Spay

Having Your Pet Spayed:

Once your pet has reached at least six months of age and has been fully vaccinated, it is strongly advised for her to be spayed. Choosing to spay your pet is possibly one of the most responsible decisions you can make as a pet owner.  Not only does having this procedure performed reduce the risk of potential health complications, it also helps your pet live a longer, happier and healthier life.

Advantages of Spaying:

  • Eliminates heat cycles, bleeding and vocalizing for a mate
  • Eliminates the risk of uterine and ovarian cancers
  • Decreases risk of mammary gland tumors
  • Decreases desire for pets to roam
  • Eliminates or reduces marking and spraying
  • Eliminates unexpected pregnancies
  • Decreases pet overpopulation, keeping more animals out of shelters

What does spaying involve?

Spaying is a surgical procedure that involves surgically removing the uterus and ovaries. Although this surgery sounds rather complex, it usually can be completed within a few hours and does not require an overnight hospital stay. Since this safe surgical procedure can be classified as invasive, your pet will require a full general anesthesia. At Guildford Animal Hospital we follow strict protocols with the safest medications and techniques available to us.  Your pet`s vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, ECG, oxygenation and any potential pain level will all be continually monitored by one of our trained veterinarian technicians to help ensure her safety while under anesthetic. Please see the descriptions under Anesthesia and Patient Monitoring (coming soon) for more information on what we do to ensure your pet`s safety during surgeries.

Post-operative care:

During the few days following surgery it is essential for you to restrict your pet`s physical activity in order for her to have a proper recovery. Our doctors use absorbable internal sutures, meaning suture removal is not necessary. Wait at least 10 days after surgery before bathing your pet and examine the incision daily, if you happen to notice the incision appears red or swollen then make sure to contact the clinic as soon as possible for a free recheck exam.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding the process of spaying or would like to schedule this surgery in for your pet, please either call or visit our clinic at your best convenience.