Surgery Recommendations

Should I Get My Pet Spayed or Neutered?
Important reasons to spay or neuter your pet

Spaying your female pet (ovariohysterectomy):

• Removal of the ovaries and uterus. Ideal age is 4 to 6 months.
• If spayed before the first heat cycle, your pet has a less than 1 percent chance of developing breast cancer.
• If spayed after one heat cycle, your pet has an 8 percent chance of developing breast cancer.
• If spayed after two heat cycles, the risk increases to 26 percent.
• After two years, no protective benefit exists. It may, however, help prevent infection of the uterus (pyometra).
• Pets with diabetes or epilepsy should be spayed to prevent hormonal changes that may interfere with medication.
• Eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer.
• Eliminates unwanted pregnancies.

Neutering your male pet (castration):

• Removal of the testicles and spermatic cord. Ideal age is 4 to 6 months.
• Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer, the second most common tumor in male dogs.
• Greatly reduces the risk of prostate cancer and prostatitis.
• Reduces the risk of perianal tumors.
• Reduces roaming and fighting.
• Eliminates or reduces spraying or marking in males neutered before 6 months of age or before the onset of these behaviors.
• Eliminates the risk and spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
• Eliminates unwanted litters.

Unfortunate reality

More than 4 million pets are euthanized in U.S. animal shelters each year simply because they have no home. Many are pupies and kittens less than 6 months old. Help stop this needless loss of life. Spay and neuter your pet.

Common myths

Spaying or neutering your pet does not:

• Cause laziness or hyperactivity
• Reduce its instinct to protect your family and home
• Cause immature behaviors
• Postpone or delay normal behavioral maturity
• Alter its personality in any manner

Our staff can answer your questions about spaying or neutering your pet or any other procedure your pet may undergo at our hospital. Please don't hesitate to ask, click here to contact us.

Here are a few factors to consider when making the decision to get your dog or cat spayed or neutered:

• Health: The health benefits for dogs and cats that have been spayed or neutered at a young age are tremendous. Problems associated with the reproductive organs are reduced or eliminated, and research shows that the cancer rate for spayed or neutered animals is drastically reduced. Cancer is one of the leading killers of older dogs.
  
  
• Behavior: Neutering can also affect behavior. Many unneutered male dogs escape from their yards to find a female in heat down the road. This freedom is very dangerous, and dogs may end up lost or hit by cars. A neutered dog is is more likely to stick close to home. This is also true for cats. Unneutered cats are also more likely to venture off in search of a female in heat. They often get into fights and end up needing a visit to the veterinarian.
  
  
• Genetic faults and soundness: Many dogs are born with genetic faults or health problems or may carry a recessive gene for health defects. Diseases such as hip or elbow dysplasia, heart problems, blood and immune system disorders and eye defects are passed on every day to innumerable puppies. Purebreds as well as mixed-breed dogs also inherit good and bad genes from their parents, and if both parents are carrying these genes for certain problems, the puppies' odds of getting them are increased accordingly. Before breeding your dog make sure he or she has had a thorough examination to check for any hip or elbow dysplasia, eye problems, and many other problems they may have. Bloodwork is also important to see if anything shows up that might also be passed on to future generations.
  
  
• Ability and Temperament: A dog's working instincts and trainability are also important. You want your dog to be able and willing to work for you. You don't want obedience training, household rules and good social behavior to be a constant struggle, and you certianly don't want to pass that on to future dog owners.
  
  
• Standard: The breed standard addresses intelligence, bearing, trainability and even the way a dog reacts to people. One of the benefits of purebred dogs is that, ideally, the purchasers of a well-breed purebreed puppy know what they are getting: how big the dog will be, what its temperament will be (within certain parameters), and what the dog was bred to do. A standard helps make this possible so people can choose a dog that is best for them.
  
  
• Time and money: This is a very important part of the decision. Do you have the resources not only for the routine exams needed before, during and after breeding, but also for a possible emergency call should the mom or puppies become ill? What if mom needs an emergency caesarian section? Then, there are vaccinations for the puppies before they go to their new homes. A new litter takes time too. A new mother sometimes needs help. Puppies may need supplemental feedings or, if the mother doesn't have milk, bottlefeedings. Do you have the time to socialize the puppies properly? And what about screening and talking to potential new owners? Would you be able to find homes for every puppy? Would you feel guilty if one of your puppies ended up dying in a shelter? Would you be willing to take back any puppies produced by your dog? If a puppy's owner couldn't keep it for any reason where would it go?

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