Unfortunately, every year millions of puppies and kittens are euthanized due to overpopulation and lack of resources to care for them adequately. In the United States alone, there are an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals entering animal shelters each year, and only about half of these animals are ever adopted. That means that over 2.7 million healthy cats and dogs are euthanized every single year. Spaying and neutering is the only 100% effective birth control method for cats and dogs.
What To Expect
We understand that some may be apprehensive about having their pet undergo a surgical procedure, but it is one of the most common ones that we perform. Your pet will be comfortably sedated during the entire surgery, which protects both them and our staff.
For female pets, we perform an ovariohysterectomy, in which we make a small incision in the abdomen and remove the uterus and both ovaries. In some cases, your pet can go home the same day, but in others, we may want to keep her overnight. To prevent your pet from licking the incision, we will send her home with a protective collar shaped like a cone. Activity should be kept to a minimum for 7-10 days while she heals, and we may prescribe pain medication to keep her comfortable during this time.
Male pets undergo castration, wherein both testes are removed through a small incision in the scrotum. Since this is a less invasive surgery than spaying, most male pets can go home the same day after surgery. Activity should be limited for a few days while your pet heals, and we may send him home with a protective cone-shaped collar to prevent irritating the surgical site.
If you have questions about spaying and neutering your pets, or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at (512) 904-0045.