Woodland Animal Hospital

Spay/ Neuter (Feline and Canine only)

Spay/ Neuter

Spaying (Ovariohysterectomy) is the surgical removal of the uterus and both ovaries. Not only does it prevent unwanted litters and heat cycles, but also uterine infections (pyometra) and several types of cancers (breast, uterine and ovarian). We recommend dogs and cat be spayed between 5-6 months of age, which is before the first heat cycle. If spayed by this time, your pet has a <1% chance of developing breast cancer. This risk increases to 8% and 26% if spayed after the fist and second cycles, respectively. After 2 years, there is no protective benefit for breast caner. 

Neutering (Castration) is the surgical removal of the testicles. It eliminates the risk of testicular cancer, the second most common tumor in male dogs. It also reduces the risk of prostatitis, benign prostatic hypertrophy and perineal tumors, as well as reduces roaming, fighting and marking behaviors. We recommend neutering between 5-6 months of age for best results.

Your Pet's Surgery
We all know how apprehensive a pet owner is when it comes time for the big surgery day for their puppy or kitten.   Its important to remember that a spay and a neuter are common surgical procedures that many veterinarians perform, but just like any surgery they should not be taken lightly.  The safety and comfort of your pet is our utmost priority. 

Our surgical suite is designed to provide the safest anesthetic delivery and best surgical monitoring for your pet.  Prior to the procedure, each pet is examined and given a sedative to calm and comfort them.  An intravenous catheter is placed in our patient to deliver fluids, pain medications and drugs necessary should any abnormality be detected.  Our patients are carefully monitored during their procedure (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, O2 saturation, end tidal CO2, ECG, body temperature). We  Pre-anesthetic monitoring is available to ensure your pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.

Your pet will receive all necessary pain medications while hospitalized at no additional charge.  Animals who receive balanced pain management post-operatively heal faster and have much less anxiety when returning to us.  This is an area which many low-cost spay and neuter facilities do not adequately address.

We keep our surgical patients overnight to allow them to rest, receive pain medications, and to keep them from being too active too quickly.