The Ark Veterinary Practice
41 Connaught Road, Fleet, , GU51 3LR United Kingdom
Tel: 01252 616 185

Importance of Neutering

Posted: Friday 8th May, 2009

As a pet owner neutering is one of the key important things you can do for the health of your pet.

Spaying is the term used when female animals have their ovaries and womb removed (ovario-hysterectomy.)

Castration is the term used when male animals have both testicles removed.

Neutering is a genralised term used when talking about either spaying or castration.

Neutering your dog:

Benefits of spaying bitches:

Spaying dogs involves removing both the uterus and the ovaries; known as an oviario-hysterectomy. The procedure is typically done 3 months after your dog's first season although it can also be done around 6 months of age before your dog's first season occurs.

We strongly recommend spaying bitches and benefits include:

* Reduced risk of developing mammary tumours.

*Eliminated risk of developing tumours of the uterus or ovaries.

* No risk of unwanted puppies.

*Reduces unwanted male attention and makes your bitch less likely to roam and wander.

*Eliminates the risk of your pet developing a pyometra.

What is a pyometra?

A pyometra is an infection of the uterus- due to hormonal changes during your dog's season the lining of the womb becomes thickened in preparation for pregnancy. Sometimes the womb lining continues to become thickened and can become infected- creating a pyometra. This typically occurs 1-2 months after a season and although it can happen at any age, is more common in older bitches who have never been bred from.

Pyometras can either be open (where the pus drains from the uterus via the vulva) or closed (a more dangerous form where the pus is trapped in the uterus and causes the bitch to go into toxic shock.)

Either form is very serious and potenitally fatal. Your dog will have to be admitted to hospital: be placed on a drip and have an ovario-hysterectomy. But the risks of surgery are much greater than a routine spay and your pet will be hospitalised for a few days following surgery for aggressive anti-biotic treatment and close observation.

Clinical signs of pyometras include:

*Depression and lethargy

*Vomiting and diarrhoea

*Reluctance to eat

*High temperature

*Excessive drinking

*A pussy and sometimes blood tinged discharge from the vulva- although this may or may not be present depending if the pyometra is open or closed.

IF YOU NOTICE ANY OF THESE SIGNS AND YOUR BITCH IS  ENTIRE- PLEASE CONTACT THE SURGERY ASAP- LEAVING PYOMETRAS CAN CAUSE THE UTERUS TO RUPTURE LEAKING THE CONTENTS INTO THE ABDOMEN WHICH OFTEN CAUSES FATAL PERITONITIS.

By spaying your bitch when she is young and fit you eliminate the risk of this serious and potentially fatal disease!

Benefits of castrating dogs:

Castration of the dog involves removing both testicles and is carried out as young as 6 months of age although is typically carried out at around 9 months of age.

Benefits of castrating dogs include:

*Eliminated risk of testicular tumours which can be quite common in older entire males.

*Reduced risk of prostate problems in later life.

*Making your dog less likely to wander and follow females in season.

*If done early enough can help reduce hormone driven behaviour and hormone driven boisterousness.

Sometimes dogs can have a retained testicle. When your dog is a very small puppy his testicles start life up by the kidney. As your dog grows the testicles migrate through to the inguinal region where they then descend into the scrotum; usually when your dog is around 12 weeks of age although this can be alot longer.

If a testicle remains in the body and undescended your dog is known as cryptorchid. The testicle retained in the abdomen is kept at a higher temperature than it was designed to function at and is also usually underdeveloped. This means that the chances of the testicle becoming cancerous is greatly increased and so it is strongly recommended that all dogs with a retained testicle are castrated.

Benefits of neutering in cats:

Female and male cats can be neutered from 5 and a half to 6 months of age before they reach sexual maturity.

Benefits include:

*Eliminates risk of unwanted kittens. Female cats can become pregnant as young as 6 months of age and can have multiple litters in a year!

*Eliminates the risk of ovarian and womb cancers in females.

*Reduces the risk of your cat wandering in search of a mate.

*Reduces the risk of your cat contracting feline leukaemia and FIV- infectious diseases which are often passed on during mating.

*Eliminates the risk of testicular cancers in males.

*Reduces the occurance of fight injuries in males. Entire male cats will fight for females and territory.

*Can stop spraying behaviour in male cats if they are neutered early enough.

Benefits of neutering in rabbits:

Rabbits are becoming a more common pet within the UK. Being social animals they are best kept in pairs and neutering will not only stop unwanted baby rabbits but will also allow your rabbits to live together peacefully. Entire rabbits will fight even if kept in same sex pairs. And by keeping an entire mixed pair together your risk having huge numbers of rabbits in a very short space of time!

Rabbits can be neutered from as young as 4 months of age as long as they are big enough at the intended time of neutering- your vet will be more able to advise you on this so please enquire in the surgery.

Benefits include:

*Making your rabbit calmer. Once hormones have settled neutered rabbits tend to be alot calmer and easier to handle than entire rabbits.

*In males it makes them alot less aggressive and reduces the occurance of urine spraying- which entire males use to mark their territory.

*Eliminates the risk of uterine cancer in females. There is a very high occurance of womb cancer in entire females over the age of 5 years- by neutering you greatly reduce the risk of this.

*In females it can also eliminate the risk of pyometras- womb infections which are very often fatal in rabbits.

*It allows rabbits to live in pairs peacefully. Even if kept in same sex pairs both male and female entire rabbits will fight once they reach maturity at 4-5months- they become very territorial and can inflict very serious injuries to eachother. Even siblings brought up together will still fight and can even be worse than unrelated entire rabbits kept together.

*Stops unwanted baby rabbits! The phrase breed like rabbits isn't an understatement- two rabbits can very quickly become over 100!

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URGENT! PROTECT YOUR RABBIT FROM MYXOMATOSIS!



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The Ark Veterinary Practice
41 Connaught Road, Fleet, , GU51 3LR United Kingdom
Tel: 01252 616 185