Spay & Neuter

The doctors and staff at Del Mar Veterinary Hospital believe that preventative veterinary care is the best medicine. One of the best ways you can ensure that your dog or cat lives a long and healthy life is by having them spayed or neutered. In addition, they will not add to the millions of unwanted puppies and kittens who end up on the streets and in shelters. For these reasons, we encourage all of our pet parents to spay and neuter their dogs and cats.

Benefits of Spaying and Neutering
One main benefit of spaying or neutering is to ensure that your pet will never have an unwanted litter. There are also several health benefits to having this procedure. For female pets, they will no longer be in danger of reproductive tract infections or cancer. Male pets are safe from testicular cancer and future prostate problems. There are behavioral benefits to this procedure as well which can give your pet a better lifestyle. Female pets will no longer go into heat, while male pets will be much less likely to roam away from home, keeping them safe from fights with other animals and dangerous vehicle accidents. Male cats are likely to be better behaved, with a reduced chance of urine spraying.

When to Spay or Neuter?
This is a good question to discuss with your veterinarian. It has been known for many years that spaying female dogs and cats before their first heat cycle greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer. In the past it had been recommended to spay and neuter dogs at about 6 months of age. However, some recent studies have shown that large and giant breed dogs may receive orthopedic benefits delaying the time dogs are spayed and neutered.

If your pet is in need of this service please contact our office at (858) 500-1466 to set up an exam with our skilled veterinary team.