WHY DESEX YOUR PET?
Desexing is the surgical procedure that renders a male or female cat or dog unable to reproduce. Desexing is a routine procedure for our surgeons, but it is a once in a lifetime experience for your pet. We are therefore careful to maximize your pet’s comfort and reduce stress once admitted to hospital and throughout the procedure.
Male castration involves a small incision in the front of the scrotum to remove the testicles, which are responsible for the production of sperm and the male hormone testosterone. In females, speying involves intra-abdominal surgery to remove the ovaries and uterus. The ovaries are responsible for the production of eggs and the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone.
Benefits of Castrating Male Pets
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Less aggression with other pets and people – entire males can be unpredictable when near a female in season
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Less likely to wander looking for females and cause/become involved in fights and road accidents
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More likely to stay home so usually make better guard dogs
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Less vet visits for traumatic injuries/illnesses
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Less inappropriate behavior in your home, such as urinating and mounting
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Less extra puppies and kittens produced, and therefore less unwanted animals at shelters
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No risk of developing testicular cancer (compared to a high risk in entire males)
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Greatly reduces the potential for prostate problems later in life (common in entire males)
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In cats, greatly reduced incidence of cat fights, feline AIDS virus and abscesses
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Cheaper council registration fees
Benefits of Speying Female Pets
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Speying before their first season reduces chances of breast cancer by over 90% – there is no physical or behavioural advantage for your pet in speying after their first season or litter
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No irritability and unpredictability caused by hormonal surges
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No unwanted pregnancies or litters
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No lock-in period when in season, and no bleeding (when entire, bleeding occurs twice a year for up to 3-4 weeks)
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Avoidance of potentially life threatening medical conditions such as pyometron (pus-filled uterus)
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Reduced incidence of feline AIDS virus and cat abscesses
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Less desire to wander, and therefore less likely to be involved in fights and road accidents
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Reduced aggression, particularly with children
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No caesarian procedure for difficult births – caesarian procedures can cost $600-800!
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Cheaper council registration
Details about Procedure and Delayed Desexing
Desexing is conducted under full general anaesthetic with strict hygiene controls. We always recommend pre-anaesthetic bloods to make sure your pet is healthy before surgery. Your pet will also be on intra-venous fluids throughout the procedure to support their vital organs and improve recovery time. When under anaesthetic, your pet will be closely monitored by a qualified and skilled veterinary nurse. Your pet will have an Australian Veterinary Association ear tattoo applied to their left ear to indicate they have been desexed. After surgery we use insulated blankets in combination with pain and anti-inflammatory medication to minimise discomfort. Your pet will be sent home the same afternoon once they recover. All our patients are sent home with pain and anti-inflammatory medication and a bucket collar. We also include a follow-up appointment 3 days after surgery to make sure that your pet is happy and comfortable at home and that they are healing well. Sutures are removed 10 days after surgery.
Choosing the best time to desex your pet will depend on a number of factors, including the breed, size, species, behavior and family environment. Desexing has always been recommended at 4-6 months of age, however recent research suggests that large breed dogs should delay desexing until they are skeletally mature. Studies have found that early desexing of large breed dogs may increase the incidence of certain orthopaedic conditions e.g. hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament disease. On the other hand, behavioural problems such as urine marking, mounting, anxiety and various other forms of boldness-related, aggressive or reactive behaviours can be problematic in large breed dogs that undergo delayed desexing. Due to such a large population of dogs suffering from behavioural problems, delayed desexing should be discussed with your veterinarian so that the best decision can be made for your pet.
Common Myths About Desexing
1. Desexed pets put on weight
Animals and people put on weight because of over consumption of food and insufficient exercise. There are lots of overweight people who are not desexed. Diet and exercise are the key factors!
2. Desexing stops a dog from being a good guard dog
Desexing does not alter this basic instinct – some dogs will never be guard dogs, they are just too placid, desexed or not. A dog doesn’t need aggression to be a good watch dog; it only needs to be able to bark! If you want an aggressive dog to guard your house, invest in a good security system. In the long term, it will probably cost you a lot less and cause a lot less problems than an aggressive pet will!
3. Dogs and cats make better pets if they have a litter
Not true. In fact, females often become more aggressive after a litter, rather than quieter, as their protective instincts are magnified. Frustrated entire males can become very unpredictable and aggressive.
4. Pets need to come into season before desexing
Seasons cause a lot of unwanted dogs or tomcats to appear around your house: howling, fighting, marking, urine spraying and unwanted pregnancies. There are no medical reasons for having a season and, in fact, that first season can predispose to medical problems, such as mammary cancer, later on in life.
5. Desexing is cruel/barbaric/painful/dangerous
Not true! The procedure is carried out under anaesthesia with strict hygiene controls and monitoring to ensure maximum safety. Strong pain relief and anti-inflammatory injections are routinely given before and during this surgery to minimise any post-operative discomfort. Our pets have no sense of “missing” anything. They live from day to day concerned only about their daily activities.
6. My pet is confined all the time, so why get it desexed?
Entire animals can suffer sexual frustration when females in season are within smell or when they themselves are in season. This can lead to changes in their behaviour often leading to destructiveness and aggression. Desexing eliminates this problem, leading to a happier, healthier and well adjusted family pet.
7. I’d like to make a little more money from breeding my pet
This has been tried and tested throughout the ages and unless you run a professional breeding kennel of pedigreed animals, put in a lot of capital, pay proper attention to quality feed, worming and vaccinations, you will more likely end up in debt over the experience. For example your pet may require an emergency cesarean in the middle of the night costing upwards of $2,000.00 and produce one single live puppy.
8. Having pups will be a good experience for the children
This “good experience” often turns into a nightmare when the female has trouble having her litter and the children have to watch her in pain or when some or all of the pups or kittens die at birth or soon after. There is no positive educational experience for children in seeing their pet in need of a caesarian when their parents have not planned for this possibility or cannot afford the procedure. A better learning experience for the children would be to show them how to be responsible pet owners by having the pets desexed and not producing more pups/kittens when thousands are put to sleep at the RSPCA each year.
When is the best time to desex?
For male cats, any time from 6 months is ideal.
Larger breed male dogs may benefit from delaying the surgery until they are fully grown to help with skeletal development.
For females, the best prevention against mammary cancer is achieved if they are spayed at 6 months of age, which is usually before their first season. If a female dog has been in season already, waiting till 2-3 months after the season finishes minimizes the blood supply to the uterus and lowers the risk of surgical complications.
In cats, females may repeatedly come into season every couple of weeks, so trying to catch them between these times is ideal.