Spaying and Neutering

Croft Vets advise that all bitch puppies are spayed before their first season unless they are part of a planned breeding programme. The routine castration of dog puppies is not encouraged.

Why the difference? / When should a bitch be spayed? / What happens on the day of the operation? / Cost and concerns

Why spay bitches but not castrate dogs?

Dogs

Castrating dogs does not offer the same medical benefits as it does with bitches
It gives few, if any, advantages for the owner
Most castrated dogs are hormonally no different from an entire dog - although some dogs are castrated for behaviour reasons this is very rarely a solution to a problem in itself.
It should only really be done if medically necessary

Bitches

Spaying offers huge health advantages for a bitch, preventing health problems later in life such as: Pyometra (a common and life threatening womb infection in older unspayed bitches - no womb = no problem), ovarian cancer, mammory cancer (the most common form of cancer in unspayed bitches). Spayed bithches tend to live longer, healthier lives than unspayed bitches.
A spayed bitch is hormonally just like an entire bitch between her seasons.
Spaying eliminates the hassles with a bitch coming into season (‘coming on heat’) such as having to avoid other dogs for that period, eliminating 'mood changes' and stress.
No risk of unwanted pregnancy
There is no advantage for a bitch in having 'just one litter'

Disadvantages of having your puppy spayed

Having to go through an anaesthetic and surgery (However Croft's anaesthetics are amongst the safest in the UK (CEPSAF Survey 2005), Croft's surgical facility and expertise is the best in the region and the benefits to your bitch outweigh this small risk).
'Spayed bitches get fat'. This is not true - spayed bitches need a little less food after spaying, but the only reason a pet gets fat is they are eating too much.

When should a bitch be spayed?

Croft Vets advise that bitches are spayed after their puppy vaccinations are completed but before their first season. (14 – 26 weeks old is ideal). However a bitch can be spayed at any age.

If your bitch has had a season we recommend waiting until 3 months after the season has finished to have it done.

What happens on the day of the operation?

Admission

Veterinary nurse completes consent forms and makes sure the puppy hasn’t eaten for 6 hours
We ensure we have all the contact numbers for you that day and that you have our number to get in touch at any point
The puppy is accurately weighed
The puppy is settled into a hospital kennel in one of our hospital dog wards

Pre anaesthesia

A vet checks the puppy’s records and then completes a full clinical examination
The 'pre-med' dose is calculated and given by injection. This involves a sedative and a strong opiate painkiller to ensure the puppy is comfortable.
The puppy is monitored while the pre-med takes effect, half an hour or so
An injection cannula is placed into the vein on the puppy’s front leg (so your puppy may have a clipped patch here as well as the operation site).

Anaesthesia and preparation

Pre-anaesthetic checks are made by the vet
An injection of anaesthetic (the ‘induction agent’) is given via the cannula (no more needles!)
The puppy goes to sleep within 10 seconds
The vet places an anaesthetic tube carefully into the puppy’s airway to keep the airway oopen while the puppy is asleep
The puppy is closely monitored constantly while under anaesthetic by one of our Registered Veterinary Nurses ensuring the safest anaesthetic possible.
Under anaesthesia, the puppy’s belly is clipped, cleaned and prepared, ready for surgery

The operation

Puppy is taken into an operating theatre and a final sterile skin preparation is completed
The surgeon has been ‘scrubbing up’ and gets ready for surgery by donning a sterile operating gown and sterile surgical gloves
The surgeon places a large sterile surgical drape over the patient leaving only the site of the surgical incision exposed to ensure the area is not contaminated and to keep the area as sterile as possible.
A fresh sterile surgical instrument set is opened ready for the operation
Surgery is performed through a small incision made in the mid-line of the belly – through this single incision, it is possible to remove both ovaries and the uterus
On completion the incision is sutured using individual sterile packs of specially prepared suture material for each patient.

Recovery

After surgery the puppy is taken first to the recovery ward
Under constant supervision, the puppy is watched until awake enough to have the anaesthetic tube removed – usually within 5 minutes of the end of the operation
The recovery ward is kept warm and quiet with plenty of nurses on hand
An additional injection of painkiller is given as the puppy wakes up
In around less than half an hour, the puppy is almost fully awake and ready to go back to the main ward

Aftercare

The puppy will be ready for home later the same evening
The puppy may be drowsy and quiet on the evening of the surgery. This is due to the anaesthetic and you should find the puppy is back to normal the next day.
A small meal of normal food should be offered and puppy’s normal toilet routine should be followed
The puppy should have lead exercise only for the first 7-10 days while everything heals.
A buster collar may be required to prevent the puppy from licking the surgical site.
An appointment will be made for wound check and suture removal a week after surgery – five minutes and no injections!

Cost and concerns

A Bitch spay at Croft is approximately £200 whereas at other practices in the area charge between £120 and £180. Although we appreciate that 'every penny counts' below explains the reason for this descrepancy:

Croft vets has exemplary clinical standards.

The Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP) conducted a survey into the surgical practice of vets in the UK and found that:

89% don't use indiviual sterile suture packs
86% don't use surgical gowns/gloves/mask
55% don't use a separate, sterile operating theatre
21% don't always have another person monitoring the anaesthetic!

Croft vets use all these and more as standard practice for every surgical procedure and their facilities and surgical practice are of the same standard as the best human hospitals.

Good quality surgical practice is priceless and provides complete peace of mind.

At the turn of 2000, a survey (Capner) revealed that 50% of vets DO NOT use post op pain relief in their speys. Its one way to save money but can leave your pet very painful and distressed. Its always worth questioning what corners cheap vets are cutting - you may not like the answer.

Everything is included in the cost

There are no hidden extras, including post-op checks. For any procedure we will provide and discuss a full estimate so there are no 'surprises' later down the line

24/7 availability

Croft is the only practice in the area where a Veterinary Surgeon and Veterinary Nurse are on duty on the premises (awake and supervising the animals) 24 hours a day.

This means they are available for advice at any hour of the day and night to help with any concern you have.

At no point is your animal left alone overnight, unsupervised, with no one in the building.

Croft also do not use a deputising service (use another veterinary practice for out of hours care or emergencies). We provide our own out of hours emergency care ensuring a Croft vet is available whatever time of day or night.

Please contact us for more information for all your puppy’s health requirements including spaying and neutering