Neutering your Pet

Many people are still unsure of the pros and cons of spaying and castration of cats, dogs and other small animals. We hope you find the following information helpful:

Spaying is the term used for neutering of female animals. This is a similar procedure to an ovariohysterectomy in women. There are many good reasons for having your female pet spayed:

Prevention of unwanted kittens and puppies. It is not necessary for a pet to have a litter before they are spayed.
Prevention of mammary tumours (like breast cancer)-the earlier in a female dog's life she is spayed, the less likely she is to get mammary tumours.
Prevention of a life-threatening infection of the uterus called a pyometra-this usually involves having to spay the animal as an emergency and often also means a lengthy stay in hospital.

Female cats are usually spayed from 5 months. Dogs are usually spayed anywhere between 6 months and 2 years. This depends on the breed size and what is best for each individual pet. If you would like more information, please get in touch where a member of staff will be happy to discuss the best time to spay your dog. Female rabbits can be spayed from 4 months old.

Castration is the term used for neutering male animals. The main reasons for this are:

Prevention of unwanted puppies and kittens.
Reduction of roaming behaviour and aggression, especially fighting with other animals (cats in particular!).
Cats that are castrated are also less likely to contract FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) and FeLV (Feline Leukaemia Virus) usually contracted by mating or fighting.
It makes male cats less likely to spray urine.
If an animal has retained testicles it is more likely to develop testicular tumours and so castration is even more important.
Prevention of prostatic disease and testicular disease

Male cats are usually castrated from 4 months. Dogs are usually castrated anywhere between 6 months and 2 years. This depends on the breed size and what is best for each individual pet. If you would like more information, please get in touch where a member of staff will be happy to discuss the best time to castrate your dog. Male rabbits can be castrated from 4 months old.
The animal is usually in the vets for one day and the wound is usually small and recovery is rapid. A pre operative check will be carried out by one of our Vets before the surgery where they will discuss the procedure in more detail with you and answer any questions you may have.

On the morning of the procedure, your pet will arrive at the surgery (starved if a cat or dog) where either a Nurse or Vet (depending if you have had a pre-operative check beforehand or not) admit you pet after listening to your pets heart and their taking temperature etc. You will then be asked to sign a consent form for the procedure. We will place a catheter in your pet's leg where we can then gain easy access to give the propofol (an induction agent used for general anaesthesia). About 20 minutes before your pet is due to go into theatre, they will be given a “Pre-Medication” which contains pain relief. Your pet will be looked after by a nurse at all times during their stay with us. Depending on how quickly your pet recovers from the anaesthetic, we will feed them a light diet (especially rabbits, we like to get them eating as soon as possible!) keep them warm and comfortable. A nurse will then go through the post-operative care instructions when you come to collect your pet (normally from 2pm), this may include, wound care (collars, body suit etc), diet, exercise and pain relief.