Cold Spring/ St. Joseph/ Paynesville Veterinary Clinic Newsletter

Summer 2009

Benefits of Spaying and Neutering your Pet
Diana Brown C.V.T.


There are many tough decisions when adopting a new puppy or kitten. Will Fido live in the house or outside? Which brand of cat food would be best for Fluffy? Is it better to adopt from a reputable breeder or rescue a lonely stray from a shelter? Of all the tough decisions, there is one important choice that can affect the health and behavior of you pet throughout her life. Deciding to neuter is one of the wisest investments you can make for your pet. There are numerous health and behavioral issues that can occur in your un-neutered pet.


Pyometra
Progesterone, the hormone responsible for prepping a pet’s body for pregnancy also reduces the immune function of the uterus. This allows bacteria from the vagina to enter the uterus and begin to multiply. Soon the uterus is full of pus, bacteria, dying tissues and toxins. The treatment at this point is to surgically remove the infected uterus. This is an emergency surgery which may be expensive and is often performed on a potentially unstable patient. This disease can be completely avoided when your pet is spayed.


Urine Marking
As a cat or dog matures sexually they are naturally inclined to mark their territory with urine scents. A pet's territory is often the house and furniture within. This behavior needs to be identified by first ruling out a possible urinary health issue. Many pets are surrendered to shelters because they urinate in the house. Castrating your pet before sexual maturity eliminates this unwanted behavior.


Pregnancy
Even the most sheltered female can become accidentally breed by a determined male. Although most births are natural without any problems occasionally a female will have difficulties with pregnancy and birthing. A cesarean section surgery is an emergency that can be expensive and often dangerous for mother and young. Shelters are full of unplanned litters that owners could not find enough good homes to adopt the puppies or kittens. Spaying your female and castrating your male can prevent unplanned litters and help to reduce overpopulation of unwanted pets.


Prostate Disease
There are several different types of prostate disease; prostatitis, prostatic hyperplasia, cysts, abscesses and even prostate cancer. One of the most common is benign prostatic hyperplasia, an enlargement of the prostate due to normal aging process. Prostrate disease can be prevented if your pet is castrated within the first year of life because the prostate does not have a chance to mature during puberty. However castrating an older male can help significantly in preventing enlargement of the prostate due to continuous testosterone exposure.


Mammary Tumors
Mammary tumors are the most common tumors in un-spayed females. Often times mammary tumors are malignant, especially in cats, meaning that they are easily spread to other organs of the body. Removal of a malignant tumor may not slow the progression of cancer. Spaying your female before 2 years of age has been shown to lower the chances of developing mammary tumors, although the chances will not be fully eliminated. The best way to help prevent mammary tumors is to spay your pet before her first heat cycle.


Roaming
The interest in roaming to find a mate is an undesirable behavior in un neutered males. Intact male that have been out roaming are the highest percentage of hit by car cases seen. Other injuries from roaming can include lacerations and gun shot wounds. Also because intact males are more aggressive toward other males and will fight, we often see trauma from bite wounds or scratches. Castrating your male, especially at a young age, will remove with sexual drive. This eliminates the urge to roam and find a female which will keep your pet safe at home.


Spaying your female and castrating your male can help to prevent many of these unwanted problems. The one time cost of a planned spay or castration surgery is a bargain when considering the possible costs of future health or behavioral issues that occur with un-neutered pets. If you have any questions about spaying or castrating your pet call one of our offices to speak with a Certified Veterinary Technician or Veterinarian.


Heartworm Disease

With the spring weather approaching rather quickly it is time to prepare for the upcoming heartworm season also.
Heartworm is one of the most common in dogs. First discovered in Italy in the 1600s, heartworm disease has been documented in all 50 states. Heartworm disease is transmitted by mosquitoes from an infected dog to a healthy dog.
Heartworm is a fairly large worm (up to 14 inches long) that lives in the heart and large arteries adjacent to the heart.
Although some heartworms can be found in the heart, a large majority of the worms are actually in the pulmonary artery, which is the artery from the heart that supplies blood to the lungs. Initially, the pet does not show any clinical signs so you may not realize how severe the disease can be. By the time symptoms develop, severe damage has usually already occurred.
For this reason, heartworm testing and the use of heartworm preventative to prevent infection in your dog is a very important. Even if your dog stays in the house much of the time, heartworm preventative is still important. Considering the severe damage that heartworms can cause and that treatment of the disease is expensive, prevention of the disease with a single monthly tablet is a great deal.