Spaying and neutering are both routine elective procedures preformed which removes your animal’s reproductive organs. The appropriate age to spay and neuter your pets is commonly around 6 months of age, but always discuss the ideal time to spay or neuter your pet with your veterinarian. Not only do these procedures prevent unwanted pregnancy and babies in the future but it also beneficial for your animal’s overall health. Some of the diseases spaying and neutering can reduce for your pet include: mammary tumours, ovarian cancer, testicular and prostate cancer. Also, spaying and neutering your pet at the appropriate age can help reduce undesirable wandering behaviour and unwanted spraying.
We also use a laser scalpel rather than a standard metal scalpel, this piece of technology is more beneficial to your animal as it cauterizes the blood vessels and seals the nerve endings which makes for less pain and swelling, decreases blood loss and faster recovery time following surgery.
Once you book an appointment for your pet to be spayed or neutered it is important to remember the fasting instructions the night before to prepare your animal for the next day. No food should be fed to your animal after 6:00PM the night before as well as no water should be given to your animal after midnight the night before unless directed otherwise. These are to prevent potential anesthetic complications during your animal’s routine procedure. All elective procedures at the Spay Clinic are by appointment only and bookings must be arranged with the clinic staff. Your pet will have a “day stay” at the clinic and must be dropped off at The Spay Clinic between 7:00AM – 8:00AM at 10575 111th Street NW. All patients must be in good physical health and any animals over the age of 5 years of age are required to complete pre-anesthetic bloodwork to check their systemic health. Although vaccinations are not mandatory for their day stay, we here at The Spay Clinic highly recommended that your pet’s vaccination status be current prior to surgery. If the vaccination status is not current the staff at The Spay Clinic are more than welcome to assist you to make sure the proper vaccinations are given to your pet on the day of surgery. Please notify the staff at The Spay Clinic during admission of any new or ongoing concerns that you may have about your pet’s health. For your pet’s comfort and well-being, please encourage them to go to the bathroom prior to bringing them into The Spay Clinic the day of their surgery. Our staff will be happy discuss all of this with you at the time of booking and will remind you once more with a confirmation call about two days prior to your scheduled surgery date.
Forms of identification are important to consider during this elective procedure as there is always a possibility of your pet becoming lost. With the right identification, you can increase your chances of becoming reunited with your animal.
- Microchip: This form of identification is about the size of a grain of rice and is placed under the skin between the shoulder blades. This is a great form of permanent identification because even if your pet breaks out of its collar, this small chip will allow your animal to be scanned and return to you for its entire life throughout North America. It is important to keep your information linked to the microchip as updated as possible to ensure fast return of your beloved animal.
- Tattoo: This type of identification is placed inside the ear of your animal upon request once your animal has been spayed or neutered. This is a permanent form of identification that is visible in your animal’s ear, if the ink has not faded. This tattoo will help link your animal directly back to where it had its elective procedure performed, therefore it is always pertinent to keep your information with this clinic up to date, even if you no longer live in that province.
As all elective surgeries are “day surgeries”, there is no reason for your pet to have an over-night hospitalization with us here at The Spay Clinic. When your animal is ready to go home it is important to keep them safe and comfortable the first few days after their surgery as patients are usually very eager to see their owners and return home. Dogs are discharged between 4:00PM – 5:00PM Monday through Friday and cats are discharged between 5:00PM – 6:00PM Monday through Friday.
Our staff will discuss the post-operative care and management that your pet will require following their elective surgery. You will also be provided a document outlining what was discussed for your reference at home. For your convenience, these forms are also available here for download.
Cats Post Op Care Instructions
Dogs Post Op Care Instructions
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the post-operative care and recovery of your pet, please do not hesitate to call us at The Spay Clinic during regular business hours at (780)-426-4221.
If there are any emergencies, please call one of Edmonton’s emergency clinics:
- VetEmerg located at 12831 97th Street NW at (780)-423-9111
- Guardian Veterinary Centre located at 5620 99th Street NW at (780)-436-5880