Desexing, for the health of the animal and the benefit of the community

Unless you intend to breed your pet in a responsible and controlled manner we suggest having your dog or cat desexed for the benefit of the animal and also the larger community. Desexing your animal can help prevent diseases and disorders suffered later in their life. It also prevents the heart breaking situation of thousands of unwanted animals ending up in animal shelters when animals are not desexed.

If you do not intend to breed then you should consider getting your pet desexed.

In females desexing:

• will prevent pregnancy through removal of the ovaries and uterus. We have a responsibility to try and reduce the number of unwanted animals. Desexing should be done before the first season at six months of age.
• prevents the nuisance that is caused by social visits to a pet in season.
• reduces the risk of breast cancer substantially and eliminates the risk of pyometron, a life threatening uterine infection.
• a litter before desexing, WILL NOT improve an animals character
• overfeeding and lack of exercise are major causes of obesity in desexed animals, not desexing itself
• urinary incontinence may occur in desexed bitches of older age due to hormonal imbalance but this can be controlled hormonally

In males desexing:

• reduces the risk of prostate disease and eliminates the risk of testicular cancer
• reduces aggression and makes pets easier to handle
• decreases the desire to roam and hence reduce the risk of car accidents and dog fights

We recommend proceeding with desexing at 6 months of age.