Spaying and Neutering for Pets

Animal shelters across the country euthanize millions of healthy pets each year due to pet overpopulation. No one steps forward to adopt these animals within the organization's time limit. While this is a sad and frustrating statistic, it's preventable with spay and neuter surgery. Neutering a male pet means he can't impregnate a female, while a spay surgery on females renders them infertile. Please call us at 403-342-5200 to book an appointment.

What happens during spay or neuter surgery?

The first thing a veterinarian does when a female pet undergoes spay surgery is to provide her with anesthesia to put her into a deep sleep. Then, the veterinarian removes the ovaries and uterus through an opening in their abdomen.

After a male pet has received anesthesia for a neuter surgery, the veterinarian makes a small cut in the front of his scrotum. The veterinarian removes each testicle and ties off the vas deferens that produce blood supply.

Veterinary staff carefully monitor a patient's heart and breathing rate throughout the procedure. We also provide pet owners with home care instructions once the pet comes out of surgery.

What are the benefits of spaying?

An unaltered female cat may go through several heat cycles each year. Intact female dogs usually go into heat two times each year. A cat becomes fertile well before she reaches 1-year-old, which means she could produce dozens of litters of kittens during her lifetime. Cats in heat have loud vocalizations and can act aggressively to try to gain the attention of male cats.

Spaying a dog reduces her desire to roam free. If an unneutered neighboring male dog gets near a spayed female dog, he won't attempt to mate with her. In addition to preventing litters of puppies and kittens that may not find a home, spaying a cat or dog decreases her risk of developing uterine, ovarian, and mammary gland cancer. The risk decreases the most for dogs and cats that have the surgery before they would have gone into heat for the first time.

What are the benefits of neutering?

Both dogs and cats can engage in aggressive behavior and roaming when they have not yet undergone the neutering procedure. The aggressiveness can surprise their human family when the dog attempts to bite or even act in a sexual manner toward people. Unneutered pets also spray their urine to claim a territory as their own. This odour is not only extremely unpleasant, it can be difficult to eliminate as well. Furthermore, after neutering surgery, the risk of testicular or prostate cancer in male pets drops significantly.

Neutering or spaying a pet increases his or her lifespan by an average of three to five years. One last thing to consider is that people with altered pets make better neighbours and are less likely to encounter the dangers of roaming because their pets are more likely to remain in the home or yard.