What is the difference between dog spaying and neutering?
Dog spaying is something that we do to our female dogs. Another word for spaying would be an ovariohysterectomy—the surgical procedure that we perform. Male dogs get neutered, or castrated would be the other term for that.
Dr. Cason McInturff
Berry Farms Animal Hospital - Cupola Animal Hospitals
How does dog spaying or neutering impact the health and wellbeing of my pet?
We know that if our dogs are not going to be used for reproductive purposes long term, it is best to go ahead and get them spayed or neutered. There are some slight variations in that, depending on the breed or type of dog, but generally speaking, if our dogs are not going to be reproductive, it is best to go ahead and get them spayed or neutered.
How soon should I bring my pet in to see you to get my dog spayed or neutered?
Typically, what we'll do is talk about the best timing for your pet, again, depending on the type, the breed, and when you come in for puppy vaccines. We vaccinate our dogs over a series of times early on to help build their immune system, and during that time period, we'll come up with the best timing for getting the spay or neuter procedure done. Some smaller breed dogs may be earlier on; some larger breed dogs we might wait up to even two years in some situations before we get them spayed or neutered.
What are some possible conditions that can be helped by spaying or neutering my dog?
That's a critical question. We know that in our female dogs, for those that are going to get spayed, their chances of getting certain cancers later in life increase dramatically based on them being intact or spayed. We know that when female dogs go through one heat cycle, their possibilities of getting certain mammary tumors later increase a little bit, but once they go through two heat cycles, it increases dramatically or exponentially. We want to help prevent those mammary cancers. We also know that our older intact female dogs, those that haven't been fixed, are prone to getting severe life-threatening infections in their reproductive tract as well. In terms of our male dogs, certain cancers can be prevented by neutering them.
Again, we know that every situation is a little bit different in terms of that timing, but we'll work with you to come up with the best plan for your pet.
What will my vet need to know about my dog before spaying or neutering?
Before we spay or neuter our pets, we tend to get pre-anesthetic blood work because general anesthesia is required when we do spay and neuter. A spay is an invasive surgery, as well as a neuter. We get pre-anesthetic blood work to make sure that all their organs are functioning appropriately and handle the anesthesia like we want them to.
How long will it take for my dog to recover from being spayed or neutered?
Typically, our dogs bounce back pretty quickly. Our male dogs tend to bounce back right after this outpatient procedure, so you drop them off at the hospital in the morning, and then they go home with you later that evening. Sometimes they're a little bit sleepy that night after being under anesthesia, but they tend to have pretty good energy the next day and are feeling good again. Now, we ask that you minimize certain activities and overexertion because there is tissue healing occurring during those first two weeks after the procedure. During the first two weeks, the tissues start to heal back together, so that's the most critical period. The biggest job for you as a pet owner is to keep an eye on that surgical incision to make sure that it doesn't look irritated, that the dog isn’t excessively irritating the surgical site, and also to make sure they're not jumping up on the couch to watch TV with you and affecting that surgical area. Generally, it's a pretty quick recovery, though.
Neutering A Dog
The generally accepted age for neutering a dog is between 4 and 6 months. We recommend that you wait closer to 6 months. Recently, clinical evidence has suggested that male dogs of certain large breeds may benefit from waiting to neuter until the dog has reached 10–11 months of age. There has been some evidence that this can reduce the risk of some types of cancer in certain large breeds. However, there are a number of other factors, such as aggressiveness, potty training, and reproduction, that must also be taken into consideration. While these updated guidelines have given us cause to extend the acceptable age for neutering some large breeds of dogs, the recommendation to eventually neuter the dog remains.
Neutering a dog consists of the following surgical steps:
- Pre-anesthetic exam Pain medication is administered
- Our veterinary team will induce your dog into a safe state of general anesthesia
- The attending staff monitors your dog’s vital signs, including breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, state of anesthesia, oxygenation levels, and body temperature
- The surgeon makes a small incision in the front of the scrotum
- Each testicle is removed, and the blood supply and vas deferens (spermatic cord) are tied off
- The veterinarian closes the incision with surgical glue or sutures
- Postoperative medications are given, and postoperative care continues until your dog completely recovers from the anesthesia
- We will keep your dog hospitalized until he completely recovers and is safe to send home with after-care instructions
Home Care Instructions For Recovering From Neutering Procedures
Our veterinary staff will also provide post-operative instructions for you to follow at home. This home care includes a continuation of pain management to minimize post-op discomfort. Some of the steps you can take at home to help facilitate a safe and comfortable recovery include:
- Providing your dog with a quiet place to recover indoors and away from other animals
- Preventing your dog from running and jumping for 5 to 7 days following surgery
- Preventing your dog from licking the incision site, which may cause infection, by monitoring your dog, utilizing his or her crate, and utilizing an Elizabethan collar if licking cannot be prevented otherwise
- Avoiding bathing your dog for at least 7 days after surgery
- Checking the incision site daily to confirm proper healing
- Looking for any redness, swelling, or discharge at the surgery site, or if the incision is open, contact your veterinarian
- Call us if your dog is lethargic, has a decreased appetite, is vomiting, has diarrhea, or if you have any other concerns following surgery
Spaying A Dog
The generally accepted age for spaying a dog is between 4 and 6 months. Spaying a dog once she is an adult is acceptable as well, although there's a slightly higher risk of postoperative complications in older dogs as well as in dogs who are overweight or have existing health problems. Therefore, spaying a dog when she is still a puppy is recommended in most cases.
Spaying a dog consists of the following surgical steps:
- Pre-anesthetic exam and pain medication are administered
- Our veterinary team will induce your dog into a safe state of general anesthesia
- The attending staff monitors breathing and heart rate, blood pressure, anesthetic plane of anesthesia, oxygenation levels, and body temperature
- The surgeon makes a small incision near the umbilicus on the abdomen
- The ovaries and uterus are removed
- The veterinarian closes the incision with surgical glue or sutures
- Postoperative medications are given, and postoperative care continues until your dog completely recovers from the anesthesia
- We will keep your dog hospitalized until she completely recovers and is safe to send home with after-care instructions
Home Care Instructions For Recovering From Spaying Procedures
Our veterinary staff will also provide post-operative instructions for you to follow at home. This home care includes a continuation of pain management to minimize post-op discomfort. Some of the steps you can take at home to help facilitate a safe and comfortable recovery include:
- Providing your dog with a quiet place to recover indoors and away from other animals
- Preventing your dog from running and jumping for 7 to 10 days following surgery
- Preventing your dog from licking the incision site, which may cause infection, by monitoring your dog, utilizing her crate, and utilizing an Elizabethan collar if licking can not be prevented otherwise
- Avoiding bathing your dog for at least 10 days after surgery
- Checking the incision site daily to confirm proper healing
- Looking for any redness, swelling, or discharge at the surgery site, or if the incision is open, contact your veterinarian
- Call us if your dog is lethargic, has a decreased appetite, is vomiting, has diarrhea, or if you have any other concerns following surgery
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (615) 224-7776, you can email us, or you can reach out on Facebook. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.