but generally we make sure that all the adult teeth have come in and that your pet is healthy and at an ideal weight. Toy breed dogs may need to wait a little longer to be spayed or neutered. In most cases we will wait until your pet has reached reproductive maturity. This protects them from developing unnecessary musculoskeletal conditions, behavior problems, and even urogenital problems.
Large dogs are commonly spayed and/or neutered between the ages of 6-12 months of age, and sometimes longer. Small breeds generally are spayed or neutered between 6-9 months of age. Cats can be spayed or neutered as young as 8 weeks of age, but we generally wait until they are at least 4 months of age. This is why it is important to us that we are able to formulate a specific plan for your pet in regard to spaying or neutering. Each pet is going to be different then someone else’s pet. We are ready to provide you and your pet with optimal and compassionate care! Call us today so we can discuss your pet’s spay and neuter.
Your pet’s scheduled day: Your pet may or may not require pre-surgical blood testing, but we will discuss this with you at your examination. The day of the surgery, we will place an IV catheter in your pet’s front leg so that we can administer a pre-anesthetic pain injection as well as a post-operative pain injection, to keep him/her comfortable. We will maintain your pet’s hydration by administering IV fluids throughout the procedure. A highly trained veterinary technician will monitor your pet before, during and after their procedure. Once your pet is fully awake, it will be time to go home. We will provide you with a post-operative home care sheet which will instruct you on any home care needs such as when your pet can eat, drink, when to give their first dose of pain medication, and how to care for your pet’s incision. Your pet’s safety and comfort are very important to us and we want this to be as less stressful to you and your pet once you arrive back home. In order to keep your pet from licking their incision, it may be required for them to wear an “Elizabethan collar”. We can provide you with an “E-Collar” from our hospital or you can purchase one from an outside source, but we will require that you bring it along the day of surgery so we can fit it for you and to make sure it will prevent your pet from licking.