Spaying/Castration
It is a sad truth that the number of offspring born from pets every
year is far greater than the number of good homes that can be found for
them. As a result, thousands of healthy animals are destroyed and many
unwanted animals are left to fend for themselves. This year up to 30 000
unwanted kittens will arrive at animal shelters in the UK. It is estimated
that one un-neutered female cat can produce up to 18 kittens a year or a
massive 20 000 descendents over five years!!!
What neutering involves
Both castration in males and spaying in females are major operations which
need a general anaesthetic. Your pet must be starved overnight before the
operation to reduce the risk of problems on the operating table. Rabbits
should not be starved prior to their operation.
Castration of male animals is a relatively straightforward operation unless
one or more of the testicles has failed to descend into the scrotum, in
which case intra-abdominal surgery may be required if the missing testicle
cannot be felt higher up in the groin. In dogs, both testicles are normally
removed through a single incision which is stitched up afterwards. In
Tom-cats each testicle is removed via separate incisions and normally no
stitches are required.
In female animals, spaying or ovario-hysterectomy, involves making a single
incision into the abdomen in order to remove the two ovaries and the uterus
(womb). In dogs this is midline, in cats it may be midline or via the flank
(side).
Your pet should be ready to come home on the same day as the surgery, as
soon as the anaesthetic has worn off. If there are any complications, your
vet might keep your pet overnight.
The benefits of neutering
Female cats (queens) - these are spayed to prevent pregnancy, and
this also reduces the incidence of straying.
Male cats (toms) - should always be castrated. Castration of the
male cat turns him into a much better pet, and also prevents marking indoors
and strong smelling urine. All cats are strongly territorial and
un-castrated male cats have a strong drive to trespass into other cats'
territories in search of a female. This often results in fight wounds, with
frequent trips to the vets for 'patching up'. Castration reduces the
likelihood of becoming infected with feline leukaemia virus and feline
immunodeficiency virus, the latter being spread via fighting.
Bitches - Neutering/ spaying (ovario-hysterectomy) will stop the
bleeding that occurs with every season and prevent changes in your bitch's
behaviour. Bitches who are not spayed, but who do not have pups, may have
false pregnancies or develop uterine infections (pyometra).
Pyometra is a very serious infection of the uterus (womb). Pus builds up
inside the uterus and if it does not drain out through the vagina of the
bitch, your dog may become very sick and go downhill quickly with toxaemia.
It is possible for the uterus to become so full of pus that it ruptures and
result in such severe infection that the bitch dies. Each time a bitch has a
season (about twice a year) she undergoes all the hormonal changes
associated with pregnancy - whether she is pregnant or not. The changes in
the uterus that occur with each cycle make infection more likely with age.
Signs usually develop around 6 weeks after the bitch has finished bleeding
from her last season - she may lick around her back end, drink more and wet
around the house. If pus is draining from the uterus a red-brown or yellow
discharge may be seen at the vulva. As she becomes more ill she will start
to vomit, become very depressed and unwilling to leave her bed. Spaying the
bitch, removing the uterus and infection is the most successful treatment,
however in very valuable breeding bitches a hormonal injection may be tried
but is often not successful.
Oestrogen production by the ovaries also plays a role in the development of
mammary neoplasia (breast cancer) later in life. Spaying a bitch before her
first season is a definitive protective factor against this occurring. The
incidence of mammary tumours has been proven to be 0.5% in bitches spayed
before their first season, whereas the risk is 8% when delayed until after
one season; after two of more seasons, the risk rises to 26%. We recommend
spaying most bitches from six months of age or three months after a season.
However, in the large breeds, it is recommended to wait until after the
first season as spaying before first season has been associated with
urethral sphincter mechanism incontinence later in life in these breeds. In
older bitches, it is preferable to wait until 3 months after a season before
spaying.
Unwanted side effects of spaying include weight gain, coat quality changes
in long coated breeds and possible urinary incontinence in larger breeds.
Dogs - male dogs can be castrated from six months of age. Some male
dogs develop antisocial behaviour when they reach maturity. This may be in
the form of aggressive or sexual behaviour - mounting other dogs or people!
It must be stressed that although castrating an older dog may reduce
anti-social behaviours, there is no guarantee. Un-castrated dogs, if left to
their own devises, may patrol a wide area in search of a mate and can detect
a female in season over long distances. A dog who wanders is far more likely
to be involved in a car accident. Neutering male dogs also reduces the risk
of them developing diseases of the prostate later in life.
Females (doe) - Rabbits breed like, well. rabbits! A female rabbit
will come into season more than 10 times a year and she could be having
litters of baby rabbits (also known as kittens) almost constantly throughout
her life. Also, entire female rabbits become very territorial when they
reach sexual maturity (usually at 4-6 months old). This is demonstrated by
aggressive behaviour towards other rabbits and even people. Your doe may
bite, scratch, kick and growl at you when you open her hutch to feed her. An
entire doe will also experience false pregnancies during which her behaviour
could become worse. A neutered female rabbit is less territorial and as a
result is a more relaxed and pleasant-natured rabbit to have! Another
advantage is that your rabbit will have a longer life expectancy - up to 80%
of unneutered rabbits will develop cancer of the uterus before the age of 5
years.
Males (buck) - castration can reduce the incidence of aggression
towards other rabbits and humans. Entire males will spray urine like male
cats to mark their territory. For indoor rabbits, neutering will make it a
lot easier to litter train!
We can also neuter other species of animals. Our staff will be happy to
discuss this with you.
Please refer also to the Frequently Asked Questions pages on our
website regarding neutering.
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