- why spay your cat?   Spaying your pet may add years to her 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 breast cancer, uterine cancer, uterine infections, and other reproductive linked diseases are almost totally diminished with early spaying. It is often thought that "if I have my pet spayed, she 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 she will not be the same in this aspect, but she still is able to function as a watch dog or cat, now with more dedication to her job without wanting to find a boyfriend.

Spaying at 6-8 months of age is not only easy for you the pet owner, but also carries less 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) and also there are less age related complications with anesthesia and surgery at this time.

A major problem today in the pet industry is the destruction of unwanted pets due to overpopulation. Having your pet spayed 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 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 spaying procedure.   After anesthetic induction the patient has the hair clipped away from her belly and the skin is cleansed until a sterile field is reached. Once transported into the surgical suite, the patient is hooked up to heart and oxygen monitors. The spay procedure begins with a mid-abdominal skin incision down into the abdominal cavity. An Ovariohysterectomy (OHE) is the complete removal of both the ovaries and the uterus (full female reproductive tract removal). To do this, ligation with absorbable suture material of the ovarian blood vessels, the uterus, and the uterine blood vessels are done and the organ is excised out after hemostasis has been accomplished.

Closure is done with three suture lines - muscle wall with absorbable sutures fatty layer just under the skin with absorbable sutures, and skin non-absorbable sutures that must be removed. It is possible to perform the OHE during estrus (heat), however the surgery is a little more involved and Spaying before the 1st heat is always recommended for better health. Full recovery from the anesthesia usually takes 4-12 hours depending on the length of the surgical time. Most patients go home the same day as the surgery and return for a recheck at the suture removal appointment.

     - spay followup:  Your pet has undergone a routine abdominal surgery to remove the ovaries, uterine horns and uterine body. Although routine, please keep the following in mind:

• Expect some sleepiness/depression the night your pet goes home. She should be allowed to rest comfortably. If excessive depression is noted either that night or during the next few days, please contact us as soon as possible.
• Restrict food and water the night your pet goes home. Offer a small amount of water in the early evening. You may offer a small amount of food later Appetite and attitude should return to normal within a few days.
• Please monitor the incision daily. Check for problems such as excessive swelling, drainage from incision, extreme redness or irritation of the incision.
• Sutures will need to be removed in l0 to 12 days as they are non-absorbable. Please schedule an appointment. Again, should any questions or problems arise, please contact us as soon as possible.