We recommend spay and neuter surgeries for all dogs and cats not intended for breeding. These routine surgeries offer health benefits to the pet, and are the best means for responsible pet owners and veterinary professionals to help reduce the population of unwanted and abandoned pets.
Contrary to popular myths, spaying and neutering does not make a healthy pet fat (only overfeeding and lack of exercise cause this condition). The medical term for spay is ovariohysterectomy, and veterinarians remove the pet’s reproductive organs, the ovaries and uterus. The removal of the uterus ensures the canine patient does not suffer from Pyometra, or infection of this organ, in middle to late age. Additionally, female dogs spayed prior to their first heat will have a near zero chance of developing mammary cancer. Spaying the young female feline prevents mammary cancer, noisy heat cycles and possibly urine marking in the house. The bloody mess and odor of a female in heat disappear with spaying.
Another term for neutering is castration. In this procedure the veterinarian removes the dog or cat's testicles. This renders the dog or cat sterile, and may improve the male’s behavior and manageability. Neutering prevents canine prostatitis and the uncomfortable enlargement that occurs with aging. More than 90 percent of cats will reduce roaming behavior, fighting and urine marking after the neuter procedure.
The risk of the spay and neuter surgeries is low for healthy pets, and at VCA Jones Road Animal Hospital, we make every effort to ensure our patients receive the best care. We use the safest anesthesia products, perform pre-surgical bloodwork and exams, insert an intravenous catheter, administer and dispense pain medications and monitor the patient closely from pre-surgery through recovery. We release most all patients to rest at home the evening of the surgery, and the females and neutered dogs return in about 2 weeks for an incision check.