Every year, millions of unwanted animals are euthanized in shelters across the country. Here in Marshall County, our animal shelter euthanized approximately 800 animals in 2009. By having your pet spayed or neutered, you will be doing your part to prevent the birth of unwanted pets. Many people think they want to allow their pets to have a litter, but most are not prepared for the amount of work and expense involved in raising a litter and trying to find good homes for them. Many of these puppies and kittens eventually end up in shelters.
During surgical sterilization, veterinarians remove the reproductive organs to prevent pregnancy and to eliminate many behavioral problems associated with mating. In females, this includes removing the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. In males, this includes removing the testicles.
Advantages of spaying a female include elimination of heat cycles, and, if performed at around six months of age, prevention of mammary cancer or uterine infection. Advantages of neutering a male animal include eliminating the breeding instinct and calming the animal so that is has less urge to roam in search of a mate. Neutering can also lessen the risk of prostate disease and testicular cancer.
We usually recommend spaying or neutering your pet around the age of six months. Contact us to determine when the best time to perform this surgery on your pet would be considering its age, sex, and physical condition.
Like any surgical procedure, sterilization involves some anesthetic and surgical risk, but the overall complication risk is quite low. To minimize these risks, we use gas anesthesia and monitor your pet while under anesthesia using monitoring equipment and veterinary technicians. We administer injections for pain immediately after your pet’s surgery which greatly improves their recovery process. After the procedure, owners are usually surprised how quickly their pets recover from surgery and return to their normal behavior.
Please call us if you have further questions about spaying or neutering your pet. We are happy to assist you in this important decision.