PET TALES
Newsletter from Countryside Veterinary Service
September 2007
This month we will focus on spaying and neutering. Below is a quiz, written by another veterinarian, which was in a recent magazine I read. I thought it covered some of the same questions I often face in the examination room. If you are not using a pet for breeding, it is always better to spay or neuter to limit the long term effects of hormones. These long term effects include: mammary/breast cancer, pyometras (a severe infection of the uterus), prostate cancer, and testicular cancer to name a few. Although spaying/neutering cannot guarantee you will not see these diseases, they are much more common in intact pets. Spaying/neutering can be done at any age although the risk of anesthesia increases mildly with age. Any questions or concerns can be discussed with any member of our team.
Spaying and Neutering
Contributed by Kate McDuffee, DVM
On Vin.com
Since one focus of this newsletter is the issue of spaying or neutering your pets, I thought I would answer some of the common questions and misconceptions about altering dogs and cats. See how you do on this little quiz.
True or False: A dog must go through at least one
heat cycle before she's spayed.
False - The fact is that spaying a dog before she's fully grown has no effect on
her physical or mental maturity. Also, the more heat cycles or pregnancies a dog
has, the more likely she is to develop breast cancer or a severe infection of
the uterus called a pyometra.
True or False: Spaying or neutering makes a dog or
cat get fat.
False - While some animals do gain weight after surgery, this has less to do
with hormones and metabolism than with decreased activity, since the animals are
less likely to be roaming. The important thing is to provide a good, balanced
diet, limit treats, and encourage regular exercise.
True or False: A neutered dog won't be a good
watchdog.
False - Neutering a dog has no effect on how protective he is, but does tend to
make them less aggressive toward other dogs and people. He'll still "sound the
alarm," but is less likely to go out of his way to attack something or someone
outside his own territory.
True or False: Spaying and neutering my pets can
actually save me money.
TRUE! - By neutering your dogs and cats, you can save yourself money over the
long run in vet bills. Since they're less likely to be getting into fights,
you're less likely to be paying for stitches, antibiotics, abscess draining,
etc., not to mention the emotional cost of losing a beloved pet that gets lost
or hit in the highway. A Caesarian section costs much more than a simple spay
procedure, and don't forget about having to feed, vaccinate and find homes for
all those puppies and kittens! Also, many communities require a higher licensing
fee for unaltered pets.
True or False: Spaying and neutering makes dogs and
cats better pets.
TRUE! - Neutered dogs and cats are much less likely to urinate in the house to
mark territory. Non-neutered tomcats have a very pungent odor to their urine,
whether they use a litter box or not. When pets are spayed, you eliminate the
heat cycle, with all its annoyances (spotting blood on the carpet, attracting
all the neighborhood male dogs into the yard, and yowling all night in the case
of cats).
While your pet is sedated for surgery, this can be a good time to inject a microchip. Microchipping has become a very popular way to help identify lost pets. A small microchip (about the size of a piece of rice) is inserted under the skin between the shoulder blades. There is a small hook on the microchip to help keep it in place. This chip works similar to a proof of purchase symbol that when scanned it has a specific and original code. There are no batteries involved so a microchip is good for the life of your pet. Your pet can then be added to a national data base in case they ever get lost. Please ask us if you have any questions.
Good Luck To Teachers and Students As They Head Back To School !!
"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt,
and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."
- John Steinbeck