Spaying your pet has many benefits, and very few risks. The procedure, which prevents female animals from becoming pregnant and reproducing, can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Spaying will not change your pet’s personality.
By spaying your female pet, you’re protecting her against potentially deadly diseases, including bacterial infections, reproductive tract diseases, and several types of cancer including breast, uterine and ovarian. You also won’t have to worry about her going into heat. This means avoiding the mess that often accompanies the heat cycle in female dogs and the pacing and crying that happens with female cats – who stay in heat continuously. In addition, spaying your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.
Spaying, which involves removing the ovaries and uterus, is a surgical procedure and does need to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure her safety. Please see the descriptions under Anesthesia and Patient Monitoring for more information on what we do to keep your pet safe.
Current evidence on benefits:risks of sterilization procedures is somewhat conflicting. Keep in mind that spay and neuter carries numerous well established benefits, such as reduction in breast cancer rates, prevention of deadly infection pyometra, prevention of many male reproductive tract diseases, etc. Unwanted heat cycles, pregnancies, overpopulation, and roaming behaviors are also reduced or eliminated. Any surgery carries risks, such as small anesthetic risk, hemorrhage, infection, etc. We are happy to help you prevent these with proper post-operative care instructions, and answer your questions. There is some evidence in larger and giant breeds that early sterilization may slightly increase risks of orthopedic disease and certain cancers. For this reason, our Practice policy is a minimum one year of age for these breeds. Exceptions are on case by case basis.
To set up an appointment to have your pet spayed or to learn more about this procedure, call or visit our clinic. If you are struggling with the decision of whether to spay your pet, please call us so we can discuss your concerns.
Did you know that Memphis, TN has a city wide ordinance that requires all non-breeding Pets to be spayed and neutered to reduce the overpopulation and high shelter euthanasia rates? Breeding permits are available. Please refer to the following link for details:
http://www.memphistn.gov/Portals/0/pdf_forms/ordinances/5379_SpayNeuterOrdinance.pdf