Prospect Veterinary Clinic in Frederick, MD, offers full spaying and neutering services for dogs, cats, and even pocket pets. These procedures are a humane way to control local animal populations. These routine procedures can also confer health benefits on pets and, in many cases, lead to improved behavior compared to non-altered pets. Spaying and neutering is also strongly recommended for certain pocket pets due to their metabolism and physiology. If you are in need of a Veterinarian in Frederick, MD, that provides spaying and neutering services, look no further than Prospect Veterinary Clinic.
What Are Spaying and Neutering Procedures?
Spaying and neutering procedures are routine surgeries that prevent pets from reproducing. Neutering a male pet involves removing the testicles. Spaying a female pet involves removing the ovaries or both the ovaries and the uterus.
Animal shelters all across the country are overcrowded, and many thousands of pets have to be euthanized every year due to pet overpopulation. Spaying or neutering pets is one way that we can help to reduce overcrowding and sad outcomes for so many animals.
We Spay and Neuter Pocket Pets
People traditionally think of dogs or cats when we talk about spaying or neutering them, but it’s a really important procedure for pocket pets as well. Pocket pets are small mammals like gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, or rabbits. Spaying and neutering operations provide health benefits for pocket pets and reduce overpopulation. Many pocket pets are prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs), for example, due to sawdust or other items in their habitats. Spaying or neutering a pocket pet can reduce the incidence of UTIs and eliminate the risk of some reproductive cancers.
It is strongly recommended that all female ferrets be spayed if the owner has no plans to breed the animal. Female ferrets produce a tremendous amount of estrogen, which can cause their bone marrow to stop producing red blood cells. This, in turn, can lead to a serious case of anemia and additional health problems. Various types of cancers and other serious diseases can be avoided by spaying or neutering rabbits as well.
- When a male pet is neutered, he can never develop testicular cancer. Many prostate issues are also prevented by neutering.
- When a female pet is spayed, it prevents uterine infections and breast cancer tumors. In more than half of dogs and nearly all cats, breast tumors are malignant and life-threatening. Spaying an animal before its first heat cycle is the best protection against these risks. Spaying helps many female pets to live longer and healthier lives than they otherwise might.
- Male pets become much less likely to roam away from the house when neutered. If a male escapes from the home and starts roaming to either mark territory or look for a mate, he runs the risk of getting into fights with other animals or being hit by traffic.
- Neutered males often behave better than non-neutered ones. Aggressive behaviors, territorial marking inside the house, and other issues can be prevented, especially if the pet is neutered at a young enough age.
- Spayed female cats and dogs won’t go into a heat cycle after their surgery. Female cats will start to yowl and may even urinate inside the house when they go into heat. These behaviors are eliminated after the pet is spayed.
But what if I have purebred, and I want sell the puppies or kittens to make money?
Unless you are a professional breeder, this is probably not a lucrative endeavor. Puppies and kittens can cost a lot of money for inoculations, and other veterinary fees. It can also be difficult to sell an entire litter of kittens or puppies. There are many purebred animals in shelters, and they are often condemned to death because of lack of space in these facilities. A far more sensible and humane decision is to spay or neuter your purebred pet.
How will spaying or neutering affect my pet’s health?
The decision to use our spay and neuter services is one of the best things you can do for your pet’s health. Spaying a female pet before she goes into heat reduces the risk of mammary cancer. Neutering reduces the risk of prostate cancer in males.
Contact Prospect Veterinary Clinic with any questions regarding our spay and neuter services. Then make an appointment to get your pet spayed or neutered sooner rather than later. It is the right thing to do for our community, and for your pets well-being.
When Should I Spay or Neuter My Pet?
Puppies in good health can be spayed or neutered when they are as young as eight weeks of age, but most owners wait a little longer than that. Six to nine months of age is the traditional age when puppies are altered. Dogs can have the surgery when they are older as well, although there is a risk of additional complications if the animal is overweight or has certain health problems.
Kittens can be spayed or neutered as young as eight weeks of age. It’s a good idea to have the procedure done before the animal reaches five months of age. That will prevent the odds of the cat spraying urine or becoming pregnant.
Every pet is different, so talk to your veterinarian in Frederick about the best option for your dog, cat, or pocket pet when it comes to spaying or neutering.
Myths about Spaying and Neutering
One misconception about spaying or neutering is that it causes pets to become overweight. This is simply not true. Once the pet has healed from its procedure, owners should get him or her back on a regular play/exercise schedule and provide a regular, healthy diet. Overfeeding and lack of physical activity are what make pets become overweight – not the spay/neuter procedure.
Also, keep in mind that neutering a male dog doesn’t guarantee that it will eliminate all bad behaviors. If a pet learns aggressiveness or territory marking before he is neutered, he may still do those things after the procedure. While it does reduce testosterone levels, neutering a dog is not a “silver bullet” that fixes every behavior problem.
Contact us about Spaying and Neutering Procedures in Frederick, MD.
If you have a new pet and want to ask about a spay/neuter procedure, call our office to schedule an appointment today!