Mountain Aire Veterinary Hospital – Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about your pet’s care? We’ve got answers! Here are a few things about spaying or neutering that we are asked most frequently.
Why should I spay or neuter my pet?
There are many reasons why having your pet fixed is the responsible thing to do. Here are nine of them.
- Overpopulation. Every year, an estimated 6-8 million dogs and cats enter shelters. Sadly, a significant portion of those innocent animals never find forever homes and end up being euthanized. This overpopulation can be addressed by preventing unwanted/unplanned reproduction.
- Reduced health risks. For female pets who are spayed before their first heat cycle, the incidence of malignant breast cancer is reduced to virtually zero. They also no longer face the risk of painful and dangerous uterine infections. Male pets also have a significantly reduced chance of developing prostate or testicular cancers.
- Peaceful nights and cleaner days. Female cats call out to potential mates when they are in heat. This catcalling can last for hours, often in the middle of the night, for 7-10 days. In addition, female dogs tend to bleed during heat and will constantly dribble on and mess the carpet.
- No wild oats to sow. Male animals are much less likely to roam when neutered because there is a less instinctual drive to mate. Roaming males are subjected to car accidents, fights with other animals, and homelessness if they end up in a shelter.
- Less “spraying.” While all pets may have the drive to mark their territory, unneutered male pets are practically guaranteed to urinate on vertical surfaces all over their territory. These surfaces include your tables, couches, chairs, beds, and walls.
- Less aggressive behavior. Neutered males are less likely to exhibit dominant, testosterone-driven aggressive behavior that leads to bites, fights with other male pets, wounds, and veterinary expenses. Intact females are also capable of showing aggressive behavior during heat cycles.
- Cost savings. Pregnancy and birth lead to significant veterinary expenses. Even if all goes well you will have to provide the proper diet for both the mother and babies, standard health screenings, and vaccinations. If all doesn’t go well, you may be looking at an emergency surgery. Then there’s the time involved in finding proper homes for the puppies or kittens. It is far less expensive to spay or neuter your pet before they have the chance to mate.
Will spaying or neutering cause my pet to gain excess weight?
Absolutely not! In fact, altered pets require up to 30% fewer calories than unaltered pets. The reason they gain weight is owners do not adjust their diets and/or exercise to meet their caloric needs after being spayed or neutered. We can help you with that by providing expert advice and guidance on your pet’s nutritional and weight management needs.
How can I help ensure a safe and uneventful spay/neuter procedure?
We know you love your pet, and you want to reduce the risk of complications with anesthesia. Becoming an educated consumer of veterinary medicine is the key to making informed decisions – either at our hospital or another of your choice. Regardless of the practitioner, your pet should always receive the best possible care and quality of medicine.
There is less risk of complications for surgery if the following precautions are taken. We follow all of these precautions and recommendations with every surgical procedure – no matter how big or small.
Prior to the procedure:
- Have your pet fully examined and evaluated to determine their level of anesthetic risk. A repeat of this evaluation must be done within 12 hours of anesthesia, as required by law.
- Have any necessary pre-anesthetic testing (bloodwork, radiographs, EKG, etc.) performed as close to the procedure as possible. If too much time has lapsed, this process may need to be repeated. This work-up is vital to determining any additional precautions that may need to be taken both before and during the procedure.
- A pre-anesthetic blood panel is required for all patients of Mountain Aire Veterinary Hospital. The older the pet, the more parameters that need to be checked.
- Peri-operative IV fluids are also required for all patients.
- Pre-emptive pain control has been shown to greatly help speed up the recovery process. It is also much easier to manage pain before it begins than to try and treat it after. Ensure that some type of pain control is used (butorphanol, morphine, fentanyl, buprenex, metacam, etc.).
- One of the biggest risks associated with anesthesia is a drop in blood pressure to the kidneys. This can be avoided by using peri-operative IV fluids via an intravenous catheter and monitoring blood pressure every few minutes.
- The hospital will call you the day before to remind you about your scheduled drop-off time and to fast your pet beginning that evening.
During the procedure:
- Newer, better, and safer inhaled gas anesthetic agents (isoflurane or sevoflurane) will be used to keep your pet comfortable and stable.
- Separate, sterile surgical packs, fresh scalpel blades, and swedged-on needles and suture will be used for each individual patient.
- Everyone in the surgical suite will be capped and masked, and anyone moving in the surgical field will be in a sterile cap and gown.
- The patient will be monitored at all times by someone other than the surgeon who is skilled in monitoring anesthetic depth via respiration, heart rate, pulse strength, oxygen saturation, jaw tone, eye position, etc.
- The surgical suite will feature a higher pressure in its ventilation system, compared with the rest of the hospital, to keep “bad air” out.
- We inject Marcaine, a long-lasting, local anesthetic, at the incision site—again, to help with pain control.
After the procedure:
- Your pet will be carefully monitored throughout his or her post-anesthetic recovery. As soon as it’s safe to do so, your pet will be allowed to walk for voiding.
- When your pet is stable enough to go home, we will discharge, as pets do better with recovery at home, whenever possible.
- An appropriate, balanced meal will be fed as soon as your pet has recovered enough—remember, he or she had to fast the night before!
- Pain and antibiotic medications will have begun when your pet has sufficiently recovered but is still under the doctor’s care.
- Upon discharge, you will receive instructions for post-surgical care at home, as well as how to administer medications. A re-check appointment will also be scheduled for staple/suture removal, if necessary, and to evaluate the recovery status of your pet.
- We invite you to call at any time following surgery with any questions or concerns (or to leave a message after hours).
- A staff member will call the day after surgery to make sure your pet’s first post-operative night was uneventful.
