Surgery
Neutering, orthopaedic and soft tissueSurgical neutering (Castration and Spay)
All our premises are equipped with good quality anaesthetic equipment and surgery facilities to cope with surgical neutering of dogs, cats and small pets.
Male cats are normally castrated from 6 months of age. We offer early neutering from 4 months of age in certain circumstances. It is a minor procedure we perform most days and is done under a full anaesthetic. Castrated male cats are much less prone to fighting, roaming (reducing the risk of road traffic accidents) and spray marking the house.
Female cats are spayed from 4 – 6 months of age. An anaesthetic is required and the ovaries and uterus are removed through the flank incision about a centimetre long. Stitches (sutures) are used to close the skin which need removing 10 – 14 days later. This procedure will remove the risk of unwanted pregnancy.
Male dogs are castrated usually from around 9-12 months of age, in certain circumstances this can be done earlier and in others it may be suggested to leave the procedure until they are a bit older. Later castration reduces apprehension of vets visits and is shown to reduce behavioural problems. Castration in dog requires a general anaesthetic and again the stitches (sutures) are removed 10 – 14 days later. Castration can be used to stop roaming, certain behavioural traits, prostrate problems and will render the patient infertile.
Female dogs are normally spayed 3 months after their first season. They can be spayed in 2 main ways. Firstly is a full spay, this is where the ovaries and uterus are removed. We mainly do this in older bitches’ with risk of uterine infections. Secondly is an ovariectomy. We do this in the younger bitches. It involves removing the ovaries and leaving the uterus. This latter procedure will result in infertility and stop seasons with all the associated bleeding problems but it does reduce the risk of urinary incontinence which can be a problem with a full spay. Neutering a bitch before its second season greatly reduces the risk of cancer of the mammary tissue in later life.