Desexing

Desexing involves surgical removal of the reproductive tract and is non-reversible.  Every animal desexed by your veterinarian receives pain relief and an anaesthetic to ensure painless surgery.

In the female, the operation is termed spaying.  A small incision is made into her abdomen, and the uterus and ovaries are removed.  The wound is closed with stitches.

In the male, the operation is termed castration.  The testicles are removed through a small incision near the scrotum.  Dogs will have stitches but in tomcats, the wound is only very small and no stitches are required. 

The surgical procedure is commonly carried out in animals around 6 months of age. However, there are some specific age recommendations for some breeds. Please discuss this with one of our veterinarians. 

Animals can safely be desexed after they have had a litter or later in life.

There are many benefits to having your pet desexed.

For a bitch or queen:

    • Desexing eliminates heat periods, when male dogs or tomcats are attracted to your home.
    • No unwanted kittens or puppies.
    • Desexing reduces the desire to wander from home.
    • In bitches, phantom pregnancies are avoided.
    • Desexing removes the chance of developing pyometra (an infection of the uterus).

    • If desexed before having a litter, there is a reduced risk of uterine, ovarian and mammary cancer development.  

  • For a dog or tomcat:

    • Desexing reduces the territorial behaviour of your pet, such as urine marking or fighting.
    • Reduces the desire to wander looking for queens or bitches on heat. Wandering behaviour can result in injury from car accidents or fighting.
    • In the dog there is a reduced risk of testicular cancer and prostatic hyperplasia/cancer development later in life. 
    • We strongly recommend the desexing of animals suffering from a hereditary condition known as cryptorchidism. This is where only one testicle descends into the scrotum, and the retained testicle has a high chance of developing a tumour.

*We recommend that a bitch or queen should not be desexed whilst in heat or lactating as it unnecessarily complicates the operation.  

What to expect after the your pet has had the desexing procedure

Immediately after
When you pick your pet up from our from the  practice, your pet may be a little drowsy. This is quite normal following an anaesthetic and surgery. The drowsiness should reduce over the next 12 to 24 hours. There may be some bruising at the surgical, the same as humans. 

What to do
Keep your pet in a quiet, warm place and give only small amounts to eat and drink. Your pet will be back to normal in a couple of days.

Take care
Most pets have recovered fully within a few days. Unfortunately this does have some disadvantages in that your pet may start jumping and running around. This activity can damage the surgery site and / or sutures. Please try to keep your pet as quiet as possible for 10 days post procedure.

Problems
Generally there are very few complications after the operation, however, there are some signs to watch for that may indicate a problem.
– Dull and listless (especially after the first 24 hours)
– Excessive redness or irritated around the suture line
– Swelling or lumpiness around sutures

If you notice any of these signs please do not hesitate to call our clinic.

Some pets lick excessively at the surgical site and require an E-collar (bucket) to be put on there head to prevent them from licking at the surgical site.