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Vancouver Veterinarian, Claus Paws Animal Hospital
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Veterinary Care, Portland Oregon
 

 

 Why should I spay or neuter my pet?

The answers are numerous. Pet overpopulation leads to unnecessary deaths of unwanted animals. Avoidance of unwanted behavior issues and avoidance of certain later life disease are just a few additional reasons to spay or neuter your pet.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, one unspayed female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in a period of only 6 years. In 7 years on unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce as many as 420,000 cats. In 2007 at the Southwest Washington Humane Society in Vancouver, WA 12,601 cats and dogs were given up for adoption. Of those, 994 dogs and puppies and 5,579 cats and kittens were unnecessarily put to their death . For that reason, we strongly encourage responsible pet ownership by promoting spaying and neutering of companion cats and dogs.

Female cats and dogs emit a pheromone that can lure a mate for up to two miles. So, to avoid an unwanted pregnancy it is important to alter (spay) your female. The experience of having a female cat in heat is not only a horrible nuisance for the owner, but extremely uncomfortable for the cat. Female dogs generally have a heat every 6 months. It can be a messy prospect due to vaginal bleeding and the female can be susceptible to impregnation for up to three weeks. In addition, spaying females can eliminate all reproductive cancer possibilites and some studies suggest that it can greatly reduce the incidence of malignant mammary cancer or infections.

In male cats and dogs, the most frequently heard advantage to neutering is an attempt to limit or eliminate the "spraying" or "marking" that often happens with sexually mature male cats and dogs.Approximately 45 days after alteration, a neutered male has no testosterone and is less likely to "mark" or "spray"in an attempt to establish dominance with undesired urination. Neutered males in are also less likely to "roam" in search of a mate. This "roaming" can often times lead to the pet being lost or hit by a car.The elimination of testosterone also limits the inclination to protect or defend territory by fighting. Many studies suggest that neutering can eliminate or drastically reduce the probability of getting prostate infections. And, of course, altering male pets also eliminates the chance of testicular cancer.

Working together as a responsible community, we can help reduce the problem of pet overpopulation, neglect and avoidable health challenges.
  How can Laser Surgery benefit my pet?

I know of no veterinarian that is not to challenged with balancing the ethical ramifications, potential complications and the demand from the public for feline declaws. At a continuing education conference we were introduced to some of the benefits of using a laser for this procedure. After a demonstration and "test drive" we decided to make the considerable investment into this technology. It was one of the best decisions related to surgery we have made to date. The difference was night and day between using a scalpel or a laser. The results were so impressive that we decided to use the laser for all soft tissue surgeries in the clinic. The laser has the advantage of cauterizing all small blood vessels as the surgeon makes an incision. This translates into much less blood loss which means faster recovery and less strain on the body. In fact, most of our routine surgeries (spays, neuters and declaws) are almost completely bloodless. In addition to that, the laser seems to have a "sealing" affect to the nerves which appears to make surgery less (not eliminate, less) painful. For instead, when declaws are done with a blade often the patient is recumbent (laying down on side) because it is too painful to stand, even into the next day or beyond. With the laser procedure, cats are generally not only standing immediately out of anesthesia but we've had some climbing the cage which would have been unheard of before.* We decided after experiencing the dramatic difference between any soft tissue procedure performed by a skilled surgeon with laser versus scalpel we would be hard pressed to go back.

At Claus Paws Animal Hospital we implement the use of Carbon Dioxide Laser in all of our soft tissue surgeries.

*Declawing a cat is not a surgery to be take lightly! It is a non-reversible, extremely invasive procedure that has the potential of serious complications and comes with many increased responsibilities. Please consult a qualified veterinary care professional and fully understand all of the risks and responsibilities before making the decision to declaw your pet.

 
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