World Spay Day is today February 28, 2017. Being a Veterinary Technician I feel the need to share this day and some information about Spaying.

World Spay Day is an international day of action to promote the sterilization of pets, community cats and street dogs as a way to save animals’ lives. It takes place each year on the last Tuesday of February. The next World Spay Day is February 28, 2017. Created as Spay Day USA by the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) in 1995, World Spay Day is now a program of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International (HSI) and Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA).

On World Spay Day and throughout the month of February — Spay/Neuter Awareness Month — veterinary and animal welfare professionals, business owners and concerned individuals join forces to shine a spotlight on spay/neuter as the most effective and humane means of decreasing the number of homeless animals put down in shelters or living on the street.

As you know I am also a breeder so I do have intact breeding stock. If my pet’s aren’t used for breeding or are retired from breeding I do go ahead and spay/neuter them.

MK being spayed.

Spaying/Neutering

• Prevents unwanted dogs and cats
• helps prevent some serious health problems
• may reduce behavioral problems associated with the mating instinct

Preacher was spayed when I found out she couldn’t be part of our breeding program.    

Surgical sterilization
During surgical sterilization, a veterinarian removes certain reproductive organs.

• Ovariohysterectomy, or the typical “spay”: the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus are removed from a female dog or cat. This makes her unable to reproduce and eliminates her heat cycle and breeding instinct-related behavior.
• Orchiectomy, or the typical “neuter”: the testes are removed from a male dog or cat. This makes him unable to reproduce and reduces or eliminates male breeding behaviors   *AVMA*

All my animals have been spayed the traditional way as in a Ovariohysterectomy. There are now alternative ways of spaying and neutering that some veterinary clinics are doing. I only know of one vet clinic in WI which is Veterinary Village my reproduction clinic that is doing the ovary sparing technique. Veterinary Village also has a great resource page on the Spay Neuter Controversy which you can read HERE.

Nellie being spayed after her breeding career was over.

Surgical alternatives to traditional spaying and neutering
The procedures described above are the surgical procedures routinely used to spay or neuter dogs, but some pet owners opt for one of these alternatives:

• Hysterectomy: the uterus and part of the fallopian tubes are removed from a female dog or cat. This makes her unable to reproduce, but her ovaries remain and will produce hormones.  This may not eliminate the dog or cat’s behaviors associated with the breeding instinct.
• Vasectomy: only the vas deferens, which conducts sperm from the testes, are removed. This procedure makes the dog or cat unable to reproduce, but his testes remain and will produce hormones. This may not eliminate the dog or cat’s behaviors associated with the breeding instinct.
• Ovariectomy: the ovaries are removed from a female dog or cat, but the uterus remains. Similar to ovariohysterectomy, this makes her unable to reproduce and eliminates her heat cycle and breeding instinct-related behavior. *AVMA*

Norman being neutered at age 10.5 years.

Norman was neutered at 10.5 years of age when he started having prostrate problems and I had frozen semen on him so I neutered him for his health. He did fine being neutered until the day he passed at 13 years of age. Nellie was spayed at 8 years of age after she had her last litter of puppies. She is currently 12.5 years of age and has had no health problems associated with spaying. She doesn’t have any urinary incontinence  problems. Preacher was spayed at one year of age. She was my youngest dog to spay so will see what happens with her. MK was spayed at 5 months of age and well you know cats they always have issues!

So become informed and talk to your Veterinarian on what is right for your pet.