Desexing (sometimes referred to as neutering or spaying in females and castrating in males) is a way to prevent unplanned pregnancies, reduce the risk of disease and illness, and reduce any unfavourable behaviours.

• Potential to increase life expectancy
• Reduces risk of roaming
• Reduce the risk of being involved in an accident or getting into a fight whilst roaming
• Minimises the number of kittens put into shelters (cats can reproduce from as early as 4 months old)
• Decreased chance of contracting feline aids (FIV) and feline leukemia (through wounds inflicted during fighting)
• Eliminated risk of developing uterine, ovarian or testicular cancer
• Reduced risk of developing other cancers, such as mammary in females
• Reduced possibility for anti-social behaviours towards humans and other pets
• Reduced risk of territory marking and spraying
• Potential to increase life expectancy
• The chance of mammary cancer decreases in females
• The risk of pyometra (a fatal infection in the uterus/womb) is eliminated
• Eliminated risk of ovarian cancer in females
• Eliminated risk of unplanned pregnancy
• Antisocial behaviour towards other animals and people can be reduced
• Reduced risk of territorial marking
• Sexually directed behaviours can be reduced (i.e. ‘humping’)
• Reduced risk of prostate problems in males
• Eliminated risk of testicular cancer in males

The desexing procedure varies between females and males.

Female pets:

Under a general anaesthetic, an incision will be made along the midline or flank. The ovaries and uterus will be carefully removed. Once this is complete, the pet can no longer reproduce or go into heat.

The incision will then be sutured.

Male pets:

Via a small incision, both testicles are removed under a general anaesthetic. After removal, the site will be sutured. Male desexing is a simpler process, and recovery is much quicker due to the external nature of their reproductive organs.

Our team will provide you with detailed pre and post-surgery information, including recovery time and care.

Before surgery, we may also recommend a blood test to ensure your pet is fit and healthy to proceed.

Your pet will need to stay calm for a few days to heal post-surgery. We will ask that you check the incision site daily to check for any swelling, redness, fluids, or anything that looks unusual.

We recommend avoiding strenuous physical activities that can cause stitches to burst or tear. Depending on post-surgery behaviour, your pet may be required to wear a buster collar to prevent touching, scratching, gnawing or licking the site of the incision. These behaviours can cause stitches to be torn or ruptured and can also lead to infection.

We will always provide you with a post-op care plan containing medications such as pain killers and check-ups.

Depending on the breed and sex of your pet, we recommend different timelines.

For example:

Female dogs should be desexed before their first cycle, where possible.

For most female dogs, this is around six months of age.

Male dog desexing ages can vary greatly based on breed and what is beneficial for their development. A smaller breed may benefit from desexing at six months of age, whereas a large or giant breed may benefit from waiting longer, up to approximately 18 months of age.

Due to the speed at which cats become sexually mature (some as early as four months old!) it is usually recommended cats of both sexes are desexed by six months of age.

To help control growing cat populations, some councils may charge a regular fee if your cat is not desexed once they are over six months of age. Please check with your local council to confirm any specific fees that may be incurred by owning a non-desexed cat.

All of these recommendations can vary based on your pet’s lifestyle, health, sex and breed. If your pet was not desexed at a younger age, the procedure could usually be carried out at any time during their life.

Speak to your Vet for specific recommendations for your pet.

• Withhold food from 10pm the night before for dogs and cats. Allow access to water.  Pocket pets (rats, rabbits, guinea pigs etc.) do not need to be fasted and you should bring some food from home in a sealed container, or  in their carrier.  Please also bring an empty water dispenser to attach to their cage.
• Bring along any current prescription medications for your pet and the time of your pet’s last dose.
• An allocated admission time with a nurse will be given at the time of scheduling the procedure. In some cases your pet will need a vet review on the morning of the procedure. The nurse will inform you if this is required at the time of booking your procedure.
• Additional safety measures: The admissions nurse will discuss intravenous fluids and/or a pre-anaesthetic blood test for your pet’s procedure, both of which increase safety (additional costs may apply).  The benefits of these will be discussed when you drop your pet off. Please note: for some pets e.g. older or unwell patients, the vet may advise these extras are mandatory for the health and safety of your pet, and have already included these in the estimate.

Your pet’s discharge time will be based on their recovery. We aim to call you once your pet is in recovery, however due to the nature of the clinic this is not always possible, so we will ask you to call the clinic for an update after 2pm if you have not yet heard from us.

When you pick up your pet, you will have a discharge appointment with either a vet or a nurse (depending on the procedure). You will be given home care information, medication instructions and the procedure will be discussed with you. On rare occasions the vet may not be available due to other procedures, in which case they will discuss your pet’s case over the phone, and a nurse will hand over medications and after care instructions when you pick your pet up.

The day after the procedure, one of our nurses will phone you for a follow-up call on your pet and to answer any questions you may have. After all procedures, you will need to book a follow-up appointment; this may be a complimentary nurse check, or a revisit with the treating vet (fees apply). You will be advised what is required at the time of discharge.

I agree to my pet receiving treatment on the following terms:

1. I am the owner of the animal above or I am the agent described above acting with full authority from the owner to give consent for the services described below.

2. I can be contacted on the above phone number at all times on the day of the procedure.

3. In the event that I am not contactable, I hereby give full consent for any additional procedures considered necessary by a vet. Unforeseen circumstances can arise which require more involved treatment and additional costs. I agree to meet those costs. [The hospital staff will endeavor to contact me should the fees vary significantly from the estimate]

4. I understand the Fee Range given below for the Main Procedure is an ESTIMATE only. The Main Estimate below does not include any requested additional procedures.

5. I understand that all due care will be taken in providing these services, but that some risks do exist. I understand that Pre-Anaesthetic Blood Testing is a step in identifying anaesthetic risk, and that administering intravenous fluids is a means of reducing anaesthetic risk.

6. I agree to images of my pet being used for hospital promotions and/or social media.

7. I acknowledge that any estimate given for a dental procedure is subject to thorough examination of the patient’s mouth under general anaesthetic, and is subject to change as a results of this examination.

8. I agree to pay all fees at the time of discharge from the hospital.