Spay and Neutering in the Troutdale and Gresham

Your pet deserves the best care you can give, and at the top of the "best list" is to have him or her neutered or spayed. Your veterinarian here at Paws & Claws Pet Medical Center, serving the communities of Gresham and Troutdale, is an ardent believer that spaying and neutering are an intrinsic piece of pet wellness care, a practice focusing on preventative rather than restorative veterinary care. Let us tell you more!

Why Spaying and Neutering are Important

We believe these surgeries are beneficial for two primary reasons. First, the health benefits, different for males and females, are enormous. Second, spaying and neutering pets makes a major contribution to the greater good of animal welfare. Today, animal shelters are overcrowded with unwanted pets and others wander the streets, homeless. By controlling the pet population, we all do our part to solve this very real and heartbreaking problem.

Benefits of Spaying

When a female dog or cat is spayed, the vet removes her uterus and ovaries which means she is protected from uterine and ovarian cancer, as well as uterine infections. Also, her chances of developing mammary tumors and/or cancer, generally fatal, are greatly reduced, as long as she is spayed before her first heat. You will not have to deal with the mess and inconvenience of heats as well as unwelcome visits from prowling males.

Benefits of Neutering

During the neuter surgery, the veterinarian removes the testicles which eliminates the chances of him developing testicular cancer. However, the real changes in males is with their behavior. You will see the elimination or significant reduction in male cats spraying and male dogs marking. Aggressive tendencies diminish or disappear, and the desire to roam is greatly curbed. Your dog or cat will generally become a much nicer and more manageable pet.

About the Surgeries

These are two of the most routine surgeries our vet performs, and as routine, we have performed thousands of spay and neuter procedures. We use anesthesia for both. We understand owners’ concerns about anesthesia, but be confident in knowing we use the absolute safest and most proven pet anesthesia available today. Also, the veterinarian performs the procedures in our stellar, technologically advanced surgical suite where pets are monitored every second. The procedure for females can take up to an hour while for males, it is usually approximately 20 minutes.

Risks

Although minimal, as with any surgery, there can be risks with a spay or neuter. We do a complete physical on pets before we begin any surgical procedure, but even so, there could be an underlying, undetectable problem that could interfere. Pets who are overweight or older also present more risk that those between 4 and 6 months of age, the ideal time for a spay and neuter surgery.

As the leading veterinarian in the communities of Troutdale and Gresham, we welcome your questions and encourage your call to schedule your pet’s surgery.