Desexing Your Dog
Deciding to have your much-loved puppy de-sexed is often a stressful time for a pet owner. We hope that GVH answers any queries you may have.
A desexed dog does not become fat, however the metabolic requirements for food will decrease. In addition, desexing is normally done at an age when a dog’s growth is almost finished; at this stage food requirements will decrease, so it is important to avoid overfeeding and to continue with adequate exercise.
Dogs to be desexed are normally admitted to the hospital on the morning of the operation, without breakfast. Access to water should be allowed until the time of admission.
The operation to desex both female and male dogs is performed under sterile conditions using full general anesthesia; we consider the anesthetic technique and pain management plans we use as the most advanced and safest available. Your dog will receive intravenous fluid therapy throughout the procedure.
In females, the abdomen is clipped free of hair, an incision is made along the midline of the abdomen, and the ovaries and uterus are completely removed. This eliminates the possibility of having puppies, prevents her from coming into season, and prevents the development of infections of the uterus later in life.
In the male, the area around the scrotum is clipped free of hair, an incision is made just in front of the scrotum and both testes are completely removed. This eliminates the source of sperm and the main source of the male sex hormone, testosterone.
Because both procedures are performed under general anesthesia and the animals feel no pain during the operation itself. We routinely administer analgesics before, during, and after surgery to minimise any postoperative discomfort.
Both male and female dogs are normally able to go home the same day of surgery. When your dog goes home, we ask you to keep an eye on the wound and to let us know if there is any problem with the surgery site such as swelling, discharge, or if they manage to chew any of the stitches out. These complications are unlikely but do occasionally occur and we encourage you to contact us if you have any concerns at all.
We recommend that you do not bathe your dog or allow him to swim until after the stitches have been removed.
We advise keeping your pet quiet for several days after discharge. Beyond this, normal activity may be allowed. Your dog may quieten down a little after neutering, but there will be no fundamental change of character
The skin sutures need to be removed 10 to 14 days after the surgery; there is no charge for this consultation.
The best age to consider neutering is at about six months; at this stage, your dog will have matured more physically and be old enough to cope with an elective surgery but will not have reached an age where a male will have developed many antisocial habits, or a female will have come into season. Larger breeds (with a typical adult body weight of 25kg or more) are now recommended to be desexed after 12 months of age. Please call us to ask if you are unsure of the best timing for your pet’s neutering.
Occasionally, for example in spring, female dogs may come into season earlier than the expected age; if this occurs, we can proceed with neutering her earlier.
