Animal General Hospital: Surgery

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Myths and Facts About Spay/Neuter

9:22 AM | Labels: Cats, Dogs, Information, Surgery

Think you know all the facts on pet overpopulation?

The most important thing to know about spaying and neutering is that it saves lives. In every community in every U.S. state, there are animals sitting in animal shelters waiting for homes. Only about half of those dogs and cats will ever get one. The other half will be euthanized.

Making the decision to spay or neuter your pet means fewer pets—pets as sweet, loving, healthy, and deserving of companionship as your own—will be euthanized for lack of a home.

But just in case you need more information before making this important decision, here is the truth behind some commonly spread myths about spaying and neutering.

MYTH: It's better to have one litter before spaying a female pet.
FACT: Every litter counts.

Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures.

MYTH: I want my children to experience the miracle of birth.
FACT: The miracle of birth is quickly overshadowed by the thousands of animals euthanized in animal shelters in communities all across the country.

Teach children that all life is precious by spaying and neutering your pets.

MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.
FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats—mixed breed and purebred. About half of all animals entering shelters are euthanized.

MYTH: I want my dog to be protective.
FACT: It is a dog's natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones.

MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.
FACT: Pets don't have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change a pet's basic personality. He doesn't suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered.

MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.

FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don't give them enough exercise.

MYTH: But my dog (or cat) is so special, I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her.
FACT: Your pet's puppies or kittens have an unlikely chance of being a carbon copy of your pet. Even professional breeders cannot make this guarantee. There are shelter pets waiting for homes who are just as cute, smart, sweet, and loving as your own.

MYTH: I'll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.
FACT: You may find homes for your pet's puppies and kittens. But you can only control what decisions you make with your own pet, not the decisions other people make with theirs. Your pet’s puppies and kittens, or their puppies or kittens, could end up in an animal shelter, as one of the many homeless pets in every community competing for a home. Will they be one of the lucky ones?

All information from the Humane Society of the United States.

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I Got a Puppy/Kitten for Christmas, Now What??

9:08 AM | Labels: Cats, Dogs, Health, Holidays, Information, Surgery, Vaccines

If you gave or received a puppy or kitten for Christmas you might be wondering what to do next as far as vaccinations and when to spay/neuter. Here at Animal General we recommend the following vaccine protocol:

Puppies-

These are based upon current AAHA & AAFP vaccination guidelines. Core vaccines are what every dog should get regardless of lifestyle. All non-core vaccines will be administered based on risk of exposure of that disease to the individual patient; therefore not all dogs will receive all of these vaccinations listed. Puppy boosters will be administered every three weeks beginning at six weeks of age. Every pediatric visit should include an exam and fecal analysis, with deworming as needed. Every adult annual visit should include an exam, heartworm test, fecal analysis, vaccines deemed appropriate by the veterinarian and any age appropriate blood testing.

Age Core Vaccines Non-core Vaccines

6 wks DA2PP

9 wks DA2PP Bordetella

Influenza

12 wks DA2PP Leptospirosis

Rabies Influenza

Lyme

15 wks DA2PP Leptospirosis

Lyme

6 mos Bordetella

1 year DA2PP Bordetella

Rabies Leptospirosis

Lyme

Influenza

Kittens-

These are based upon current AAHA & AAFP vaccination guidelines. Core vaccines are what every pet should receive, regardless of lifestyle. All non-core vaccines will be administered based on risk of exposure of that disease to the individual patient; therefore not all cats will receive all these vaccinations listed. Kitten boosters will be administered every three weeks beginning at six weeks of age. Every pediatric visit should include an exam and fecal analysis, with deworming as needed. Every adult annual visit should include an exam, FeLV/FIV test, fecal analysis and vaccines deemed appropriate by the veterinarian and any age appropriate blood testing.

Age Core Vaccines Non-core Vaccines

6 wks FVRCP

9 wks FVRCP

12 wks FVRCP

FeLV

Rabies

15 wks FVRCP

FeLV

1 year FVRCP FeLV

Rabies

We recommend having your pet spayed (females) or neutered (males) around six months of age but your veterinarian can provide an exact date when s/he feels your pet is old enough and healthy enough to undergo the anesthesia. Here at AGH we run blood work, place an IV catheter and administer fluids (to maintain hydration and blood pressure), and give pre-anesthetic sedation. After the surgery your pet is given two different pain injections and is kept one night for observation. We offer special pricing if you would like your cat to be declawed at the same time.

If you have any questions about the above information or if you would like to schedule an appointment to have your pet seen by one of our outstanding veterinarians please call 706-568-4848 today!

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Spay & Neuter

9:54 AM | Labels: Cats, Dogs, Information, Surgery

Why spay/neuter is important for your dog

The surgery has many benefits other than preventing unwanted puppies.

· Spayed before her first heat, a female has almost zero chance of getting mammary gland cancer. After the first heat, the chance is only 7 percent; 25 percent after the second heat. Past that (even far, far past), spaying will still reduce risk.

· Spaying prevents pyometra, a common, life-threatening infection of the uterus. Typically, it's middle-aged (or older) females who get it, about six weeks after a heat cycle. The treatment is an emergency spay.

· Neutering prevents some cancers of the testicle and anus, and it helps prevent some significant prostate problems in males.

· The best part is that after neutering, male pups change from juvenile delinquents into pillars of the community (although some will still lift a leg on the pillar). Males are less aggressive without that testosterone jamming up their brains, they're less likely to roam (and they don't act like such escape-artist Houdini Hounds in order to get out), and they're less likely to hump and mark. You'll still see some of this behavior, mind you--just less of it.

What it won't do is send your female dog into menopause (another myth). Dogs don't go into menopause. Ever.

When it's time to spay or neuter your dog

Puppies can be spayed or neutered any time after eight weeks of age. Some people wait until just before the dog becomes sexually mature, sometime around six months of age, depending on the breed.

Here are some things to consider when scheduling the surgery:

· Hormones affect body structure. If you want your dog to be as big and manly as possible, with a build like Arnold Schwarzenegger, wait a bit to neuter. If you don't like the more exaggerated features, neuter earlier.

· Females will also have a slightly more feminine appearance if spayed later.

The dog will be exactly the same functionally whether you do it early or not.

· Surgery is safer when the dog is young, although smaller patients have a higher risk of problems with hypothermia and hypoglycemia when anesthetized.

· Younger patients have immature immune systems, which can be a concern if postsurgery infections or other problems develop.

· Don't put it off and assume you can just isolate your dog from any romantic encounters.

Mistakes (open doors, broken fences) happen, and there are already too many unwanted pets in the world.

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4 Signs That Your Cat is in Heat

11:00 AM | Labels: Cats, Information, Surgery

We all know how important it is to have our cat companions spayed or neutered. But sometimes time gets away from even the best-intentioned cat caretakers -- and before you know it, you’ve got a cat in heat on your hands. Don’t delay a trip to the vet if you see the following signs.

1. Increased appetite and restlessness

This is the first sign of proestrus, the earliest stage of a cat’s estrus, or heat, cycle. Other things you might notice are tomcats gathering around your home because your cat’s pheromones are attracting them. If you don’t notice the cats, you’ll probably notice their calling cards: You can’t miss the stench of tomcat spray.

Your cat’s vulva might be slightly enlarged and moist, but you probably won’t notice this because 1) she’ll probably lick off any discharge, and 2) because the odds are you’re not into closely examining your cat’s genitals. Proestrus lasts one or two days.

2. Creepy calling and meowing

When you hear a female cat in heat calling, the sound can be downright bone-chilling. As her urge to mate grows, the calls become almost alarming, as if she’s in pain. It can also make you crazy, because as her heat ramps up, the calling is going to get louder and more insistent, and could become almost constant.

If there weren’t tomcats at your doorstep before, there sure will be once your cat starts calling. Calling is an indication that she’s in full heat, or estrus.

3. A dramatic increase in affectionate behavior

If you thought your cat was a lovebug before, now she’ll probably be glued to you, constantly demanding your attention, weaving in and out of your legs, rubbing against you, shaking her pelvis, and rolling on the floor. But if you pick her up while she’s rolling around, she may grab your arm or even bite.

4. The "come hither" pose

If you stroke your cat’s back while she’s in heat, she’ll raise her hips to stick her butt in the air, twitch her tail to the side, and start treading with her hind feet.

These last three signs indicate that your cat is in full-on estrus and extremely receptive to being mated. She may become an escape artist, doing whatever she can to scratch her hormonal itch. Estrus lasts four to six days.

After your cat has been through the week to 10 days of proestrus and estrus, more commonly known as “heat,” she’ll go into the third stage, known as interestrus. During this stage, she’ll refuse to mate and aggressively attack any tomcat that gets in her way. If she didn’t mate during the heat cycle, she’ll remain in this interestrus stage for one to two weeks, and the whole process will start all over again.

If your cat is older than about five months and begins showing these signs, get her to the vet for her spay as soon as you can. Cats will continue to go in and out of heat until they get pregnant or get spayed.

Cats who aren’t spayed have a much higher risk of developing mammary and uterine cancer, as well as polycystic ovaries, due to constantly fluctuating hormone levels. Spaying also eliminates the risk of a potentially fatal uterine infection called pyometra (I once saw a cat at a vet clinic that was dying from pyometra, and it was truly horrible). Your cat’s behavior will improve and you won’t have boy cats coming over to visit at all hours of the day and night.

But spaying isn't just good for your cat -- it’s good for your community, too. The fewer unwanted kittens that are brought into the world, the fewer cats will be killed in shelters due to lack of space.

All information in this post is from Catster

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Myths and Facts About Spay/Neuter

I Got a Puppy/Kitten for Christmas, Now What??

Spay & Neuter

4 Signs That Your Cat is in Heat

1. Increased appetite and restlessness

2. Creepy calling and meowing

3. A dramatic increase in affectionate behavior

4. The "come hither" pose