Neutering

Female Dogs (Spay)
When a bitch is spayed an operation is carried out to remove the ovaries and uterus (ovariohysterectomy) or just the ovaries (ovariectomy) via an incision in the belly under a general anaesthetic. We are also able to offer laparoscopic bitch spaying, where only the ovaries are removed via keyhole surgery - further information on laparoscopic spaying is below.

Small breed dogs we suggest spaying before the first season. For others, we may advise spaying 3-4 months after the first season and in specific breeds or dogs likely to reach an adult weight of over 20kg, it is recommended to wait until over 1 year old.

Male Dogs (Castrate)
The castration operation involves removing both testes under a general anaesthetic via a small incision infront of the scrotum.

We advise dog castration from 6 months of age in smaller breed dogs. In specific breeds or dogs likely to reach an adult weight of over 20kg it is recommended to wait until over 1 year old.

Female Cats (Spay)
The spay operation for cats involves the removal of the ovaries and uterus via an incision on the flank or belly under general anaesthesia. We advise that cats can be spayed from 4/5 months of age.

Male Cats (Castrate)
The castration is carried out under general anaesthesia and the testes are removed via small incisions in the scrotum. These incisions are often so small that sutures are not required. Cats can be castrated from 4/5 months of age.

Female Rabbits (Spay)
The spay operation for rabbits is carried out under general anaesthesia and involves the removal of the ovaries and uterus via an incision in the belly. We advise that rabbits can be spayed from 5 months (over 1/ 1.2 kg in weight).

Male Rabbits (Castrate)
The castration is carried out under general anaesthesia and the testes are removed via small incisions in the scrotum. We advise that rabbits can be castrated from 5 months (over 1/1.2kg).

It is best to have a conversation with your vet or nurse to discuss the best time to neuter your pet and to answer any specific questions you may have.

Prior to the operation it is necessary for the dog or cat to be checked by the vet to ensure that it is fit and well and, in the case of bitches, check that they are not in season.

Night Before
As operations are performed under general anaesthesia it is vital that your cat/dog does not eat anything after 8:00pm. Water should be left down overnight so that your pet does not become dehydrated but this should be removed first thing in the morning. Rabbits and some other species should not be starved - please enquire.

On the day
Your pet will be admitted by a nurse or vet who will go through a consent form with you, checking whether your pet is ready for the operation and collecting relevant contact details for the day. They will then admit your pet to the cattery or dog ward, where they will spend the day.

Your pet will stay with us for the day whilst they have their operation and recover from the anaesthetic. Once we are satisfied that they have recovered enough, they will be discharged into your care with all the information you require.

If we feel that your pet needs to be monitored by our staff overnight, they will be kept in the hospital under 24-hour care (pets that have been operated on at any of the branch surgeries will be transported there via ambulance).

Post-Operative Instructions
For all pets it is vital that they are not allowed to disturb the wound either by licking, biting or scratching. To help prevent this, they may need to wear a ‘buster collar’ which prevents them reaching the sutures. Dogs will need to be lead-exercised only for 10 days after surgery to prevent them pulling the stitches or damaging the wound. Female cats will need to be kept inside for the first 10 days (or until their sutures are removed). Male cats can go outside after 24 hours, once the anaesthetic has fully worn off.

Some animals will need to attend post-op checks 2-3 days and 10 days after surgery to check the wound site and ensure they are healing correctly. If sutures have been placed, these will be taken out at the 2nd check-up if they are ready to be removed (if not it may be necessary to come in again). Male cats may not need to be seen but will depend on the instructions given at discharge. Post-operative checks are free of charge.

We are now able to offer all clients the option of having their bitch neutered laparoscopically. In this procedure only the ovaries, not the uterus (womb), are removed using a laparoscope inserted through small incisions in the wall of the abdomen. This ‘keyhole’ procedure is well established but not widely available in general practices.  

The advantages include:

• A significant reduction in post-operative discomfort compared to the conventional technique due to the smaller incisions and reduction in abdominal retraction/manipulation required.
• The bitch’s activity restriction is less critical during the post-surgical period (although restriction to lead exercise is recommended for 10 days).
• In breeds at risk of bloat (gastric dilation-volvulus, gastric torsion, twisting of the stomach) a prophylactic gastropexy can be carried out at the same time. These breeds are typically deep-chested i.e. Great Danes, Pointers, Irish Setters etc.
• The procedure is minimally invasive with only 3 small skin incisions.

This type of bitch spay is not available at the branch surgeries but clients who wish have their bitch spayed in this way can contact Rosemary Lodge Veterinary Hospital to arrange for the operation to take place there.

Deciding whether to have your female dog neutered or ‘spayed’ is a big decision, and there is a lot of advice, often contradictory, that is available to you.

There are many questions surrounding neutering, and this leaflet aims to make things as clear as possible for you.

Why should I neuter my dog?

Neutering has many benefits, with the most obvious one being that she will not be able to have an unwanted litter of puppies.  Many people think that a dog needs to have at least one litter of puppies to fulfil a biological need, however, there is no evidence to support this claim. It is also worth remembering that dogs cannot always give birth naturally, sometimes requiring an emergency caesarean section. The responsibility of the health of the puppies also lies with the owner of the female dog, meaning they will have to have worming and flea treatment, be vaccinated and microchipped, and find suitable homes for all the puppies.

Neutering your dog eliminates the risk of a pyometra. A pyometra is a fairly common condition in unneutered female dogs, and it is when the uterus becomes infected and fills with pus. This is an emergency condition requiring emergency surgery to completely remove the uterus and ovaries.

Neutering your dog also eliminates the possibility of ovarian tumours, as the ovaries are fully removed.

Neutering removes the ovaries, and therefore stops your dog coming into season every 6 or so months. A dog’s season can last from 7 – 10 days, and during this time they will be shown a lot of interest from male dogs. You will need to keep a close eye on your dog during this period, because an accidental mating can easily happen. It is also not uncommon for male dogs to be able to smelled by a male dog from up to a mile away!

Pseudopregnancies (false pregnancies) happen in most unneutered female dogs after their season. This behaviour had a purpose in wolves as it allowed many females to feed the puppies of the pack, but it is something that is no longer needed in domestic dogs. Pseudopregnancies can make your dog start to produce milk from her mammary glands, which are usually enlarged. They may also show changed behaviours, such as nesting, and sometimes even aggression. Neutered dogs do not have pseudopregnancies.

Mammary tumours are quite common in unneutered female dogs, which require surgery to remove. There are many studies showing that neutering a dog before two and a half years old may well provide benefits against mammary malignancies.

Are there any disadvantages?

Overall, there are many more benefits to neutering your dog than disadvantages, but there are some things to consider.

Neutering always requires a general anaesthetic, which always carries a degree of risk. However, all our patients are given a thorough pre-anaesthetic check by a vet, and their anaesthetic is monitored by a trained nurse, and many different pieces of monitoring equipment are used to ensure your dog’s safety. The safety of our patients is always our top priority.

Urinary incontinence in neutered dogs has been something that has been spoken about many times over the years, and many different scientific studies have been performed into this. There is no conclusive evidence that neutering your dog will cause urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is a fairly common finding in older dogs, and there may be other factors that lead to a predisposition, such as weight and breed.

Weight gain is a common finding in dogs that have been neutered. They have a slightly reduced calorific need, and therefore their food may have to be adjusted after neutering. Different studies have concluded that weight gain can be linked to breed, and it is also seen that the increase in weight is only seen for two years post neutering, so this is the important time to monitor your pet’s weight.

What Does Neutering Involve?

When your dog is neutered, they will have a full health check by one of our vets, and they will then have a general anaesthetic.

An area on the abdomen will be clipped and cleaned, and this is where the surgery will be performed.

There are two types of neutering. The traditional spay is an ovariohysterectomy (OVH), which is when the entire reproductive tract is removed, including both ovaries and the uterus right up to the cervix. Many vets now perform an ovariectomy (OVE) which is when just the ovaries are removed.

There are pros and cons to both, and often it comes down to veterinary surgeon preference or suitability of your dog for the procedure. At Rosemary Lodge, we also offer laparoscopic ovariectomies, which is ‘keyhole’ surgery - just three small incisions are made.

If not done laparoscopically, both OVH and OVE surgery are ‘open surgery’ requiring a longer incision on the abdomen.

There has been discussion in the past that OVEs leave your dog open to having a ‘stump pyometra’ which is when the uterine tissue that is left behind becomes infected. However, a pyometra can only occur if there is ovarian tissue present, so as long as this has all been removed, the risk of a pyometra is minimal.

After surgery, we recommend that your dog is kept relatively quiet for ten days, and we will have to see her for a re-check at around three and ten days.

What age can I neuter my dog?

There is not a blanket answer for this question, as it often varies on the individual, but this chart will give you a good idea of the timing for your dog. The weights listed are the expected adult bodyweight of your dog.

Some breeds, such as Rottweilers, have different timing for neutering due to many different factors. Before deciding when to neuter your dog, it is always a good idea to have a conversation with your vet, so that you are fully aware of all the information before making a decision.

It also important that your dog is neutered in the middle of her oestrus cycle, to prevent a prolonged pseudopregnancy, so for this reason, we recommend that the neutering is booked for around three months after the end of their last season.

Weight / Breed	6-11 months	12-23 months	24+ months
Less than 20kgs
20 - 30kgs
30 - 40kgs
40+kgs
Rottweilers
Golden Retrievers

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01225 832 521.

Deciding whether to have your male dog neutered (castrated) is a big decision, and there is a lot of advice, often contradictory, that is available to you.

There are many questions surrounding neutering, and this leaflet aims to make things as clear as possible for you.

Why should I neuter my dog?

Neutering has many benefits, with the most obvious one being that he will not be able to father an unwanted litter of puppies.  Many people think that a dog needs to sire at least one litter of puppies to fulfil a biological need, however, there is no evidence to support this claim. The responsibility of the health of the puppies also lies with the owner of the dogs, meaning they will have to have worming and flea treatment, be vaccinated and microchipped, and find suitable homes for all the puppies.

Neutering your dog eliminates the risk of testicular cancer, as the testicles will no longer be present. Neutering your dog will also reduce the risk of prostatic issues later in life.

Neutered dogs are much less likely to run off in search of in season female dogs, and therefore the risk of them becoming lost or involved in accidents is reduced.

Are there any disadvantages?

Overall, there are many more benefits to neutering your dog than disadvantages, but there are some things to consider.

Neutering always requires a general anaesthetic, which always carries a degree of risk. However, all our patients are given a thorough pre-anaesthetic check by a vet, and their anaesthetic is monitored by a trained nurse, and many different pieces of monitoring equipment are used to ensure your dog’s safety. The safety of our patients is always our top priority.

Weight gain is a common finding in dogs that have been neutered. They have a slightly reduced calorific need, and therefore their food may have to be adjusted after neutering. Different studies have concluded that weight gain can be linked to breed, and it is also seen that the increase in weight is only seen for two years post neutering, so this is the important time to monitor your pet’s weight.

Does Neutering change behaviour?

This is complex question, without a blanket answer, so it is always worth discussing behaviour with your vet and a behaviourist before neutering for behaviour reasons only.

Neutering will have an effect on hormone driven behaviours, such as roaming to find in season female dogs, or getting a bit too amorous with a cushion, but some of these behaviours can become learned, or habitual, after some time, so this is worth taking into consideration.

Neutering for aggressive behaviour reasons needs some degree of thought beforehand, and input from a professional, for example, in those dogs that are aggressive due to fear, neutering can make things worse instead of better.

What Does Neutering Involve?

When your dog is neutered, they will have a full health check by one of our vets, and they will then have a general anaesthetic.

The area around the testicles is clipped and cleaned ready for surgery. Castration surgery involves the complete removal of the testicles, although in most cases, the scrotal sac is not removed, and over time this piece of skin shrinks to almost nothing.

After surgery, we recommend that your dog is kept relatively quiet for ten days, and we will have to see him for a re-check at around three and ten days.

What age can I neuter my dog?

There is not a blanket answer for this question, as it often varies on the individual, but this chart will give you a good idea of the timing for your dog. The weights listed are the expected adult bodyweight of your dog.

Some breeds, such as Rottweilers, have different timing for neutering due to many different factors. Before deciding when to neuter your dog, it is always a good idea to have a conversation with your vet, so that you are fully aware of all the information before making a decision.

Weight / Breed	6 - 11 months	12 - 23 months	24+ months
Less than 20kgs
20 - 30 kgs
30 - 40 kgs
40+kgs
Rottweilers

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01225 832 521.