Spaying and Neutering

In an effort to help your pet live a healthy life, we provide spay and neuter services. 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 in decreasing or eliminating their chances of getting certain cancers; it also helps decrease the amount 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 put down 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 yelling for a mate
• Eliminate or reduce marking and spraying
• Reduce risk of ovarian and uterine cancers
• 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 and do not require an overnight hospital stay.

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 or jump for the next few days.
2. Examine the incision daily to ensure proper healing.
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. If your pet’s incision has opened or if you notice excessive swelling, redness, or discharge, contact our office immediately.

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