Spaying your dog or cat

                Spaying means removing the reproductive organs. In females these are the ovaries and uterus and the procedure is called an ovariohysterectomy, or spay.

            Spaying is performed for a variety of reasons, including population control and treatment of disease. Medical reasons for spaying include treatment or prevention of uterine infection, cancer of the uterus, ovaries, and mammary glands, and some skin conditions. Also, evidence suggests that animals with diabetes and seizure disorders respond better to medications if they are spayed.

            Spaying is considered a routine abdominal operation. The procedure is done with the animal under general anesthesia and consists of a small incision in the abdomen and removal of the ovaries and uterus. Analgesics  (“pain killers”) are given all dogs and cats spayed to minimize any potential discomfort. Recovery is generally fast. Pets spend the night and are released the next day after surgery and are back to normal within 5 - 7 days.

Advantages of Spaying

·         A spayed pet is usually healthier and happier.

·         Dogs spayed before their first heat (between 4 and 6 months of age) are   nearly assured of not developing mammary cancer, a relatively common disease in unspayed females.

·         Spayed pets cannot develop the uterine infection called “pyometra”, which occurs commonly among older, unspayed dogs and cats. Pyometra can cause severe damage to the liver and kidneys, and left untreated can result in death.

·        Heat Cycles. Spayed animals do not go through heat cycles or produce unwanted puppies or kittens. “Heat” referrers to the time when female dogs and cats prepare for mating and pregnancy. Cats and dogs have their first heat at 5 - 12 months of age. In dogs, heat cycles occur approximately every 6 months. The external genitals swell, a bloody discharge occurs and females attract males. Heat cycles last from 14 to 21 days and may be messy and inconvenient. In cats, heat cycles can start any time, but mostly occur in the spring and fall. Cats in heat do not usually have swelling or discharge, but they do attract tomcats. They exhibit unusually affectionate behavior, stretch and extend the back in a reverse arch, and meow loudly and continuously. The behavior may continue for days at a time over a period of weeks if mating does not take place.