Spay and Neuter Services in San Antonio, TX
The Ellison Drive Animal Hospital provides complete preventative animal health care services, including spay and neuter, as part of our comprehensive pet wellness care program. Having your pets spayed or neutered is one of the best things you can do for their health. As a busy spay and neuter clinic in San Antonio, TX, it’s one of the most common types of pet surgery our doctors perform, and they complete hundreds of procedures each year. It’s a very safe minor operation with a fast recovery time, and your cat or dog will enjoy the benefits of having it done for a lifetime. We believe in affordable health care for all of our furry patients, so we guarantee you the lowest costs possible.
Why Spay and Neuter Are Important
Your dog or cat will enjoy many health benefits from being spayed or neutered, but there’s another good reason for having it done that affects pets all over the nation. The population of abandoned and homeless pets in America has reached crisis levels, and millions of them wind up in animal shelters each year. The shelters are overwhelmed, without the facilities or resources to take care of all of them and not enough people willing to adopt them. As a consequence, most of them end up being euthanized. A big part of the problem is people bringing pets into their homes before they consider how much responsibility is involved in caring for them. But the main cause of the pet overpopulation problem is unwanted pregnancies and litters. Having your pet spayed or neutered is the best way you can help to alleviate the problem.
The Health Benefits of Spay and Neuter
There are a lot of health benefits that your pet will enjoy from being spayed or neutered, both physical and psychological. Spaying and neutering involve the removal of an animal’s reproductive organs: the testicles of males and the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes of females. Neutered males are at much less risk of prostate problems and have no risk of testicular cancer. Studies have shown that, on average, male cats that have been neutered live twice as long as those that have not. Female pets that have been spayed will no longer go into heat or menstruate, and the stress, screeching, and crying associated with the heat cycle will stop. They have decreased risk of breast cancer, and the risk of uterine cancer and pyometra, a serious infection of the uterus, is eliminated. The procedure helps moderate the levels of hormones that influence behavior, and both males and females will show less aggression and moodiness, be less inclined to get into fights and run away from home, and are much less likely to want to mark their territory by urinating on the carpets and furniture.
The Spay and Neuter Procedure
The age at which cats and dogs are typically spayed or neutered is 6 to 9 months, but they can have the procedure done as young as 8 weeks, as long as they are healthy. Generally, they’ll get more benefits from it if they have it done at a younger age. When you bring your pets to your veterinarian in San Antonio, you’ll be advised as to how to prepare your pets for the surgery, including keeping them from eating for several hours before the operation, though water is acceptable. During the procedure, they’ll receive anesthesia and their vital signs will be continually monitored by a surgical tech watching for any problems. Afterward, they’ll spend some time in a recovery room, and then you can take them home. Your doctor will give you full instructions on post-op care at home.
When you need the services of a spay and neuter clinic in San Antonio, TX, contact the Ellison Drive Animal Hospital to schedule an appointment.
