Desexing - the traditional view
Desexing or neutering your pet is a surgical procedure that prevents them from being able to reproduce. In male pets it is commonly referred to as “castration”, and in female pets as “spaying”.This is the most frequent surgery performed by our vets, and generally your pet is home by the evening of surgery.
Recent research has modified some of our tradtiional views about desexing, particularly regarding larger breeds of dogs. (See separate article). Little has changed in regard to advice for cat desexing.
The most common age to desex your pet is around 6 months, however they are never too old to be desexed.
There are many benefits to desexing your pet around this age. They include:
- Preventing unwanted litters, which can be very costly, and may add to the already overwhelming number of stray animals that are put down each year
- Prevention of testicular cancer and prostate disease in males, and it can help prevent pyometra (infection of the uterus) and mammary tumours (breast cancer) in females
- Stopping the “heat” cycle in females
- Decreasing aggression towards humans and other animals, especially in males
- Being less prone to wander, especially in males
- Reduction of council registration fees
There is discussion of the potential benefits of delayed desexing or alternatives below.
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Desexing - recent perspectives
Desexing has been widely recommended and practiced for many years, not only to reduce unwanted animals in our community, but also with the aim of preventing and reducing the incidence of disease associated with the reproductive organs.
Recent research suggests that blanket recommendations for all pets may not be the best way to help individuals have the best quality and length of life in all cases.
In some breeds there are specific conditions that may be increased in frequency by early desexing. In general, we can now say that early (juvenile or less than six months of age) desexing is probably not favourable for most animals. We have never favoured this approach in this practice, even when it was heavily promoted by some agencies. Many animals will benefit from delayed desexing at say 7-12 months of age or even after first heat in females. Further delay to say 12 - 24 months may be best for certain breeds, especially the large and giant breeds. Of course, the potential benefits of delayed desexing must also be weighed against other factors, such as the inconvenience of having a pet on heat and potential pregnancy in females and possible wandering with its associated risks, in both sexes.
Why the change?
Recent research has confirmed that when the gonads (testes or ovaries) are removed, the absence of the hormones they usually produce (oestrogens and testosterone) causes excessive production of the control hormone (Luteinising Hormone - LH) from the brain that normally would stimulate their production. It appears that excessive LH can have significant effects on many organs and can produce previously unexpected adverse results, especially in growing animals.
Alternative recommendations may include:
- delayed desexing (as discussed above)
- vasectomy for males or tubal ligation for females
- incomplete desexing (leaving part or all of the ovaries)
All of these options come with their own potential advantages or disadvantages. If you are unsure, we recommend discussing an individual plan for your pet with your veterinarian during a regular health check. Please be sure to advise reception of your need so that adequate time can be allocated for a full discussion of the subject in relation to your individual pet.