Getting Your Pet Spayed or Neutered
At Selkirk Veterinary Hospital, we recognize the importance of spaying and neutering your cats or dogs. These routine surgeries prevent unwanted pregnancies, reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats in the community and help your pet live a longer, healthier life.
Additionally, these procedures can help mitigate behavioural problems such as animal aggression, roaming and territory marking (spraying), fostering a more harmonious relationship between you and your pets.
We take precautions to ensure a safe and successful surgery. These include pre-operative blood work and diligent pain relief and monitoring during and after surgery.
We do everything we can to ensure that your companion is safe, comfortable and pain-free from start to finish.
When to Spay or Neuter Your Pet
No one understands your pet's health better than a veterinarian. Although we provide general spay and neuter age guidelines below, it is always best to consult your pet's veterinarian for advice.
Cats: We recommend spaying or neutering cats at five to six months of age. This allows them to reach their relative adult size and make sure they can safely metabolize anesthetic agents.
Dogs: Traditionally, puppies have been spayed or neutered at around six months old. However, some vets have concluded that it is better to wait until the dog has reached sexual maturity before performing these reproductive surgeries. Speak to your veterinarian to determine the best time to have your dog spayed or neutered.
Spaying & Neutering FAQs
For answers to more of your questions about spay and neuter procedures at Selkirk Veterinary Hospital please read through the answers to these frequently asked questions.
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How long will it take for my pet to recover from surgery?
At our animal hospital in Nelson, spay and neuter procedures are typically day surgeries, allowing pets to return home in the afternoon following their procedure.
Your pet's activity will need to be restricted for approximately 10 days, and a protective collar or surgical suit may need to be worn to prevent them from licking the incision.
Your veterinarian may also request that you bring your pet in for a follow-up appointment.
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Will my pet feel anything during the procedure?
No, your pet will be under general anesthesia, and will not feel anything during the procedure.
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Will my pet gain weight after the procedure?
Your puppy or kitten will continue to grow to their full adult weight after the spay or neuter procedure, and this naturally includes some weight gain.
However, your pet will not gain weight as a result of being spayed or neutered.
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How much will it cost to get my pet fixed?
The cost of your pet's spay or neuter surgery depends on a wide variety of factors, including their size, species and overall state of health, as well as where you live in the country.
Contact us today to get an accurate estimate of the cost of your pet's reproductive surgery.
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Will my pet need to stay in the hospital overnight?
While in some rare cases it may be necessary to keep a pet overnight following spay and neuter surgeries, these are typically day surgeries. This means that you will drop your pet off to us in the morning at a pre-arranged time and then pick them up once our veterinarians have decided that your pet is sufficiently recovered and ready to head home.
When you come to our animal hospital to pick up your pet following surgery, we will be sure to provide you with detailed instructions for at-home care.