Neutering your Pets

Are you unsure about neutering your pet? It is important to know that one answer doesn't fit all and the decision of if and when to neuter is personal to you and your pet. To help make your decision here are a few things to consider.

Members of our Lifetime Care Club on our Ultimate and Senior plans receive a 20% discount off the cost of neutering.

We would advise to wait until your dog is sexually mature before neutering.

Neutering Male Dogs

We ideally wait until male dogs are fully grown before castrating, which is often over 12 months old but can be 2+ years old in large breed dogs.

Neutering can:

help reduce the risk of some prostate issues and eliminate the risk of any testicular tumours
reduce the risk of some hernias and tumours
prevent unwanted litters
reduce frustration-related stress in sexual mature dogs

Neutering dogs results in a drop in testosterone levels. While this can help reduce some unwanted behaviours, such as urine marking and sexual behaviours, it can result in a drop in confidence. This is why we often don’t recommend neutering nervous dogs, or often waiting a little longer before neutering to help them build some confidence before considering castration.

Chemical castration

If you’re unsure whether surgical castration is right for your dog, we can consider chemically castrating him first. This is an implant that is placed under the skin and can last 6-12 months. It allows you to assess his behavioural response to castration without making the permanent change.

Neutering Female Dogs

We typically neuter female dogs 4 months after their first season. In some larger breed dogs we can wait till after their second season, or longer, to ensure they’re fully grown before neutering.

Many dogs have a false pregnancy a couple of months after a season. This often presents as some mammary tissue development (even some milk production), nesting behaviour, and some dogs may go off their food. The majority of the time this passes over a couple of weeks but in some cases we need to prescribe some medication to help stop the false pregnancy. Neutering stops these false pregnancies from happening.

We have to ensure female dogs are not in a false pregnancy at the time of neutering, so if you are booking your pet in to be spayed you will be asked to bring her in for a pre-neutering check the week before. This will involve a check over by one of our veterinary nurses to ensure there is no sign of a false pregnancy and we are okay to go ahead with the neutering operation.

There are a number of health benefits in neutering female dogs:

The most important is eliminating the risk of a very serious uterus infection we commonly see in female dogs called a pyometra.
Neutering can also reduce the risk of some mammary tumours in female dogs and eliminates the risk of uterine and ovarian cancers.
Neutering prevents unplanned pregnancies and avoids unwanted attention from male dogs while out walking.

Neutering Cats

Unlike dogs, the decision about when to neuter cats is much more straightforward. We recommend neutering both male and female cats from around five months of age and over 2kg in weight, before they reach sexual maturity.

Cats can breed from a very young age and female cats can come into season every two to three weeks during the breeding season, making early neutering essential for preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Why Neuter your Cat?

Neutering is one of the most important things you can do for your cat's health, happiness and safety, particularly if they go outdoors.

In female cats (spaying):

Prevents pyometra (a serious and potentially fatal womb infection)
Eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers
Reduces the risk of some mammary tumours
Eliminates frequent, stressful seasons and the associated calling, restlessness and escape attempts
Prevents unplanned pregnancies - one un-spayed cat can have multiple litters per year
Reduces roaming behaviour, keeping her safer and hopefully close to home
Can protect her from injuries and infections from mating

In male cats (castration):

Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer
Reduces the risk of some prostate problems
Can protect against injuries from fighting with other males
Reduces strong-smelling urine spraying and marking indoors
Can reduce aggressive and territorial behaviour
Neutered males roam much less, keeping them safer and hopefully closer to home
Reduces fighting with other cats, lowering the risk of injuries and infections such as FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus)
Prevents unwanted kittens in the neighbourhood

Outdoor cats

If your cat goes outdoors, neutering becomes even more important. Un-neutered cats roam over larger territories, putting them at greater risk of fights with other cats, and getting lost. Neutering significantly reduces these risks.

Neutering in Rabbits

We recommend neutering both male and female rabbits, typically from around 4 months of age. Neutering is important not only for preventing unwanted litters but also for your rabbit's health and social wellbeing.

Why neuter your rabbit?

Rabbits are highly social animals who thrive when kept in pairs or groups, but un-neutered rabbits can be territorial and aggressive towards one another. Neutering brings significant benefits.

In female rabbits (spaying):

Eliminates the risk of uterine tumours (which are very common in un-spayed female rabbits)
Prevents unwanted litters – rabbits can breed prolifically from a young age
Can reduce territorial and aggressive behaviour
Allows her to live happily with a neutered male companion or in a social group

In male rabbits (castration):

Eliminates the risk of testicular tumours
Prevents unwanted litters
Significantly reduces fighting and territorial behaviour with other rabbits
Can reduce urine spraying and scent marking
Allows him to live safely with other neutered rabbits

Keeping rabbits in pairs or groups

Once neutered, rabbits can be safely kept in pairs or groups without the worry of unwanted litters or serious fighting. This is ideal for their wellbeing, as rabbits are naturally social creatures who benefit enormously from companionship. Neutering both sexes makes them much less likely to fight, creating a calmer and happier home environment for your rabbits.

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If you have any questions or require advice about neutering your pet dog, cat,or rabbit, please contact our team for a chat, or book an appointment online today.