The most important thing about spaying and neutering your pet is to do it right. And the only way you can protect your pet from harm is to know what is really is.
Nobody tells you what spaying and neutering is. That is outside of a reliable local animal hospital. To know what spaying and neutering are, you need to dig deeper. To not only understand your options. But also to choose the best treatment method for your pet.
Animal shelters have seen a rise in admissions of 6.5 million animals, annually. And out of this striking number, only 3.2 million are rescued to a home. Most times, cats and dogs in animal shelters have to be put down.
This number is shocking as much as it’s still growing. And the only way to prevent their suffering is to get them responsibly spayed and neutered. It’s the most humane thing to do to deal with animal overpopulation in shelters.
If you’re a pet owner, you want what’s best for your pet. So you better make that decision the best one possible. How do you do that?
At St. Catharines Animal Hospital, pet care is a priority in the most genuine way. Spaying and neutering your pet is a huge responsibility to take on. And since you place all your trust on the St. Catharines Animal Hospital’s resources to spay or neuter your pet. Planning every step of the way is crucial.
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Understanding Spaying and Neutering Options
Common as they may be, spaying and neutering are major surgeries. That need special attention. You spay a female by removing her reproductive organs. And you neuter a male by surgically removing his testicles.
It’s the only surgery that can prevent the birth of more animals. In a world where many animal lives are put in danger due to neglectful parents or lack of proper food or shelter.
Reaching out to a local animal hospital can make a huge difference. But knowing your options is a necessity as there is no one way to spay or neuter your pet.
There are surgical and non-surgical alternatives to this. And here’s a bit of an introduction on both of them.
Surgical Sterilization
By choosing surgical sterilization, you’re removing the reproductive organs of your pet. In a female, known as a typical spay or “Ovariohysterectomy.” It’s when the fallopian tubes and the uterus are surgically removed.
This means your pet dog or cat will not be in heat anymore. Nor will she reproduce or experience heat-cycle related or breeding-related symptoms or behavior. There is also ovariectomy which is the removal of ovaries only. While ovariohysterectomy is the removal of both the ovaries and uterus.
For males, also known as castration, neutering is the removal of both testicles. The entire anatomy related to reproduction for males is removed. In many male dogs or cats, the breeding-related cycles are affected. This means your pet won’t show signs of breeding or heat-cycle instincts.
Non-Surgical Treatments
The research on non-surgical treatments is not yet solid enough. But it involves the injection of sperm-suppressing drugs into a male’s testicles. This may spot the production of sperms without affecting the hormones. So your male pet may show signs of breeding but would be unable to do so. As it only affects the sperm count and not the hormonal cycle of the pet.
Think About Recovery
The mark of good surgery is also what happens after it. This means recovery from a spay or neuter surgery. It also means informing you of everything you need to know to take care of your pet once you get home.
Keeping in mind certain standards and precautions recommended by ASPCA. This is how to take care of your pet after surgery.
- During the recovery period, your dog or cat must be kept away from other animals.
- A good follow-through would be to limit physical activity. In the sense that your pet shouldn’t jump around or run fast for at least 10 days after surgery.
- Your local animal hospital will provide you with a recovery cone. This is to make sure your pet doesn’t lick the incision or the area around it.
- Cleaning the incision every day keeps it away from dirt and skin infections. If there’s any slight swelling or oozing, go to a local animal hospital immediately for further help.
- To keep the incision dry and healing, avoid giving your pet a bath for 14 days post-surgery.
- If there are any major alterations in the way your pet eats, poops, or sleeps. Consult with a doctor immediately.
Why Spay or Neuter Your Pet
As a responsible pet owner, you need to consider spaying and neutering your pet. Why? Because of the thousands of dogs and cats that are suffering due to lack of proper shelter and nutrition.
You don’t want a handful of unwanted puppies or kittens in your home. There are plenty every year to adopt rather than give birth to by your pets. You’re saving a life rather than putting one at risk of diseases and malnutrition.
What are the benefits of spaying or neutering your pet? It’s more than just controlling the population of dogs and cats. It’s also about their personal health. Here’s why spaying and neutering your pet is a good choice.
It prevents cancer: Spaying your female cat or dog before her first heat cycle begins is ideal. That’s because it reduces her chances of developing mammary or breast cancer.
The same applies to neuter your male cat or dog. Early-neutered males are less likely to develop testicular cancer.
It reduces pet aggression: Cats and dogs are usually aggressive to find a mate. During their heat cycles. This causes them to unintentionally bite or harm others in frustration. Other aggression-related behaviors can be excessive barking and mounting the opposite sex.
It reduces lingering: Female dogs and cats usually linger. To look for mates outside their homes. So getting them spayed can literally save their lives. You save them from getting lost, hit by a car on the road, or injured by other animals.
It minimizes infections: For female pets, you’re running the risk of uterine infections. While for males, it’s enlarged prostate infections. These can have a really negative effect on your pet’s overall health and well-being. Not only are such infections painful, but they can interfere with your pet’s mortality.
These infections are contagious among pets. So if you have a few pets in your home. One pet can pass his or her infection to the rest of them as rapidly.
Spaying or Neutering Your Pet at a Local Animal Hospital
This includes the costs and recovery of getting your pet sterilized. And the only way you can stay smart and safe is by trusting your local animal hospital.
At St. Catharines Animal Hospital, you get cost-effective spaying and neutering packages. With the best of the best spay and neuter surgical amenities.
You’re actually cutting costs when you get your pet neutered. The long-term costs of taking care of your all your pet’s needs when it’s unsterilized are immense. You need to get regular health check-ups before and after their heat-cycles. In the case of birth, taking care of your pet’s litter is another added cost.
During breeding, dogs tend to become more violent. This may add to your initial cost of unaltered pets of the same gender. The same applies to paying for treatment, in case your pet gets sick due to infections. Such as uterine infection, which is very common among female dogs and cats.
You can avoid all this by opting to spay and neuter your pet. From my research, the cost of spay and neuter surgery is 4-5x less than that of taking care of an unaltered pet.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re asked these questions when it comes to spaying and neutering pets. Do you feel confident regarding your decision about spaying and neutering your pet? If yes, then reach out to a local animal hospital for more information.
But for now, these FAQs might help you out of your confusion.
1.Will My Pet Gain Weight After Spaying Or Neutering?
This depends on the kind of diet and exercises you incorporate for your pet. If you feed your pet too much after sterilization. Or you completely eliminate or reduce physical activity. This will definitely lead to weight gain.
But getting your pet spayed or neutered does not directly impact your pet’s weight.
2. What Is The Right Time To Get My Pet Spayed Or Neutered?
There’s no one ideal age to spay and neuter a cat and a dog.
For dogs: Both female and male dogs are best sterilized between the ages of 6 to 9 months.
For cats: You can spay or neuter your cat in either one of these three stages.
- During the pediatric period which is between 6 to 8 weeks of age.
- During the standard period which is between 5 to 6 months of age.
- During the late, post-heat cycle period. That is between 8 to 12 months of age.
According to PetMD, spaying and neutering a cat at 5 months of age is the ideal time. The surgical requirements and anesthetic requirements suit the cat’s body weight. And getting them sterilized before the female experiences her heat cycle prevents diseases. Such as infections and cancer.
3. Will My Pet Become Less Aggressive After Spaying Or Neutering?
Spaying or neutering your pet will not 100% fix behavior that’s aggressive. But it will reduce aggression to the extent that it’s not due to hormonal fluctuations. Your pet’s behavior also has its roots in his or her history, physiology, and nature.
Your local animal hospital will help lower your pet’s testosterone levels. For reducing aggression. But this does not mean your pet will adopt a new personality or behavioral pattern after sterilization.
Sterilization surgery does alter hormonal levels. To curb breeding instincts and heat-cycle behavior. So it’s true that your pet will stop mounting other animals or objects during their heat cycle. This also includes barking excessively and trying to flee away from home to look for a mate.
4. What Are The Risks Of Spaying Or Neutering My Pet?
Surgical sterilization requires the use of pre-anesthetic and anesthetic medication. It’s important to consult with your local animal hospital for a complete check-up. To make sure your pet isn’t allergic or sensitive to such treatments.
It’s always safer to identify potential risks before spaying and neutering your pet. And only a well-trusted and resourceful local animal hospital can do that.
If you maintain your pet’s ideal weight with regular physical activity and diet. It eliminates any metabolic complications during surgery. Make sure you discuss your pet’s nutrition needs both before and after the procedure.
If you’re worried about your pet gaining weight after spaying and neutering. You need to talk to a doctor by contacting a local animal hospital. You can choose from multiple wellness packages to control your pet’s diet.
Make sure your pet’s been through a thorough examination before the surgery. This includes a set of blood work, liver and kidney check-up, and weight. Just so that there aren’t any underlying issues that may cause further complications. A local animal hospital must be well-equipped to get the pre-surgical investigations done.
Over to You!
Your choice will determine the health and well-being of your pet. And taking the responsibility of getting a cat or dog spayed or neutered is not a small thing. It’s literally a life-and-death situation.
Whether you want to get your own pet spayed and neutered. Or you’ve just stumbled upon a helpless stray outside who needs that special attention. Preventing unwanted births of animals is always the responsible thing to do.
You don’t want a litter where there can’t be one. It can give rise to contagious diseases and malnutrition. In short, suffering from puppies and kittens.
By placing all your trust in a resourceful local animal hospital. You’re saving the environment as much as your pet’s life. Getting him or her sterilized prevents infectious diseases like ovarian or testicular cancer. And it also makes a cat or a dog less aggressive and more friendly and calm.