Spaying
We recommend spaying female dogs and cats at six months of age. During this procedure, the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes of the patient are removed.
Benefits Include:
- Prevents unwanted pregnancies
- Increases longevity
- Eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine tumors
- Remove the possibility of uterine infections
What to expect after surgery
Spaying is a substantial procedure, requiring a 10- to 14-day recuperation period. Lethargy is typical in the days immediately following the spay, but a pet should never be uncomfortable. Keep a close eye on your pet to ensure it doesn’t lick or bite at the incision.
In recent years, breeders and even some veterinarians have recommended spaying at a later age. Unfortunately, these recommendations are misguided. Although several studies have shown that some large breed dogs have an increased risk of certain cancers when spayed/neutered (LSA, MCT, HSA, OSA), they did not tell the whole story.
Multiple studies have shown that when taking all kinds of death into account, spaying and neutering increases lifespan in females by 26% and males by 14%. These data are based on over 2,000,000 animals and clearly show that desexing increases survival in dogs, especially females. These facts are valid even when considering breeds highly susceptible to cancer, like Golden Retrievers.
| Mean Survival (Urfer et al 2019) |
Mean Survival (Urfer et al 2020) |
|
| Intact females | 13.77 years | 14.9 years |
| Spayed females | 14.35 years | 15 years |
| Intact males | 14.09 years | 15 years |
| Neutered males | 14.15 years | 15.9 years |
Neutering
We recommend neutering at six months of age for both cats and dogs. This procedure removes the testicles.
Benefits:
- Decreases inter-dog aggression
- Reduces roaming, thus decreasing the risk of dog fights, interacting with wildlife, and getting hit by a car
- Decreases spraying and territory marking
- Eliminates the risk of testicular tumors and torsion
- Decreases the risk of benign prostatic hypertrophy, perianal tumors, perineal hernias, prostatic cysts, and bacterial prostatitis.
What to expect after surgery
Neutering, while less invasive than spaying, is still a medical procedure requiring recuperation time. Lethargy is typical after surgery, but a pet should never be uncomfortable. Keep a close eye on your pet to ensure it doesn’t lick or bite at the incision.
In recent years, breeders and even some veterinarians have recommended spaying at a later age. Unfortunately, these recommendations are misguided. Although several studies have shown that some large breed dogs have an increased risk of certain cancers when spayed/neutered (LSA, MCT, HSA, OSA), they did not tell the whole story.
Multiple studies have shown that when taking all kinds of death into account, spaying and neutering increases lifespan in females by 26% and males by 14%. These data are based on over 2,000,000 animals and clearly show that desexing increases survival in dogs, especially females. These facts are valid even when considering breeds highly susceptible to cancer, like Golden Retrievers.
| Mean Survival (Urfer et al 2019) |
Mean Survival (Urfer et al 2020) |
|
| Intact females | 13.77 years | 14.9 years |
| Spayed females | 14.35 years | 15 years |
| Intact males | 14.09 years | 15 years |
| Neutered males | 14.15 years | 15.9 years |
Veterinary Services
Below are all of the veterinary services we offer at Mendon Animal Clinic. If you have any questions regarding our services, please feel free to call us.