Desexing is the surgical procedure that renders cats and dogs unable to reproduce.
The spey involves removal of both the ovaries and the uterus in a female pet. The ovaries produce eggs during the heat cycle and the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone. The uterus is removed to prevent possible infection later on in life. This involves intra-abdominal surgery.
The castration or neutering involves the removal of the testicles through a small incision in front of the scrotum. The empty scrotal sac then shrinks. The testicles produce sperm and the male hormone testosterone.
De-sexing is best done at six months of age. At this age, the organs are smaller than later on in life. This means that the surgery is easier and your pet will be under anaesthesia for less time and wake up faster and feeling better than if the procedure was done at a later stage.
What’s included in the cost of the de-sexing procedure?
- TPR, checking of your temperature, heart and respiratory rate and sounds, ensuring that all is normal.
- Level 4 Pre-anaesthetic screen – the following tests are
- Total Protein (TP): indicate a variety of conditions, including dehydration, inflammation and diseases of the liver, kidneys and/ or intestine
- Packed Cell Volume (PCV): indicate a variety of conditions, including dehydration, anaemia and haemorrhaging etc.
- Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN): BUN is produced by the liver and excreted by the kidneys. Abnormally high levels can indicate kidney disease or dehydration, and low levels can be associated with liver disease.
- Blood Glucose (GLU): high levels can indicate diabetes. In cats, high levels can also indicate stress, which can be a result of the trip to the veterinary hospital. Low levels can indicate liver disease, infection or certain tumours.
- Fluid therapy during procedure keeps your beloved pet hydrated, and its blood pressure at the proper level (as anaesthetic can decrease blood pressure)
- Nail trim while under anaesthetic
- De-sexing tattoo in left ear
- 24 hour pain relief injection given after surgery
- Pain relief and anti-inflammatory to take home for 2 days
- Sutures re-check in 3 days
- Suture removal in 10 days
If you require any further information, questions answered or concerns addressed you are more than welcome to drop in or to give us a call.
Benefits of de-sexing your cat or dog:
- Speying before the first season reduces the chances of breast cancers later in life by over 90%. Once a female dog has been through her first season at around 6 months of age, her chances of developing breast cancer later in life has already increased by 50%.
- Female and male dogs don’t need to be separated for 2 weeks twice a year whilst the female is in season to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
- Female dogs don’t develop mastitis after having a season. They also can’t develop pyometra, which is an emergency and can be life-threatening. This is an extremely nasty infection of the uterus and it can happen even if the female dog has not had contact with a male dog.
- No unwanted pregnancies or litters (tens of thousands of unwanted pets are destroyed in Brisbane every year!)
- No expensive caesarean procedures for females having difficulty with a litter. Note that some breeds of dogs and cats are particularly prone to having problems with birthing.
- Cheaper council registration BY FAR!
- No lusty males knocking down your door and urinating over your property (especially cats). An entire male can smell an in-season female over 3km away, and when there is a will, there is a way!!
- Less desire to wander and less likely to become involved in road accidents
- Male pets are less likely to urinate inappropriately in your home (and mount you and your furniture if they’re a dog!).
