Spay and Neuter Your Pet! Why It Matters
As Bob Barker famously ended every episode of The Price Is Right with, "Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered." He was right back then, and he's right now. The short and sweet of it, spaying and neutering your pet will help control the pet population, but it's more than just that. It also matters for your pet's overall health and is an essential part of being a responsible pet owner.
In this blog, we'll look at what it means to spay and neuter your pet, why it matters that you do, and what the procedure looks like, including recovery.
What Spay and Neuter Your Pet Means
Spaying (ovariohysterectomy) is the surgical removal of a female pet's ovaries and usually the uterus, preventing heat cycles and pregnancy. Neutering (orchiectomy) is the surgical removal of a male pet's testicles, preventing reproduction and reducing certain hormone-driven behaviors.
Why It Matters
Let's look at why spaying and neutering matter and how it's just one part of responsible pet ownership. For a more in-depth look, check out our blog on responsible pet ownership.
Population Control
The number one reason to spay and neuter your pet is to combat pet overpopulation, which leads to millions of unwanted animals and euthanasia each year. Intact male cats tend to roam more and may try to escape to find a female, so neutering helps prevent additional litters. The same is true for male dogs, where neutering reduces the number of puppies born and helps keep them safer.
Puppies are adorable but only when they’re planned and wanted.
Health Benefits
Spaying and neutering don't just prevent unwanted litters; they also provide many health benefits, including a longer lifespan.
Infections
Spaying and neutering help prevent infections. Hormones do crazy things to cats and dogs. When females have a heat cycle, their ovaries have a hormone that controls whether the cervix stays open or closed. There's a short period of time during the heat cycle when the cervix opens to allow sperm to reach the uterus, leading to puppies or kittens.
Sometimes things go awry during a heat cycle, and the body gets tricked into hormonal complications that allow bacteria to get trapped in the uterus, causing an infection. When the cervix closes, all that bacteria gets stuck inside the uterus, where it festers, leading to a dangerous infection called pyometra.
Pyometra only occurs in unspayed female cats and dogs. It causes the uterus to fill with pus, making pets extremely sick. The only cure is emergency surgery, which can be costly and risky.
Symptoms of pyometra may include:
Pyometra is a life-threatening uterine infection. If a pet shows any of these signs, especially discharge combined with lethargy or loss of appetite, it is an emergency, and immediate veterinary care is needed.
The good news? Pyometra is 100% preventable through spaying and is one of the strongest reasons to spay your pet.
Let's look at what can happen when you don't.
A Case in Point for Spay and Neuter
An almost eight (8) year old female dog came to the clinic not feeling well. The dog had a normal heat cycle about a month before coming in, but their owner noticed she continued to have discharge, inappropriate urination, vomiting, wasn't eating, and was not feeling good. As these things tend to go, they came in on a Friday.
When they came in, it was pretty evident the dog wasn't doing well and that she would likely need emergency surgery, but we needed to be sure. We took a complete history, ran bloodwork, and took X-rays. All of it showed a nasty infection with a fluid-filled sac in the dog's uterine horn.
We got the go-ahead from the owner to perform an emergency ovarian hysterectomy or emergency spay due to the infection, pyometra.
There are complications to any surgery, which get exacerbated when a pet is sick. When a source of infection comes out quickly, the body can react in unusual ways, such as going into shock or causing a bleeding disorder. This dog did great, and the surgery went well.
Without the emergency surgery, it's likely the dog wouldn't have made it.
A routine spay earlier in life for this dog would have most likely prevented this infection, spared her the pain, and saved her family the stress and cost of a true emergency. It's a powerful reminder of why we recommend spaying and neutering before problems arise when your pet is young and healthy to prevent serious, costly, and sometimes tragic emergencies down the road.
- Dr. Becky Krull
Cancers
The other health benefit of spaying and neutering is the reduced risk of cancers (mammary, ovarian, and testicular).
Having multiple heat cycles in a female can increase the risk of breast cancer. After about their third heat cycle, the risk is relatively high that they will develop mammary cancer later in life, which is often fatal.
Males with intact testicles have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, which can lead to other complications, including prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate. Neutering also reduces the risk of prostate enlargement. Another reason to neuter is to prevent testicular cancer. After removing the testicles, there is no chance of developing it.
Behavioral Benefits
Not spaying or neutering your pet can lead to an increase in behavioral issues.
Among those, the number one behavior is the drive for males to mate. This desire to mate leads to mounting or humping and an increased need to roam. They may try to escape to find a mate. Neutering reduces this need, thus lowering the risk of injury or getting lost. In addition, they'll have fewer mounting behaviors. Cats can often get very vocal, and there will be less vocalization or yowling with neutering.
Other behavioral issues include things like aggression and urinary marking. Being spayed or neutered decreases aggression and territorial marking. Intact male cats become territorial and will start spraying urine, marking everything with a strong, unpleasant odor.
When you spay or neuter your pet, you reduce the likelihood of these behavioral issues and have a happier and calmer pet.
When Should You Spay or Neuter Your Pet?
So, when should you spay or neuter your pet? The timing can depend on your pet's age, breed, and overall health.
Dogs
The recommendation is to neuter most dogs around six months of age. Recent studies show that factors such as breed and behavior can alter that timeline.
There is some indication that hormones are essential for growth. As puppies grow, they need some of these hormones for growth plate closure, and if we take them away early, we are affecting their development.
For large breed dogs, like German Shepherds or Bernese Mountain Dogs, they may be encouraged to stay intact until they are full-grown, which could be around twelve to eighteen months of age.
It's also important to pay close attention to behavior. Reproductive hormones play a significant role in growth, and there are an increasing number of studies showing that orthopedic disease can happen if dogs get neutered too early. Other behaviors to take into account include urinating on things and aggression.
The jury is still out on whether to let dogs have a heat cycle. By not having a heat cycle, it decreases their risk of mammary cancer, lowers their risk of pyometra early, and reduces unwanted pregnancies.
Cats
The recommendation is to spay or neuter cats between four and six months of age. Leaving them intact opens them up to getting pregnant. A cat in heat is no fun to be around. They are very vocal, act very strange, and bring all the boys to the yard.
If your cat is in heat, all the male cats in the neighborhood could come to your yard. Not spaying or neutering also increases their risk of pyometra and mammary cancer.
The Procedure: What Happens During Surgery
When your pet arrives for surgery day at Buddy's Vets, they will:
Once your pet is fully asleep under anesthesia, the veterinarian will perform the surgery.
Spay (females): Removal of the uterus and ovaries so your pet can no longer go into heat or become pregnant.
Neuter (male dogs): Removal of the testicles through a small incision that is closed with sutures.
Neuter (male cats): Removal of the testicles through a tiny incision and unsutured. The area is left open to heal naturally, which it does quickly and safely.
The incision is closed (if needed), and your pet is closely monitored while waking up from anesthesia.
Anesthesia, Pain Management, and Safety Protocols
At Buddy's Vets, we use the same anesthetic monitoring equipment used in human hospitals, including heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen, and temperature monitoring. A technician is dedicated to your pet's safety the entire time. Every pet receives pain medication before, during, and after surgery to keep them comfortable.
Approximate Duration
Most spay and neuter procedures take 30 to 60 minutes, depending on your pet's age, size, and health. Your pet will stay for several hours after surgery for careful monitoring before going home later the same day. You will go home with written instructions from your vet tailored to your pet.
To learn more about what to expect for the procedure, check out this helpful video from Local 5 Live with Dr. Becky - Spaying & neutering: what to expect with help from Buddy's Vets.
Post-Surgery Care & Recovery Tips
Most pets bounce back quickly after a spay or neuter, but recovery still takes time. In the hours right after surgery, it's normal to notice some short-term effects while your pet recovers from anesthesia.
Your pet may:
These effects are typical and usually improve within 12 to 24 hours.
Typical Recovery Timeline
After the first 24 hours, recovery looks like this:
Activity Restrictions
For the first 10 to 14 days, it's important to limit activity so the incision heals properly.
Your pet will also be sent home with either an e-collar or a surgery suit to keep them from licking, chewing, or scratching at the incision site while it heals. An e-collar (cone) blocks access, and a surgery suit (body covering) serves the same purpose but can be more comfortable for some pets. Both lower the risk of infection or the stitches opening.
At Buddy's Vets, we recommend a surgery suit.
With cone.
With surgery suit.
Monitoring the Incision Site
Normal: A small amount of redness or swelling, bruising around the incision, and mild soreness.
Not Normal (call the vet right away):
Continuous bleeding or discharge (pus, foul odor).
Incision opening up or missing stitches (for dogs or female cats).
Significant swelling, heat, or pain at the incision.
Lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite lasting more than 24 hours, or fever.
Follow-Up Care
Your vet will check in by phone after the procedure to make sure recovery is on track. No in-clinic recheck is needed unless you notice complications such as swelling, bleeding, discharge, or your pet not acting normally.
Risks and Considerations
All surgical procedures come with risks, including procedures as routine as spaying and neutering. There are risks associated with being under anesthesia, with bleeding, infection, and pain. Risks are minimal, especially in young, healthy animals.
Still, some pet owners hesitate because of common fears and myths around things like weight gain or personality change. You can read more about this in an article from the ASPCA - Fact or Fiction? Spay/Neuter Myths Busted | ASPCA.
It's essential to have a conversation with your vet to discuss any questions or concerns you have about spaying or neutering your pet.
Just Spay and Neuter - It's for the Best
Pets are a big responsibility, and spaying or neutering is a vital part of that commitment. It's more than just about preventing unwanted litters; these procedures bring important health, behavioral, and community benefits, making for a happier and healthier pet.
If cost is a concern, there are low-cost clinics, humane societies, and community programs available to help. Please keep in mind that not all clinics offer the same level of care. Things like monitoring, pain control, and recovery support matter. It’s important to choose what’s best for your pet’s health and safety. It’s equally important to have an open conversation with your veterinarian about the best option for your pet.
Please spay and neuter your pets; it truly is one of the best choices you can make for their long–term health.
At Buddy's Vets, we always give your pet the best post-spay and neuter snuggles.