PET DESEXING SURGERY

Part of responsible pet ownership is ensuring that your pets are not producing unwanted offspring! The easiest way to achieve this is by having them surgically desexed.

Desexing involves surgically removing a part of your pet’s reproductive system. In females, we routinely perform an Ovariohysterectomy - removing the ovaries and uterus. We call this procedure a Spey. In males, we remove both testicles, which is referred to as Castration.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the right time to desex your pet, and our vets are more than happy to discuss the options and benefits of different stages at which to desex.

The usual age to desex is six months of age. The benefits of this age are:

•  Avoiding “puberty”, which in female dogs would involve going through a heat cycle during which they will bleed and attract any entire neighbourhood male dogs, and in the males avoiding unwanted sexual behaviour, urine marking their territory, and potentially becoming more dominant or aggressive,
•  Desexing females at this age greatly reduces their risk of mammary cancer later in life
•  Desexing male dogs eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and reduces prostate enlargement later in life.
• The surgery is far easier, and the recovery is much quicker

All our desexing procedures at Reedy Creek Veterinary Surgery include peri-operative and take-home pain relief, intravenous fluids, buried dissolvable intradermal stitches, “cones” to stop them licking their wounds if needed, a recheck with a nurse, and of course, plenty of cuddles!