- why neuter your dog?   Neutering your pet may add years to his life and prevent heartache in yours. Altered pets are often less likely to get out of the yard, spray in the house, get into fights, and the occurrence of medical diseases such as prostate cancer, cysts, prostate hypertrophy, and other reproductive linked diseases are almost totally diminished with early neutering. It is often thought that "if I have my pet neutered, he will become a whimp and not be the same." This is only a partial truth. Your pet will not have the sexual drive which leads to misbehavior so he will not be the same in this aspect, but he still is able to function as a watch dog or cat, now with more dedication to his job without wanting to find a girlfriend.

Neutering at 6-8 months of age is not only easy for you the pet owner, but also carries fewer complications than at an older age. At 6-8 months your pet should have been immunized sufficiently enough to prevent nosocomial infections (ones caught from other animals while in the hospital). Their urethras have had time to develop with the benefit of testosterone, and at this age he is less likely to have complications with anesthesia and the healing time will be faster.

A major problem today in the pet industry is the destruction of unwanted pets due to overpopulation. Having your pet neutered is doing your part in the prevention of these unnecessary and unwanted strays. Also pet overpopulation is the major source for the perpetuation of diseases such as Parvovirus, Distemper, Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. Because these unwanted strays never receive adequate immunizations they harbor and spread disease to the rest of the pet population, and your animal.

     - about the neutering procedure.   This is a routine procedure done on males involving removal of the testes, spermatic cord and blood vessels. The incision is then closed in 3 layers. While your pet is healing, please keep the following in mind:

• Expect some sleepiness / depression the night he goes home. Allow him to rest comfortably that night
• You may offer a small amount of water in the early evening and later, a small amount of food. Attitude and appetite should gradually return to normal in a day or so.
• Monitor the incision daily. Please check for excessive swelling, drainage or discharge from incision or any excess redness of the incision itself. Look for loose or missing sutures or any gaps in the incision.
• The skin sutures are non-absorbable and will need to be removed in about 10 to 12 days. Please schedule and appointment for suture removal. If any problems or questions arise during the healing phase, please contact us as soon as possible.

     - neuter followup:  Your pet has undergone a routine surgery. Although routine, please keep the following in mind:

• Expect the dog to be sore for about l-2 weeks.
• Check scrotum daily for swelling, discharge or open incisions. Call as soon as possible if any problems or questions arise.