Katie Cranstoun now offers acupuncture for your animals who may be suffering from aches and pains and other conditions like arthritis
Neutering:
Q: Why should I spay my dog?
A: There are many benefits from spaying your female dog (bitch). It will prevent her from coming into season and having male dogs interested in her which will make your life easier. There are also a few benefits from a health point of view as well. Older intact females are at a high risk of getting mammary tumours which can be very aggressive and spread to all mammary glands and other parts of the body, for example the lungs. By spaying her, you are decreasing the risk of these tumours dramatically.
Another disease that middle aged - to older intact females can get is a pyometra. This is an infection in the uterus and can cause your dog to become extremely ill, toxic and it is potentially fatal. It is due to a build up of hormones every cycle and the cervix opening during a season, infection tracking up into the uterus and then becoming trapped once the cervix closes at the end of the season. It is treated by removing the uterus and ovaries and giving antibiotics. It is a risky procedure as the animal is unwell at the time of the surgery.
Q: What age can I spay my dog?
A: There are two options; she can be spayed at the age of 6 months before she has a season, this dramatically reduces the risks of mammary tumours but there is a very small risk of them becoming urinary incontinent later on in life. The other option is to let them have one season and then spay 2 months after this has finished. This reduces the risks of becoming incontinent later on in life but may increase the risk of mammary tumours a little.
Q: Why should I castrate my dog?
A: We recommend to castrate all male dogs which are not going to be used for breeding. The benefits of this include: less chance of them wandering, becoming aggressive, dominant or showing interest in female dogs. Of course castration does not prevent these from happening 100% but with proper training as well it helps to make these less likely. Dogs can be castrated at 6months of age and is best to do it before they become sexually mature and active as sometimes behaviours can be learned and castration will then not calm them down.
Q: Why should I spay my cat?
A: It is best to spay your female cat (queen) to prevent unwanted kittens. If you cat is an outdoors cat and not spayed, there is a high chance it will become pregnant by a male Tom cat roaming the area. The your female cat comes into season you will notice that she will call and vocalise a lot to go outside and to mate. This will continue to go on until she is mated with a male cat as queens do not ovulate until mated. We can spay cats from the age of 6 months. It is best to get it done at this age as they become sexually mature quite young and can have kittens at a young age.
Q: Why should I spay my rabbit?
A: Female rabbits can be spayed from about 4-6 months of age and is recommended to prevent unwanted litters if living with a male rabbit. It is prevents them from nesting and being protective of their hutch. If a couple of females live together their is a high risk of them fighting so by spaying them you could reduce the risk of this happening. From a health point of view it can prevent them from getting pyometra (see above) but also can prevent them from getting ovarian cancer later on in life which is relatively common in rabbits.
Q: Why should I castrate my rabbit?
A: Mainly to prevent unwanted pregnancies and to prevent rabbits fighting. The best combination of rabbits to house together is a castrated male and a spayed female rabbit.
Q: What are the risks of anaesthetics in animals?
A: An anaesthetic is risky in any animal, but as long as the animal is young, fit and healthy the risks are usually small. Rabbits however do have a higher risk of dying under anaesthetic as they are so small and their body does not cope quite so well. Our vet Nicola does however the majority of rabbit operations and is therefore quite experienced with rabbits and anaesthetics. If you do having any questions or concerns about your rabbit and their operation it is best to call and speak to Nicola on 01580713381.