Desexing
Desexing (or neutering) is the most common surgery performed on pets. It involves operating on the animal’s reproductive tract to prevent them from being able to reproduce.
In male pets, the surgery is known as “castration” and in female pets it is referred to as “spaying”.
We recommend desexing your pet at around 6 months of age. If your pet is older than this, they can still be desexed but the surgery can be more involved and extensive.
We strongly recommend that all pets are desexed for many reasons. They include:
• Prevention of potentially fatal disease – in particular, testicular cancer and prostate disease in males, and pyometra (infection of the uterus) and mammary tumours (breast cancer) in females
• Reducing the number of unwanted litters and stray or dumped animals
• No more “heat” cycles in females which means no messy discharge and no unwanted male visitors when your female is in season
• Reduced aggression towards people and other animals (especially males)
• Reducing the urge to wander (especially males) which reduces the chances of being hit by cars or getting lost
• Cheaper council registration fees
Call Us for an appointment
(02) 6341 3113
Some desexing myths ...
“Won’t desexing change my pet’s personality?”
Not really. Your pet may become slightly calmer (as they won’t get worked up about being on heat or chasing after females on heat etc) but really their personality will be just the same.
“Shouldn’t my female have at least one litter or heat before she is desexed?”
No – her risk of developing mammary tumours is increased if she goes through her first heat or has a litter before she is desexed. The risk increases the longer the female is left entire so it is never too late to get an animal desexed.
“Won’t my pet become fat after being desexed?”
No – there is no more reason why a desexed pet should put on weight any more than a pet that hasn’t been desexed. It all comes down to how much exercise they get and how much they are fed.
“Isn’t desexing painful?”
Desexing involves invasive surgery so there will be some pain associated with the surgery, as with any surgery. Most pets recover very quickly – often too quickly – so the problem is usually more trying to keep th
What to do before & after surgery?
Before surgery:
• Please ring and make a booking to get your pet desexed.
• Please do not feed your pet after 8pm the night before the operation and do not leave food out overnight. You can leave water out overnight but please take it away when you get up on the morning of the surgery.
• One of our vets will give your pet a thorough physical examination before we administer any anaesthetic.
• Some pets (especially older or sick pets) may require intravenous fluid support during surgery. Intravenous fluids help to maintain blood pressure which drops during anaesthesia; they also help to flush the anaesthetic agent out of your pet’s body which helps with a quick and smooth recovery. If your pet requires intravenous fluids, it will be discussed with you prior to the operation.
After Surgery:
• Please keep your pet confined and quiet as it can take some time for the effects of the anaesthetic to wear off completely. Keeping your pet nice and quiet also gives the wound time to heal.
• Your pet may not want to eat a full meal so only give them a small portion of food and water on the night after surgery. Their appetite should be back to normal within a day or two.
• Please check the surgical incision and sutures at least once or twice daily for any signs of infection or inflammation (e.g. bleeding, swelling, redness or discharge). Make sure your pet is not licking o chewing the wound. Contact the vet immediately if you see any of these signs.
• We will tell you when to come back for any routine post-operative check-ups and removal of stitches.