Spay and Neuter
Spaying and neutering are among the best ways to invest in your pet’s future health. Find out why with this detailed breakdown of the procedures and their benefits.
Spaying & Neutering: Why Make
The Choice?
Deciding whether to spay or neuter your pet can be a challenging decision.
To complicate matters, well-meaning friends often provide plenty of misinformation on the subject. Spaying or neutering your pet is a caring step you can take to ensure a happier, healthier life for your dog or cat.
It Helps Pets Live Longer, Happier Lives
Because they stay healthier, spayed or neutered pets live longer. They are calmer and have an easier time adapting to life with humans. In fact, most spayed or neutered pets are more loving and responsive to their owners since they are no longer preoccupied with mating.
It Saves Lives
Millions of unwanted dogs and cats are dropped off at our nation’s animal shelters every year. Only about 1 in 6 of these orphaned pets find homes.
The rest are euthanized.
It Eliminates Unwanted Behavior
In males, neutering eliminates most of the sex hormone testosterone that is largely responsible for an animal’s “male behaviors”. Roaming, mounting, urine marking, spraying, and fighting are markedly reduced and
often eliminated.
It Can Prevent Illness
Spaying or neutering is the sterilization of an animal.
In females, the procedure is called spaying (or ovariohysterectomy) and is the removal of the ovaries and the uterus. It eliminates the chances of uterine infection or cancer, ovarian cancer, messy heat cycles, unwanted pregnancy, and also greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer.
In males, sterilization is called neutering (or castration) and is the removal of the testicles. It eliminates the chances of testicular and prostate cancer. In cats, urine odor is greatly reduced.
It Is Never Too Late
Although the best time to spay or neuter your pet is around 6 months of age, the surgery can be done at any time after that age.
At Timberview Veterinary Hospital, we recommend using a surgical laser for spay and neuter surgeries. As it cuts through the various tissue layers, a traditional scalpel causes more tissue inflammation than a cutting laser. Surgical cutting with a laser results in less pain, less bleeding, and faster healing. For more information about surgical lasers and whether laser surgery is right for your pet, please contact our staff or visit our Pet Surgery page.