Spaying and Neutering

Spaying and neutering your dog offers many benefits, one of which is helping your dog live a longer and healthier life. It is also the most critical component of pet population control. Unfortunately, our shelters are overwhelmed with a large number of dogs (and cats) that do not have homes. Spaying and neutering can ensure that we do not add to the issue of excess puppies that cannot find loving homes.

Why is it important to neuter your dog?

Neutering will help to prevent unwanted male behaviours such as:

• Urine marking
• Roaming
• Inter-dog aggression and fighting
• Pet population control
• It eliminates the risk of testicular tumours and greatly reduces the risk of prostate infection and disease.

What is the best age to neuter a dog?

We recommend that pets be at least around six months of age before neutering. This ensures that they are big enough and old enough to handle anesthesia well. This is also a great time to ensure that all their adult teeth have erupted as they should and that no baby teeth remain (we refer to this as ‘retained’ baby teeth). Large and Giant breed dogs are generally neutered at a later age because their growth rate is much slower than the smaller breeds. We will advise you during your dog’s early visits with us what time frame should work well for him.

Why should I spay my dog?

The decision to spay your dog is an important one. This can be one of the most important decisions you make that will affect her long-term health and welfare. There are many reasons to spay your dog (properly termed Ovariohysterectomy and both the uterus and ovaries are removed during surgery).

There are many benefits to spaying your dog:

• Spaying makes reproduction impossible therefore it helps to curb pet overpopulation.
• Dogs that are spayed by six months of age are less likely to develop hormonally triggered behavioural issues.
• It prevents roaming behaviour, therefore, limiting the risk of injury or disease.
• Prevents the ‘messes’ of the heat cycle.
• Prevents male dogs from using your yard as a campground.
• Improves her health by limiting the risk of:
  1. Pyometra (a possible fatal uterine infection).
  2. Mammary tumours and mammary cancers (if the spay is performed before the first heat cycle) the risk is subsequently reduced).
  3. Uterine cancer.
  4. Avoids the risks involved with pregnancy including, infection, abortion, nutritional imbalances and surgical intervention (C-section).

How old should my dog be before spaying?

We recommend that pets be at least around six months of age before spaying. This ensures that they are big enough and old enough to handle anesthesia well. This is also a great time to ensure that all their adult teeth have erupted as they should and that no baby teeth remain (we refer to this as ‘retained’ baby teeth). It is widely agreed upon that before the first heat cycle is the optimum time to spay.

How much does it cost to spay or neuter my dog?

Please call the clinic to receive a treatment plan for these surgeries. All surgeries are done using aseptic and up-to-date techniques. We only book a maximum of 3-4 surgeries per day, to ensure that your pet has individual time and effort dedicated to them. All of our operations have a registered veterinary technician monitoring anesthesia and a minimum of blood pressure readings, IV fluid therapy, pain medication, and thorough monitoring after surgery – which is all included in the cost of the procedure.

Blood work before surgery is critical to determine that the pet’s liver and kidneys can handle anesthesia well and that there are no changes in the electrolytes, blood sugar or protein levels, and to ensure all of the blood cell lines are normal. This is a requirement for any pet over five years of age but is still recommended for any pet less than five years old as well.