Why and when to spay or neuter explains sterilisation, called kapon in Filipino: what the operation does, what it changes in the animal's health and behaviour, and how a veterinarian decides the age for a dog, a cat, or a rabbit. The guidance here follows the American Veterinary Medical Association.[1]
Spaying is the removal of a female's ovaries, usually with the uterus. Neutering is the removal of a male's testicles. Both are routine operations under general anaesthesia, done in a morning, with the animal home the same day or the next.
Contents
Why
- No unwanted litters. One unspayed cat or dog and the puppies or kittens nobody planned for are how the streets fill.
- Health of a female. Spaying removes the risk of a uterine infection, a common and life-threatening emergency in older females, and lowers the risk of mammary tumours when done young.
- Health of a male. Neutering removes the risk of testicular cancer and lowers the risk of prostate enlargement.
- Behaviour. No heat cycles, less roaming, less marking and spraying, and often less fighting between males. Sterilised dogs and cats live longer on average.
- Rabbits. An unspayed female rabbit has a high chance of uterine cancer by middle age. Spaying removes it, and it makes a bonded pair possible.
The other side
Sterilised animals gain weight more easily, so the meals are measured after the operation. In dogs, some studies link early sterilisation in some large breeds to joint disease and to certain cancers, and some spayed female dogs develop urinary incontinence later in life. This is why the age question has no single answer for dogs and why the veterinarian weighs the breed, the size, and the sex.[2]
When
| Animal | Timing |
|---|---|
| Cat | By five months of age. A female cat can become pregnant at four months, so the operation comes before the first heat.[3] |
| Dog | Individual. Small breeds often at five to six months; large and giant breeds often later, after growth, on the veterinarian's advice. |
| Rabbit | When the veterinarian judges the rabbit mature enough, usually within the first year, by a veterinarian experienced with rabbits. |
| Bird | Not done routinely. Ask an avian veterinarian about behaviour and egg-laying problems instead. |
Where and what it costs
Any small-animal clinic does the operation for dogs and cats. Many city and municipal veterinary offices, and animal welfare groups, run free or low-cost kapon days; ask the city veterinarian for the schedule. For a rabbit, find a clinic that operates on rabbits often, because the anaesthesia is the risky part and experience lowers it.
Before and after
- Follow the clinic's fasting instructions the night before. A rabbit is not fasted; ask the clinic.
- Ask what pain relief the animal goes home with. It should go home with some.
- Keep the animal quiet and indoors for the days the veterinarian sets, usually ten to fourteen.
- Stop licking of the wound with a cone or a recovery suit.
- Check the wound twice a day. Redness that spreads, discharge, a gap, or a swelling means a call to the clinic.
- Measure the meals from now on.
Common questions
Will it change my dog's personality?
It removes the behaviour driven by hormones: roaming, marking, some fighting. Play, affection, and guarding stay.
Should a female have one litter first?
No. There is no health benefit to the female, and the mammary tumour protection is strongest when spaying comes before the first heat.
Is the operation safe?
It is the most common operation a small-animal veterinarian performs. The risk is the anaesthesia, which is why the clinic examines the animal first and why an older or sick animal gets blood tests before the day.
