Premiere Pets - Why Spay/Neuter?

Why Spay/Neuter?

Premiere Pets

For Happy, Healthy Puppies and Kitties!

What do "spay" and "neuter" really mean?

Female dogs and cats are spayed by removing their reproductive organs, and male dogs and cats are neutered by removing their testicles. In both cases the operation is performed while the pet is under anesthesia. Depending on your pet's age, size, and health, he or she will stay at your veterinarian's office for a few hours or a few days. Depending upon the procedure, your pet may need stitches removed after a few days. Your veterinarian can fully explain spay and neuter procedures to you and discuss with you the best age at which to sterilize your pet.

Myths about spaying or Neutering

Myth 1: Neutering turns a male into a sissy .

Male dogs are usually better pets if they are neutered. They have less desire to roam, to mark territory (including furniture), or to exert dominance over family members. They are also healthier pets; no testicles means no testicular cancer, which is not uncommon among aging intact male dogs and cats.

Males know nothing of fatherhood; they do not recognize their offspring as their own. In fact, in the feline world, most Toms attempt to kill or drive off kittens that belong to another Tom, and papa cat's tolerance towards its young is usually limited to the next time the queen comes into heat. At this point, the Tom wants those kittens out of the way so he can breed the female again.

Myth 2: Spaying causes a female to lament her lost capacity.

As far as we know, dogs and cats do not lament their lost capability to reproduce. This is a different species than ours; they reproduce to ensure survival of their kind, not to nurture a pup or kitten for 18 years, watch it go off to college, marry, establish a career, and produce grandchildren. Females nurse their young for a few weeks, teach them how to be an adult, and go on.

Females also tend to be better pets if they do not experience estrus every six-to-nine months. Heat cycles bring hormonal changes that can lead to personality changes. Repeated heat cycles subject the reproductive system to uterine and mammary cancers and uterine infections. Some females experience false pregnancies that can be a bother to deal with and uterine infections that can be fatal.

Myth 3: Spaying or Neutering will make my pet fat and lethargic.

Our pets do not get fat simply as a result of sterilization surgery. Like other mammals, they gain weight if they eat too much and exercise too little or are genetically programmed to be hefty. Weight gain that seems to follow spay or neuter surgery is most likely a result of continuing to feed a high energy diet to a pet that is reducing his or her need for energy as he or she reaches adult size. Excess energy in the food becomes excess fat on the body.

Spaying or Neutering Is Good for Your Pet

· Spaying and neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives.

· Spaying and neutering can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat.

· Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle.

· Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.

Spaying or Neutering Is Good for You

· Spaying and neutering makes pets better, more affectionate companions.

· Neutering cats makes them less likely to spray and mark territory.

· Spaying a dog or cat eliminates her heat cycle. Estrus lasts an average of six to 12 days, often twice a year, in dogs and an average of six to seven days, three or more times a year, in cats. Females in heat can cry incessantly, show nervous behavior, and attract unwanted male animals.

· Un-sterilized animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems than do those who have been spayed or neutered.

· Spaying and neutering can make pets less likely to bite.

· Neutering makes pets less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights.

Spaying and Neutering Are Good for the Community

· Communities spend millions of dollars to control unwanted animals.

· Irresponsible breeding contributes to the problem of overpopulation of unwanted animals, dog bites and attacks.

· Animal shelters are overburdened with surplus unwanted animals.

· Stray pets and homeless animals get into trash containers, defecate in public areas or on private lawns, and frighten or anger people who have no understanding of their misery or needs.

· Some stray animals also scare away or kill birds and wildlife.

Surgery costs: are they too high?

The spay protocol should include a pre-surgical exam followed by injections of a muscle-relaxer such as Rompun and a short-acting barbiturate to allow insertion of a tube into the females airway for air and anesthesia. When the dog or cat is incapacitated by the barbiturate, a clamp is used to hold the mouth open and the tube is installed. She may be initially anesthetized with one gas and switched to another (such as isofluorine) for the surgery.

Preparation of the surgical area is done by a technician while the veterinarian dresses and scrubs for the surgery. The technician shaves the surgical site, expresses urine from the bladder, and uses betadine scrub to clean and rinse the site. The veterinarian uses a sterile scrub pack and scrubs his hands and arms just as a surgeon does before an operation.

The anesthetized dog is placed on her back on the operating table or in a tray that is placed on the table. The tray keeps the dog or cat from sliding and gives the doctor clearer access to the abdomen. The needle used to inject the barbiturate is left in the vein in case more drug is needed.

The anesthesia is switched to isofluorine, which can be increased or decreased if necessary to lighten or deepen the animal’s anesthetized state. Injectable anesthesia's can be stopped but cannot be reversed; if the patient gets in trouble on the operating table with an injectable anesthesia, she can die.

The dog or cat is hooked to a heart monitor. The sterile surgical pack of instruments is placed within the doctor’s reach. Then the surgery can begin.

The surgery starts when the veterinarian clamps the skin to stretch it taut and begins the incision with a scalpel. The incision must be done carefully to minimize muscle damage.

The uterus is a Y-shaped organ with two horns and a body. The uterine body and horns and the ovaries and the tubes connecting the ovaries to the horns are removed in a complete ovariohysterectomy. The doctor uses dissolvable sutures for the cuts at the ovaries and the cervix, checks for any abnormalities, bleeders, etc., and closes the incision with layers of stitches.

Time elapsed from start of surgery to the last stitch that closes the incision is about 25 minutes on females that have never come into oestrus. Females that have had one or more seasons or one or more litters and females that carry a lot of abdominal fat can take much longer. Add to this the time for pre-surgical exam and preparation, post-surgical observation, a post-surgical exam if necessary, and removal of stitches, and the cost to safely spay a beloved pet to prevent unwanted litters, reproductive cancers, and uterine infections is a bargain.

Many veterinarians charge more for spays on mature females, for the surgery takes longer. Many charge by the weight of the pet, for more anesthesia is needed to keep a 90-pound dog safely asleep than is needed for a 25-pound dog. Generally, a spay surgery for a female that weighs less than 100 pounds is less than $150.

Questions you may want to ask your vet

Those pet owners who consider using a clinic that charges $40 or $50 or thereabouts for spays should ask some questions before making an appointment for Fluffy.

· Does the clinic use a reversible gas anesthesia? It’s more expensive, but it’s safer.

· Are the instruments sterilized after every use? It’s more expensive and time-consuming, but it’s safer.

· Does the veterinarian scrub between surgeries? It takes longer, but it’s safer.

· Is the dog hooked to a heart monitor? It costs more, but it’s safer.

· Is the incision closed with layers of sutures? It takes longer, but it’s safer.

Responsibility

Pet owners who decide not to spay or neuter their pets certainly have the right to make that decision. However, they bear a responsibility to prevent their intact pets from adding to the population of pets that wind up in animal shelters. So, if there is a pregnancy, owners must be prepared to

· Provide the best nutrition and vet care for the dog or cat.

· Remain with the female during the births to clean and dry the puppies or kitties.

· Deal with a problem pregnancy or delivery.

· Keep the puppies and kitties warm and the whelping area clean.

· Keep the puppies and kitties for at least eight weeks (It’s the LAW).

· Provide basic health care and socialization before the pups or kittens go to their new homes.

· Provide training and behavior information to puppy or kitty buyers.

Spay or neuter surgery carries a one-time cost that is relatively small when one considers its benefits. It's a small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of more unwanted animals.