What is the difference between spaying and neutering for a dog?
Neutering is the removal of a male dog's testicles, and spaying is the removal of the female dog's uterus and ovaries. A little bit of the uterus is left, but 90-95% of it is removed along with the ovaries.
At what age should I spay and neuter my dog?
It varies depending on what breed you have. Small dogs can be neutered or spayed at around 5 or 6 months, but giant breed dogs usually more around a year to even sometimes a year and a half. So, a kind of general rule of thumb is between six and eight months of age.
What are the health benefits of spaying and neutering my dog?
If you spay a female dog, you will have no issues with going into heat, and you'll have less issues or about a 50% reduction in mammary cancer. As for male dogs, you won't have the urine marking and roaming seeking a female in heat, and it also reduces the tendency to be more aggressive.
Are there any reasons not to spay or neuter your dog?
Obviously, if you're going to use your dog for breeding, that would be the main reason not to have your dog spayed or neutered. However, there are a lot of unwanted puppies at various shelters, and so we tend to try not to encourage that. But that would be the only main reason that I could think of!
Are there any risks associated with spaying and neutering?
Both of these procedures are surgery, and so anytime you have surgery and anesthesia, there are things or complications that can occur. But the analogy that I give a lot of times is it's kind of like driving your car—you get from point A to point B 99% of the time, but occasionally you'll have a flat tire or you get into an accident. And so that can happen too with a spay or a neuter, but those are very rare.
How should I prepare my dog for the spaying and neutering procedure?
It's very similar to what you would undergo if you were going to have surgery the next day yourself. The morning of, we want you not to offer food or water to our pets, and usually, we have you even withhold food and water about the time you go to bed, sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight the night before. Let your dog out to go to the bathroom, and then we ask that you bring them in at a certain time. There's some paperwork for you to sign, and then they'll go home later that same day.
What should I expect on the day of surgery?
Well, as I say, you're going to drop them off early in the morning, sometime between 7:30 and 8. There's a little bit of paperwork we will cover with you. We will get your signature and the best phone number so we can get a hold of you for updates. We'll generally do the procedure in the morning, and again, they go home usually between 2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon. We want you to keep them still and calm for a few days post-op, just like if you had undergone surgery. You want things to heal before they start chasing a ball or running after a rabbit!
How long does the spaying or neutering procedure take?
It varies on the size of the dog. A small dog or cat can take about 15 to 20 minutes. A larger dog, depending on whether it's a neuter or a spay, can take anywhere from 30 minutes to sometimes an hour. Again, most of the time, it's a 20 to 30-minute procedure.
What is the recovery process like for my dog?
Like I say, we want you to limit their activity for about five to seven days after both a spay or neuter. Again, it varies on the size of the dog. Smaller dogs tend to put less stress on the incision, and so usually it's about 5 days, whereas bigger dogs it's usually more about a week.
Will spaying or neutering affect my dog's behavior?
Again, for a male dog, it will certainly reduce the tendency to be aggressive, territorial, and urine marking. As for a female, you won't have male dogs coming around that you've never seen before when they go into heat, and going into heat for a female dog can be sometimes messy. They do spot in the first part of their heat cycle, and a lot of people don't care for that.
Can a pregnant dog be spayed?
They can. Sometimes, it's a medical necessity, like associated with a C-section, but we tend to discourage that. If we do have a pregnant dog, we often want to try to let them have the puppies to term. Alternatively, they can be placed up for adoption at the Humane Society, and then we get the dog spayed.
Will spaying or neutering my dog cause weight gain?
In general, no. In some larger breeds of dogs, the hormones can affect or reduce the appetite, but that's not very common. It's usually more a combination of, as dogs age, they get a little bit more sedentary, and then you have to cut back on the food and so forth. So, as far as a general rule of thumb, no, but again, for larger dogs, occasionally, that can be true.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (402) 489-0501, or you can email us at staff@vhvet.com. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram.