A Vet Tech’s Viewpoint On Spay & Neuter
Spay and neuter is definitely a hot topic these days. Most people recognize the undeniable benefits of the quick and minimally-invasive surgery. However, working as a veterinary technician for many years, I could always count on talking to at least a few people who were vehemently opposed to the procedure, but their reasonings were often outdated or misinformed. Most professionals can give you a different point of view on the benefits of spay and neuter, whether medical, behavioral, or otherwise. My experience is with the medical side of things, and I think it’s important to share these experiences as most people will never be exposed to the dangers of keeping their pets intact unless they are unfortunate enough to encounter them personally.
I’ll start with females - Canine or feline, the dangers are similar. For a female that is not going to be used for breeding, going through heat cycle after heat cycle can be traumatic. Heat cycles vary in frequency, depending on several factors in the environment. Hormone levels are at their peak during this time which can give her a strong drive to escape and find a mate — this can lead to a host of injuries. It was very common for me to see females in heat come in with injuries from escaping fences, being hit by cars, or fighting with other dogs. If there are several intact males in the neighborhood, she is at high risk for a prolapsed uterus from too many matings. This is extremely painful, gruesome, and will cost hundreds of dollars to repair.
Another very common risk of an un-spayed female is called pyometra, which basically stands for “pus in the uterus”. This is due to infection of the uterus from continued heat cycles and it’s also observed commonly after pregnancy. A pyometra can go undetected for several weeks before she will begin to show symptoms. Without surgery, the uterus will eventually burst. Even with surgery, the chance of sepsis is great, and most pets will not survive. Pyometra was probably the #1 problem I observed with intact females, yet most owners had never heard of it. It’s a very real problem, and it’s completely preventable with spaying.
Lastly, spaying your female will eliminate the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. It will also greatly decrease the risk for mammary tumors, which are almost always malignant. Mammary tumors are much more prevalent in dogs than cats. Spaying your dog at any age is beneficial, but spaying her before the first heat cycle will go much farther towards eliminating the risk for these tumors. Each heat cycle brings her one step closer to developing one of these medical problems.
Intact males tend to have an even stronger drive to mate, only it never goes away. There is no heat cycle for males, so all it takes is for him to smell a female, even miles away, and he will not rest until he gets to her. It’s very tiresome for both owner and pet. Males will often fight with other males in the neighborhood to “win” the female, and serious injuries can result.
Un-neutered male dogs are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to testicular cancer, prostate cancer, prostate enlargement, and other diseases caused by testosterone in the system. Dogs and cats that suffer from a condition called “crypt orchid”, where one or both testicles have not descended from the abdomen, are 13x more likely to develop cancer.
Another very real problem with intact males cats and dogs is their behavior. You wouldn’t think this would affect what I see in the medical field, but the sad fact is that intact males are brought in for euthanasia due to testosterone-driven behaviors such as aggression, roaming and marking/spraying.
I wish pet owners could spend a day with me in the clinic, so they could experience first-hand how minimally invasive the surgery really is. Males, especially cats, are finished and back in their cages to wake up in under 10 minutes. Females will sometimes take slightly longer, but any more than 15-20 minutes is unusual. The incisions made in a normal, healthy spay or neuter can be smaller than a staple. Females may require 1-2 sutures, males are often left un-sutured or closed with a drop of surgical glue. Pain medication is administered so they don’t feel anything more than slight discomfort. Most pets go home the same day, usually within just a few hours of arrival.
Whatever the motivation — whether medical, behavioral, or otherwise, the fact remains that the benefits of spay and neuter are too great to ignore. With the thousands of animals euthanized in shelters every single day, to take any chances by leaving your pet intact is inarguably irresponsible. There are lots of programs around to help lower-income families afford to get their pets spayed and neutered, and I encourage anyone who needs help to look into these. Here you can learn more about the benefits of spay and neuter, as well as a list of low-cost programs sorted by state.
Tagged as castration, low cost, neuter, pyometra, spay, veterinarian + Categorized as Medical