We performed several spays at the hospital this week, and since we have already covered the neuter, I figured I would go ahead and talk about spays today. Spaying has numerous benefits, so we highly recommend having your pets spayed. Just like neutering, having your female pet spayed helps decrease pet overpopulation and helps decrease the number of homeless pets euthanized each year. If your pet is spayed, you do not have to worry about unwanted pregnancy. Some people hesitate to spay their dog or cat in case they ever want puppies or kittens. However, there is the chance that the dog or cat could have difficulty delivering and require costly veterinary care in order prevent serious harm or even death to the mother. Even if the mother does have healthy puppies or kittens, caring for puppies or kittens from the time they are born until homes are found can require an immense amount of time and effort. Last of all, finding good homes for an entire litter of puppies or kittens can also be very difficult.
Other than preventing pregnancy, spaying has many health benefits. In both dogs and cats, spaying before the first heat essentially eliminates the chance of developing mammary cancer. But with each heat cycle, the chances of developing mammary cancer increases. However, even in an older animal with mammary cancer, spaying will slow the spread of mammary cancer, so we still recommend spaying in older animals. Spaying also prevents pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus. Many dogs are prone to developing pyometra in the several weeks following heat, and most often the only treatment is to spay the dog and remove the uterus.
It is also simply more convenient to have a pet that is spayed. Dogs that are not spayed usually come into heat every 6 months, and while in heat they often have a bloody discharge. They also attract many male dogs while in heat, which could allow them to be in the middle of a dog fight between males dogs. Female cats in heat can also display annoying and bizarre behavior, which could include screaming and yowling during the night.
Overall, there are many benefits to having your female pet spayed. We will spay dogs and cats as young as twelve weeks of age, and recommend spaying before the first heat if possible to have the lowest chance of mammary cancer.However, there still are many benefits to spaying at any age.
