What You Need to Know About Neutering and Castration for Cats, Dogs and Pets - Church Walk Vets

Neutering

Written by Lisa O'Halloran Sunday, 30 January 2011 10:58

Neutering is the means by which your pet is rendered unable to breed as a result of undergoing a surgical procedure, castration in the case of males, spaying in the case of females. Castration of male animals involves the removal of the testes, while spaying (ovario-hysterectomy) of a female cat or dog involves removal of both the ovaries and the uterus. It is highly recommended that dogs and cats are neutered if they are not intended to be used for breeding purposes. These procedures are done on a routine basis and carried out under General anaesthesia.

Advantages of spaying:

• Prevent unwanted pregnancies.
• No more seasons. A bitch will normally come into season twice yearly which can be messy and inconvenient.
• Prevents phantom pregnancies.
• Prevents Pyometra; a potentially fatal womb infection.
• Prevents ovarian cancer.
• Greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumours, if the bitch is spayed before her second season.

Advantages to castration:

• Prevents unwanted pregnancies.
• Prevents straying when a local bitch or queen is in season.
• Can often help to control hormone related behaviours, such as mounting, dominance, aggression and territorial marking (spraying).
• Prevents testicular cancers and greatly reduces the incidence of prostatic disease later in life.

Although we can spay your bitch before her first season ideally we recommend that you wait until she has had her first season. Depending on her size, this will usually be around 6-12 months of age but some bitches may be as old a 2 years before coming into season. After her first season you will need to wait 3 months so that her hormones have become settled. At this time the blood supply to her uterus is reduced, making surgery easier. Female cats (queens) can be neutered from 6 months of age. If you have a male and a female cat living within the same household even if they are siblings you will need to keep them separate as they may become sexually active before this 6 month period. If this is the case it is advised that the male cat is neutered a little earlier to prevent this occurring, as castration is much quicker and less invasive. Dogs can be castrated from 6 months of age although due to the involvement of testosterone in growth it is sometimes preferred to wait until around 10 months especially in large dogs which take longer to reach full maturity. Cats can be castrated from 6 months of age.

For all of these procedures pets are admitted as day patients from 9-9.30am on the morning of the operation, having been starved overnight. Access to water is allowed until the morning of your pet’s operation. Usually your pet should be ready for collection in the afternoon. However collection times may vary depending on the time at which your pet undergoes surgery. Individual variation in recovery times from anaesthesia are also a factor in recovery time. All animals undergoing surgery in our centres are clinically assessed prior to the procedure and perioperative pain relief is given to minimise any discomfort. Our nursing staff are committed to the welfare of your pet and are always keen to ensure that our in-patients are comfortable. We advise that your pet is restricted for up to 10 days post surgery to ensure optimum wound healing; this may include the use of a “buster collar” to prevent wound interference.

Post neutering nutrition is important due to the decrease in hormonal activity. Weight gain can be a problem unless your pet’s diet is managed properly. Diets specially formulated for neutered animals are available. For more information on such diets please contact us and one of our friendly staff will be happy to answer any questions which you may have.