Spaying and Neutering: Veterinary Treatment for Dogs and Cats

Local pet owners should definitely give spaying or neutering their animals some thought for several excellent reasons. Apart from the finest thing we can do to assist in pet population management, it can also benefit your pet’s long-term health. Talking with your Southeastern Massachusetts veterinarian at Anchor Animal Hospital in Dartmouth can help you learn more about the very crucial kind of veterinary treatment for dogs and cats. They will enable you to decide what is best for you and your pet so that he may lead a long and contented life.

What is Best for Your Pet?

Regarding getting your pet spayed or neutered, you have a few choices to weigh. Though most people believe there is only one way used, like with anything in life, there is seldom a one-size-fits-all approach. The few choices are listed here below. Depending on their particular circumstances and health background, new Bedford pet owners should see their veterinarian to determine whether sort of surgery or non-surgical sterilization would be appropriate for their pet.

• Common Spay, often known as “Ovariohysterectomy,” is the most often used surgical sterilization method accessible for female cats and dogs under conventional veterinary care. The ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus are removed from the pet in this procedure, therefore rendering her unable to conceive and totally eradicating the “heat” cycle.
• Common Neuter or “Orchiectomy: At your Southeastern Massachusetts veterinarian, this is the most often used surgical sterilization method for males. The testes are removed from the male cat or dog in this procedure, rendering him incapable of procreating and either eradicating or lessening the need to locate female partners.

Depending on your pet’s health, there are other choices available. For female dogs and cats there is also the hysterectomy, in which the uterus and portion of the fallopian tubes are removed. The existence of the ovaries will allow the female to retain her production of hormones even if she will be unable to conceive. One other choice open to male dogs and cats is vasectomy. It only eliminates the “vas deferens,” which guides the sperm from the testes. The pet will not be able to procreate, but he will still have hormones as the testes stay whole.

Reasons for Spaying and Neutering

There are many more reasons to spay or neuter your pet as part of your routine veterinarian treatment for cats and dogs than just managing the local pet population; shelters all throughout the country are packed and many animals require homes. Early on, new Bedford pet owners should discuss spaying and neutering with their veterinarian at Anchor Animal Hospital in Dartmouth.

• Behavioral Issues: By spaying or neutering your dog or cat, you can help to lessen or eliminate some of the behavioral issues that pet owners find in their naturally mating animals. In female dogs, heat cycles may be a great source of owner annoyance. By leaving the yard or breaking out of the home, men’s natural impulses tend to calm them down and lessen their need to attempt and get to females for mating.
• Health Hazards: Early spaying of female cats and dogs helps to protect them from a variety of health hazards that could later in life impact them. Two most often occurring diseases are uterine infections and breast cancer. Additionally less likely to acquire testicular cancer or enlarged prostate glands are male dogs that have had early neutering.

Although every kind of operation has some risk, the incidence of problems with ordinary spaying and neutering is rather low. Some veterinarians advise the alternative operations and non-surgical remedies as the elimination of hormones might lead to extra hazards for health issues including some forms of cancer and incontinence. Speaking with a Southeastern Massachusetts veterinarian will help you to make sure you are giving dogs and cats the finest possible veterinary treatment depending on their particular circumstances and requirements.

Anchor Animal Hospital in Dartmouth

Since 1975, New Bedford pet owners from all along the South Coast have trusted the seasoned veterinarian staff at Anchor Animal Hospital in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. For dogs, cats, bunnies, and other pocket pets, we offer a broad range of medical care and emergency veterinary services. Call 508-996-3731 to learn more about our offerings or to schedule a vet check-up appointment for your family pet.