Female dogs or bitches can be neutered from six months of age and this would be our normal advice if an animal is not to be used for breeding. The main benefits of neutering (or spaying) are:

• There is a much reduced risk of developing mammary tumours (breast cancer)
• They are protected from developing a potentially fatal womb infection, called pyometra, in later life
• No unwanted pregnancies
• Neutered animals do not come into season and therefore do not have false pregnancies.

There is no truth in the belief that a bitch is better off having a litter before they are spayed.

It is also said that bitches will put on weight after spaying whereas all that needs to be done is a slight alteration in the amount of food fed (about 5-10% less food on average).

The procedure involves the removal of both ovaries and the uterus through a midline incision on the tummy. We provide a comprehensive set of painkillers to each animal to ensure that they are as comfortable as possible afterwards. We also use suture materials that produce less discomfort and by using subcuticular sutures (hidden stitches underneath the skin) there is no need for any sutures to be taken out and the animal is much less inclined to lick at their wound.

Animals are admitted and sent home on the same day and come back to us a week later for a routine wound check.

We are also now developing a new alternative to the conventional spay operation using minimally invasive surgery. Through this revolutionary approach, we will be able to offer most sizes of dogs the possibility of having this procedure done with three small wounds - rather than the usual single, longer wound. The same techniques are now extensively used in humans because the post-operative discomfort and scarring is so much less.