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Spaying
Introduction
The best solution to uncontrolled breeding is spaying and neutering. Spayed or neutered pets are happier and healthier. They are not made tense and nervous by unsatisfied sexual needs. In the case of females, they never will develop certain types of cancer or uterine infections. Preventing unwanted litters is another common reason veterinarians recommend spaying. The best time to spay is before the first heat: five and half to six months for a cat; six to seven months for a dog.
There are several options for birth control. Please discuss these options with your attending veterinarian as both options have their benefits and risks.
The female reproductive tract
The female reproductive tract
The reproductive tract of the female dog begins with the ovaries where the ova (or eggs) are produced. When a dog's heat cycle starts, hormones stimulate the maturation of some of the eggs. The eggs are then released through the surface of the ovary and pass into the oviducts. These are tiny tubes that run between the ovaries and the horns of the uterus. It is within the oviducts that fertilization (the union of the sperm cell and ovum) occurs. In the typical 40-pound dog, both horns of the uterus are normally about four inches long and the diameter of a wooden pencil. When the animal is in heat, their thickness will easily double and they may lengthen slightly. The horns attach to the body of the uterus, a short common area where the horns meet. The uterus ends at the cervix of the dog. During pregnancy, most puppies develop within the uterine horns, but one may reside within the body of the uterus.
Birth control pills
There are birth control pills and shots manufactured specifically for use in dogs. Most of these products can have serious unwanted side effects (pyometra). It shouldn't be used in animals intended for later breeding. That seems curious, since most dogs that are going to be kept intact are generally kept that way for breeding purposes.
Surgical sterilization
Since birth control pills are not a viable option as a practical permanent form of sterilization, the only option is surgical sterilization. In the female, this would be either
• spaying (medically referred to as ovariohysterectomy). A female pet is spayed, a male pet is neutered. Both are surgical procedures performed by a licensed veterinarian while the animal is under anesthesia.
• hysterectomy, in which only the uterus is removed. Removing only the uterus allows us to prevent gestation, but the female still keeps her ovaries, so she will still have her heat cycles,
• tubal ligation or hysterectomie. Tubal ligation only affects the oviducts. These are isolated and then cut and tied off with suture material. This prevents the ova from coming in contact with sperm cells or passing into the horns of the uterus. In a hysterectomy, the uterus is removed, but the ovaries remain. With either procedure, the hormones that are normally produced by the ovaries continue to be released to the rest of the body. This is fairly important in humans. However, in dogs it is a disadvantage and she will still have her heat cycles.
These are different surgeries, but each one will prevent future pregnancies if done correctly. Only an ovariohysterectomy should be considered for the long-term health of your dog.
An ovariohysterectomy (OHE) or spay is the complete removal of the female reproductive tract. The ovaries, oviducts, uterine horns, and the uterus are removed. Not only does this procedure prevent the animal from becoming pregnant, it also eliminates the twice-yearly heat cycles. The surgery removes the source of production of such hormones as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are responsible for stimulating and controlling heat cycles and play a major role during pregnancy. But they also have other effects on the body and some of them are potentially harmful (uterine infections, mammary cancer). There is firm medical research indicating that if a dog spay surgery is performed before the dog's first estrus cycle (heat) the chances for developing mammary gland cancer later in life is nearly zero.
Photos surgery
The operation is performed under general anesthesia and employ sterile instruments and a sterile surgical field. This dog had a slight uterine infection, so we did an ovariohysterctomy (OHE):
The dog is anesthetized and the fur is removed at the surgery site.
The incision is made through the skin of the lower abdomen and is deepened to the muscle wall.
The ovaries (1) and the body of the uterus (2) are exposed and vessels located.
This is an ovary
The body of the uterus (a) below the uterine horns (a and b) is isolated and sutures are placed around the blood vessels and the uterus itself just below the forceps.
After the surgical area is examined thoroughly for any sign of bleeding the operative site is closed in layers. The peritoneum and abdominal muscles and subcutaneous tissues are closed. The skin sutures are in place and once healing has occured are removed in 8 to 12 days. Sometimes no external sutures are needed.
Postoperative recovery
Once the intervention has finished, the animal will be transferred to a warm room, placed in a stretcher on top of a table, in the floor, or inside a spacious cage, covered with a blanket to keep it's body temperature constant. The veterinarian or veterinary assistant (nurse) will maintain constant guard on the dog until its fully awake, depending on the kind of anesthesia the animal was under, and its metabolism. In some cases it'll be necessary to give antibiotics or other protectors to the animal through a shot.
FAQ
• Does sterilization make the dog gain weight?
No, neutered dogs will not get fat and lazy as long as you keep up his excercise and don't over-feed him. If we take good care of the dog's alimentation she will not gain weight.
• Does sterilization modify the dog's behaviour?
Female dogs are usually more calm and affectionate, but the purpose of this operation is not the modification of her behaviour. On the contrary it is the male's castration, which sometimes is necessary to deal with the dog's aggressiveness.
• Does the operation reduce the risks of breast cancer?
Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your dog is spayed before her first estrous cycle.
• Does the female need to have puppies before the operation?
Dogs are not concerned with maternity, so it depends on whether you want your dog to have puppies or not. Having a litter is NOT necessary for your pet’s good health; this is a myth. On the other hand i you do choose to allow your dog or cat to have a litter, please be certain that there are committed pet caretakers waiting and wanting to provide a home for them.
Spaying or neutering helps dogs live longer and healthier. It makes happier dogs.
• When is the best age to alter my pet?
Most veterinarians recommend alteration prior to the pet’s sexual maturity, between 5-7 months. A pet can, however, be altered at any age, with special consideration for any general health issues taken into account. The earlier a pet is altered, the less risk of disease later in life, and the easier and quicker he or she can recover from the surgery.
• Can I have my dog spayed while she's in heat?
It's possible to spay a dog during estrus, or heat, but it's not the best time. Most veterinarians prefer not to spay a dog in estrus because the uterine tissue can be swollen, fragile, and more prone to damage. Dogs also have a tendency to bleed more when they're in heat. Because of this, estrus makes surgery more risky for dogs, as well as for cats. Most veterinarians prefer to delay spaying a dog until she has been out of estrus for a month or so. And, since a recently spayed dog may still be attractive to males, performing the surgery during heat won't do anything to keep the neighbors' dogs out of your yard. The best thing for your dog's health is to keep her safe inside for now and to have your veterinarian perform surgery in a month or so.
Early neutering?
Should veterinarians do early neutering in their veterinary hospitals? This is a question that is likely up to the individual veterinarian. Since reproductive capability can occur as early as 4 months in the cat and 6 months in the dog it is important to neuter prepuberally.
Research at the University of Florida has compared puppies and kittens neutered early (7 weeks) from those neutered prepuberally but later (7 months) to those that remained surgically intact.
• Growth plate closure - Both groups of puppies and kittens neutered prepuberally had delayed physeal closure compared to the intact control animals. Longer radial and ulnar length was significantly different in male puppies neutered at both ages and in female puppie neutered at 7 weeks. The differences were similar but not significant in kitten. Gonadal hormone, facilitate maturation of physeal cartilage. Early neutering does not stunt growth but actually may result in increased long bone length because the absence of gonadal hormones and the resultant delayed physeal closure. Some veterinarians have suggested that early neutering will predispose to physeal fractures (fractures through the growth plates), however neutering at the usual time is also prepuberal and delays physeal closure.
• Growth rate - No effect noted
• Food intake - No effect noted
• Back fat depth - No effect noted
• Body fat and weight - Neutered cats were similar in this category but sexually intact cats weighed less and had less body fat.
• Urethral function - Urethral pressure profilometry showed no adverse effects. Male cats neutered at 7 weeks, at 7 months and the sexually intact cats had similar urethral diameters at the end of the study.
• External genitalia - In dogs, the external genitalia of the "early" neutered animals were infantile. No problems with perivulvar dermatitis or vaginitis were noted. In cats, the external genitalia of the "early" neutered kittens were also infantile however, the problems with separation of the balanoprepucial folds noted in earlier literature was not evident. The penis in each cat could be exteriorized indicating the balanoprepucial fold had separated.
• Behavior - Lethargy was not seen in any neutered group. The sexually intact cats showed greater aggression and fewer "demonstrations of affection.
There are several techniques for accomplishing general anesthesia in pediatric patients, but there are special considerations that should receive the attention of the anesthetist.
Summary
An ovariohysterectomy eliminates many medical and behavioral problems that a tubal ligation does not. In fact, in many dogs, an OHE probably adds years to their lives or at least provides them with a more comfortable, less stressful life. The OHE does its part in pet overpopulation, but you, as the owner of an individual dog, should also view it as a way to increase the length and quality of your pet's life with you.
