Female Dogs
We would recommend that if you do not plan on breeding from your bitch then she should be neutered. Neutering will prevent against unwanted puppies and can also help to reduce other health issues that tend to occur later in the bitch’s life.
Neutering your bitch will prevent her from coming into season and so will stop her from bleeding for up to 3 weeks every 6 months. It will also prevent against false pregnancies that may occur following a season which can be quite stressful for both the bitch and owner. One of the main advantages is that it will eliminate the possibility of an infected womb (pyometra) which can be a life threatening infection that usually occurs later in a bitch’s life. The risk of mammary tumours is also significantly reduced.
Neutering your bitch involves removal of both ovaries and womb. We would advise to neuter your bitch 3 months after their first season. A bitch can come into season for the first time anywhere between 6-18 months of age depending on breed and behavioural development. Please contact the surgery for further information.
Male Dogs
We would advise castrating your male dog unless they are intended to be used for mating. Castration involves surgically removing both testicles. Medical benefits to castration include removing the risk of testicular cancer, reducing the risk of prostatic disease and also tumours that may occur near your dog’s anus.
It is important to realise that castrating your dog may or may not alter his behaviour. Only behaviours that are being controlled by male hormones may be affected by castration. These include sexual behaviours, urine marking and aggression. With time, although some of these behaviours may have started as hormone related, they may change to become a learned behaviour and it is at this point that castration may then have no effect.
Castration can be carried out from 6 months of age. We offer a free 6 month check to dogs we have had registered since they were puppies and so this is a perfect time to discuss all aspects of neutering.
Cats
Again we would recommend that you neuter both your female or male cats. This can be carried out anytime from 6 months of age onwards. It is worth noting that female cats can become pregnant from 5 months old and so it would be advisable to keep them indoors until they have been neutered to prevent unwanted kittens. Castrating males will help reduce wandering and also urine spraying to mark their territory. Please contact the surgery for any further advice you require on neutering your pet.