Desexing

We recommend neutering your pets when they are 6 months old. Desexing your pets prevent them from being able to reproduce. “Castration” involves removing both testicles in male pets; and “Spaying” involves removing the ovaries and uterus in female pets. This is a day surgery most frequently performed by our vets in the hospital. Your pets will be covered by pain relief and antibiotic injections immediately after surgery.

Although it is never too late to desex your pets, we recommend performing the surgery when they are around 6 months old. There are many benefits including:

• Preventing unwanted litters – raising puppies or kittens can be very costly, and may add to the already overwhelming number of stray animals that are put down each year. Being in a country town with no afterhours service available after 8pm, labour complications can be lethal to both the female and young.
• Prevention of diseases in males– testicular cancer and some prostatic diseases
• Prevention of diseases in females – pyometra (infected, pus-filled uterus) and mammary tumours (breast cancer, risk increases if allowed to go through first heat)
• Decrease aggression – towards humans and animals, especially in males
• Stop heat cycle in females
• Less prone to wander
• Reduction of council registration fees

Apart from the regular dogs and cats, we can also neuter your little furries like rabbits, ferrets and rats. Please contact our surgery to find out what we can do!

Before Surgery

• Make a booking - ideally give us at least 1 week notice
• Fasting overnight- remove all food source after 8pm the night before surgery, and do not give them any water after 6am on the day of surgery
• Consider blood tests – we offer in-house laboratory services to check on your pets’ vital organ function immediately before anaesthesia
• Wash your pets – bearing in mind that you cannot wash them until stitches are removed

After Surgery

• Offer food and water in small portions on the night after surgery
• Prevent your pet from licking or chewing the wound. Use a cone-shaped collar if needed
• Keep your pet quiet for at least 2 weeks – no jumping and running, this is particularly important in female pets
• If your pet has any skin stitches, please return in 10 days for stitches removal
• Check the incision site every day for any redness, discharge and swelling. Please ring us immediately if these symptoms appear
• Adjust feeding and exercise regime – desexed animals have slower metabolism which makes them prone to putting on extra weight. Small modifications to their daily regime can easily prevent obesity

If you have any questions regarding your pet’s surgery, please call us and our lovely nurses will be more than happy to assist you.