21 May What is Pet Neutering?
If you’ve recently decided to give a dog or cat a home, you know there are various health and vaccination prerequisites to be met to ensure their health and well-being. There’s the rabies vaccination, the period a newborn has to spend with their mother, and so on. You might have heard about neutering or spaying your pet. What is neutering? Should you get your pet neutered? Here’s everything you need to know about pet neutering.
What is Pet Neutering?
Neutering refers to the sterilization process through which a pet’s ability to reproduce is stopped. Neutering is often written as “spay-neuter” in the context of pets, as neutering refers to the sterilization process for males, and spaying refers to the sterilization process for females.
- Neutering: It is a sterilization surgical process where a male’s testicles are removed under anesthesia.
- Spaying: It is the surgical process where a female’s uterus and two ovaries are removed under anesthesia.
Reasons to Neuter or Spay Your Dog
- Preventing Surprise Births: Neutering your dog prevents unwanted pups. An unneutered male can roam and give rise to multiple litters of puppies. Having a litter is expensive and time-consuming, not to mention that your male can have more than one litter, which neutering can help curb. An unneutered female dog can birth 5-6 pups on average and will need professional care for the duration of her pregnancy. Delivering all these puppies is expensive as complications during birth may arise, not to mention the vaccination and healthcare charges for a whole litter of pups. If you don’t plan on keeping a litter, then you also need to consider the cost of giving the pups a new home.
- Reducing Health Risks: Neutering or spaying can help reduce the chance of certain conditions occurring in dogs. For instance, unspayed female dogs are at a higher risk of developing mammary tumors when compared to those who are spayed. Similarly, neutering a male dog reduces the risk of prostatic disease, and prevents testicular cancer.
Neutering Your Dog
4-6 months is the widely accepted age for dog neutering; closer to 6 months than 4. However, this time frame varies from the size of the dog to what breed it is, and it is always important to consult your vet before any surgical procedures.
Neutering a dog follows these steps:
- Pre-anesthetic examination.
- Pain and anxiety medication.
- Administration of general anesthesia.
- The veterinary team monitors breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen, body temperature, and state of anesthesia.
- The surgeon makes a small incision in the front of the scrotum.
- Each testicle is removed, and the spermatic cord and blood supply are cut off.
- The incision is closed with sutures.
- Post-operative medication and care are given until anesthesia wears off.
- The dog is kept hospitalized until they recover.
Spaying a Dog follows these steps:
- Pre-anesthetic examination.
- Pain and anxiety medication.
- Administration of general anesthesia.
- The veterinary team monitors breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen, body temperature, and state of anesthesia.
- The surgeon makes an incision near the umbilicus on the abdomen. ∙
- The ovaries and uterus are removed.
- The incision is closed with sutures.
- Post-operative medication and care are given until anesthesia wears off.
- The dog is kept hospitalized until they recover.
After Care for Dogs Recovering After Neutering or Spaying
The neutering process generally comes with post-operative instructions that you can follow at home and make your dog more comfortable. Here are some steps through which you can do the same.
- Give your pet space, and provide them with a quiet place away from others to recover.
- Try to limit your dog from running and jumping for at least a week.
- Prevent your dog from licking the area of the incision, as it may cause infection; use a pet cone (Elizabethan collar) if they continue to do so.
- Check the area of incision on a daily basis for any sign of infection.
- Look out for any swelling, redness, or discharge at the site of the incision; if the incision is open, call your vet immediately.
- Avoid any baths for at least a week.
Neutering Your Cat
It is recommended to get a cat neutered/spayed between 5-6 months of age. Some male cats may reach sexual maturation before 6 months of age, so waiting any longer may result in an accidental pregnancy. Kittens are better than adult cats with minor surgery, so it is recommended to get it done sooner instead of later. Remember to make any decision only after consulting with a vet so you can do what benefits your pet. Neutering a cat follows these steps:
- Pain and anti-anxiety medication.
- Administration of general anesthesia.
- The veterinary team monitors breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen, body temperature, and state of anesthesia.
- The surgeon makes a small incision in the front of the scrotum.
- Each testicle is removed and the spermatic cord and blood supply are cut off.
- The incision is closed with sutures.
After Care for Cats Recovering After Neutering
The neutering process generally comes with post-operative instructions that you can follow at home and make your dog more comfortable. Here are some steps through which you can do the same.
- Give your cat space and provide them with a quiet place away from others to recover.
- Keep your cat indoors and try to limit their running and jumping for at least a week.
- Prevent your cat from licking the area of the incision, as this may cause infection; use a pet cone (cat cone collar) if they continue to do so.
- Check the area of the incision daily for any sign of infection and ensure it is healing properly.
- Look out for any swelling, redness, or discharge at the site of the incision; if the incision is open, call your vet immediately.
- Avoid any baths for at least a week.
