Doghouse UK

Spaying and Neutering

If you have no plans to breed from or show your dog then please consider having him/her neutered or spayed. If more people did this there would be far fewer unwanted and homeless pets, many of which roam our streets causing havoc to people and pets or lead miserable lives eventually being put to sleep.
It makes sense that a person who loves dogs would want to prevent this happening, and even if we do not allow our pets to roam there is a chance that their reproductive instinct will prompt them to escape; the female when she is in season, and the male when he catches scent of a female in season. Neutering and spaying removes all sexual urges in dogs so they have no desire to roam in order to seek a mate. Neutering the male dog can also reduce levels of aggression and tendencies to be over dominant, making them more trainable, loving pets. A female dog comes into season for 3 weeks every 6 months which means that at that time she cannot be exercised in order to keep her, and her scent away from males. Spaying the female dog prevents her coming into season, so she is not deprived of her exercise. Neither will she suffer false pregnancies or of course give birth to an unplanned litter of unwanted puppies that may be difficult to find homes for. Spaying also prevents diseases of the uterus and reduces the chance of mammary tumours forming,(breast cancer), both of which are quite common conditions in the older female dog.

It is not true that altered dogs of either sex become fat and lazy or lose character. All guide dogs, hearing dogs, and dogs which help disabled people are neutered with no detriment to their ability to work well, or prevent them from being sweet tempered, loving individuals full of personality.

Neutering/spaying can be carried out on either sex from the age of 6 months onwards, but to prevent aggressive tendencies in males it is best done before he reaches 12 months. It is not necessary for a female to have either one season or one litter of puppies before spaying.

The operation takes place under general anaesthetic. There is always a slight risk involved whenever any anaesthetic is administered whether to human or pet, but advanced systems today make this very rare.
The patient must not be fed the evening before the operation, but sips of water should be available.
In the male both testes are totally removed through a small incision in the scrotum.
In the female a small incision is made in the abdomen and both ovaries and most of the uterus are removed.
The operation is of course irreversible.
Most patients can return home the same day, providing they are fully recovered from the anaesthetic. The dog is a little drowsy for a few hours after returning home but after that shows no ill effects. Complications are very rare, but the dog should be discouraged from licking the wound in order to prevent infection.
The wound and stitches are checked by the vet after 3 days, and removed after 10 days. By this time he/she will be fully active and back to being his/her normal self.

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After many years of devotion to you, your once boisterous young puppy needs special care as he becomes The Aging Dog