For females, spaying is the common term used to describe the surgical procedure known as an ovariohysterectomy. In this procedure, general anesthesia is required and the ovaries and uterus are removed completely in order to sterilize a dog or cat.
Spaying your pet has many benefits. By sterilizing your pet, you prevent regular heat cycles and eliminate many unwanted behaviors such as roaming and anxiety associated with the instinct to mate. It also helps to prevent hormone fluctuations that can lead to false pregnancies and prevent the possibility of developing a life-threatening uterine infection called a pyometra. Spayed dogs/cats also have a significantly reduced chance of developing breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer. Generally, our spayed pets live a longer and healthier life.
Another major benefit to sterilizing your pets is that it helps to reduce the unwanted/unplanned litters born every year, many of which end up being euthanized due to overpopulation.
For more information on our anesthesia protocol, please see General Anesthesia and Monitoring. If you have any questions or would like to book a surgery for your pet, please contact us either through email or phone call.