Whether or not to spay or neuter your pet can be a difficult decision to make.

To complicate matters, well-meaning friends often provide plenty of misinformation on the subject. Spaying or neutering your pet is a caring step you can take to ensure a happier, healthier life for your dog or cat.

It can prevent illness:

Spaying or neutering is the sterilization of an animal.

In females the procedure is called spaying (or ovariohysterectomy) and is the removal of the ovaries and the uterus. It eliminates the chances of uterine infection or cancer, ovarian cancer, messy heat cycles, unwanted pregnancy, and also greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer.

In males sterilization is called neutering (or castration) and is the removal of the testicles. It eliminates chances of testicular and prostate cancer.  In cats, urine odor is greatly reduced

It saves lives:

Millions of unwanted dogs and cats are dropped off at our nation’s animal shelters every year. Only about 1 in 6 of these orphaned pets find homes. The rest are euthanized.

It eliminates unwanted behavior:

In males neutering eliminates most of the sex hormone testosterone that is largely responsible for an animal’s “male behaviors”. Roaming, mounting, urine marking, spraying and fighting are markedly reduced and often eliminated.

It helps pets live longer, happier lives:

Because they stay healthier, spayed or neutered pets live longer. They are calmer and have an easier time adapting to life with humans. In fact, most spayed or neutered pets are more loving and responsive to their owners since they are no longer preoccupied with mating.

It is never too late:

Although the best time to spay or neuter your pet is around 6 months of age, the surgery can be done at anytime after that age.

At Timberview Veterinary Hospital, we recommend using surgical laser for spay and neuter surgeries. As it cuts through the various tissue layers, a traditional scalpel causes more tissue inflammation than a cutting laser.  Surgical cutting laser results in less pain, less bleeding, and faster healing. For more information about surgical laser and if it is right for your pet, please ask our staff.