In an effort to help your pet live a healthy life, we recommend that almost all pets be spayed or neutered. Choosing to spay or neuter your new pet is one of the most responsible decisions you can make as a pet owner. Spaying and neutering pets is estimated to add years to your pet’s life by decreasing or eliminating their chances of getting certain cancers.  It also helps lessen behaviors that might cause them to escape your house or yard and become injured.  it also helps decrease the number of animals in shelters and the number of euthanized pets each year.

With statistics indicating that nearly 4 million pets in the United States are euthanized annually, we believe spaying and neutering animals is a productive initiative. In providing these services, we hope to prolong pets’ lives and help the community in preventing pet overpopulation.

Reasons to spay or neuter your pet:

• Decrease aggressive behaviors in male pets
• Decrease desire for pets to roam and find mates
• Decrease pet overpopulation and pet euthanasia
• Decrease risk of mammary gland tumors
• Eliminate heat cycles, bleeding, and unwanted behaviors associated with heat
• Eliminate or reduce marking and spraying
• Reduce risk of ovarian and uterine cancers, eliminate the risk of uterine infections
• Reduce risk of prostate cancer and testicular cancer

What does spaying or neutering involve?

Both spaying and neutering are surgical procedures that prevent an animal from reproducing. Spaying and neutering are typically recommended for pets that are at least 6 months old and are not going to be used for breeding. Spaying is performed on female animals and involves surgically removing the uterus and ovaries to prevent pregnancy. Neutering is implemented on male animals and encompasses removing the testicles to eliminate fertility. While each of these surgeries sound involved, they can usually be completed within a few hours.  Because general anesthesia is required, all patients are screened pre-operatively with a complete physical exam and bloodwork.  We also prefer that patients are up to date on their vaccinations for their safety when they come into the hospital for surgery.

Your pet may experience increased discomfort in the days following surgery. Depending on your pet’s surgery, pain medication can be prescribed. These tips should be followed to ease your pet’s recovery: 

1. Do not allow your pet to run, jump, or exercise vigorously until their sutures are removed 7-10 days after surgery.
2. Examine the incision daily to ensure proper healing. Check for redness, heat, pain, swelling, discharge or separation of the incision line.
3. Keep your pet confined from others, and allow them to have a quiet resting place.
4. Prevent your pet from licking the surgical site by keeping close watch or by using an Elizabethan collar. 
5. Wait at least 10 days after surgery to bathe your pet. You should not bathe your pet or let them swim until their sutures have been removed.

If you have further questions about the spay and neuter procedures or would like to schedule the surgery for your pet, contact our office at your convenience.