Why spay?

For as long as I have been in veterinary medicine, we have always strongly advocated for neutering our family pets before they are a year old. In addition to the obvious societal benefits of population control, neutering our pets while young and healthy offers many long-term health benefits. Pets who are not neutered are considered intact.

Ovariohysterectomy, commonly referred to as spay, is literally the surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus of female companion animals, primarily dogs and cats. Neutering (or castrating) male pets involves surgical removal of the testicles. In general, neutered pets tend to live longer healthier lives.

For intact female pets, our biggest concerns are pyometra and mammary cancer. Pyometra is a severe infection of the uterus and usually occurs when an intact female dog or cat is 7-11 years old. Studies have shown that about 24% of unspayed pets will develop this condition. The most effective treatment is to surgically remove the infected uterus. While this sounds similar to a spay, the whole procedure is now complicated by the presence of disease and its impact on the pet's entire body. Most of these pets require hospitalization in order to stabilize them before administering anesthesia. After surgery over 90% of these pets recover rapidly and live healthy lives for several more years.

To completely avoid the possibility of mammary cancer, it's recommended we spay our female pets before their first heat. Like pyometra, about 25% of intact female pets will develop mammary cancer. Mammary cancer is hormonally driven so the possibility drops to almost zero (0.5%) if the source of the hormones, the ovaries, are removed before they become active. Once the pet experiences a heat cycle and the hormones start circulating, the possibility of mammary cancer grows with each heat, 8% after the first heat and 26% after the second heat.

From the male point of view, our neutered pets can completely avoid the spectre of testicular and prostate cancer. These are conditions that usually appear in intact male dogs by the age of ten years. This disease seems to be extremely rare in cats. If detected early enough, surgery is the best treatment option but is now complicated by the presence of disease. If the cancer can be completely removed, the prognosis is more favorable, especially when combined with radiation and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, most pets are not diagnosed until the cancer has already metastasized or spread to other organs. These dogs usually pass away within a year of diagnosis.

Now for the bottom line, finances.

Approximately 10% of female pets who are diagnosed with pyometra or mammary cancer are euthanized because of other diseases present. Sadly, a larger percentage of these pets, more than half in my experience, are euthanized due to lack of financial resources. Because of the need for hospitalization before and after surgery, the average cost of treating a pet with pyometra or mammary cancer adds up to several thousand dollars.

Treatment for prostate and testicular cancer depends on whether the cancer has metastasized. Either way, surgery or medical management can add up to thousands of dollars.

On the other hand, there are several options when it's time to neuter a young pet. If you adopted your pet from a shelter, many have spay/neuter programs that make neutering your pet safe and inexpensive, often for less than $200.00. There are also low-cost veterinary surgery centers available. These clinics offer limited services so they can keep costs down. Although it may feel like a big commitment to neuter a pet before it's a year old, it's worth the investment.

If finances are not an issue, my best advice is to establish a relationship with a primary care veterinarian to first vaccinate and then neuter your pet.

Low Cost Spay and Neuter Options:

Winchester SPCA -- Anicera Harrisonburg VA -- winchesterspca.org

Richmond SPCA -- Smokey's Spay/Neuter Clinic -- richmondspca.org

Berkeley County Humane WV -- Evelyn Kilmer Spay/Neuter Clinic (for pets adopted from Berkeley Co Humane Shelter) -- berkeley.wvhumane.com

Promise Animal League -- Hagerstown MD -- apromise.org

Anicera Veterinary Center --Harrisonburg or Manassas VA --anicera.org

Helping Hands of Virginia -- Richmond VA -- helpinghandsvetva.com