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The Dog Neuter Procedure

[See a cat spay...   See a cat neuter...   See a dog spay...]

The dog neuter surgery, and spaying and neutering of dogs or cats in general DOES NOT "make a pet fat and lazy".  In a healthy dog or cat, free of hypothyroidism or other medical disorders, overfeeding and insufficient exercise are the sole causes of a pet being overweight.  Don't blame the dog or cat spay or neuter surgery if a pet becomes overweight.  If you are having trouble with your pet being overweight, read how to keep a pet at optimum body weight here.

The dog neuter surgical procedure is performed under general anesthesia and employs sterile instruments and a sterile surgical field.  Medical emergencies can arise if a pet becomes infected during these procedures.  No surgeon approaches a spay or neuter as if it were "routine" because each surgery is different from every other because each pet is different, and although neutering might be deemed a minor surgery a spay certainly qualifies as a major procedure. (So if you wonder why the charges for these procedures seem high, you just may reconsider after visiting The Surgery Room.)

Castration of a male dog does not "break his spirit"... it is probably the most common routine surgery done in animal hospitals all across the country.  IF neutering promoted undesirable physical or emotional impact on the dog, it surely would not e performed as often as it is.  Plus every veterinary hospital would be required by law and ethics to have the dog owner sign a notice that they were informed of these possible bad side effects... but there are very few reasons not to neuter a male dog. 

Essentially, the structures and procedure are the same for each dog neuter (castration).  As you can imagine, though, there are some real differences between working on a 180 pound Saint Bernard or a 4 pound Yorkie!  And an overweight patient makes the surgery more difficult and time consuming.

There are no medical, emotional or sociological reasons for a male dog to sire "just one litter".  You are misinformed or misguided if you believe that "having just one litter" is somehow good for the dog psychologically or medically.  And the emotional or educational benefit to your children to experience the birth and care-taking of a litter of pups should be a very carefully analyzed proposition.  Will your children accompany you to the animal shelter when you drop off those last six puppies you "just weren't able to find homes for"?  If you do choose to allow your dog or cat to have a litter, please be certain that there are committed pet caretakers waiting and wanting to provide a home for them.  Don't contribute to the pathetic destruction of tens of thousands of animals euthanized yearly in pounds and shelters.  You do have the power and intelligence to make a difference.

The Dog Neuter Procedure
Click on the image to see a full size photo.

The dog is given a general anesthetic and placed on the surgery table. The area forward of the scrotum is shaved and scrubbed with special surgical soap.	Following the scrub an antiseptic solution is placed on the surgical area. Sterile procedures and instruments are required to minimize infection.	The single incision is made in the skin, not through the scrotum, and slightly forward of the scrotum. Staying in the midline diminishes the slight amount of bleeding that generally occurs.	In this photo the surgeon pushes on a testicle to advance it forward to where the skin incision was made.  The tunic, a fibrous covering of the testicle, is located.
Viewing the testicle in the incision opening, the surgeon cuts through the fibrous tunic surrounding the testicle and the connecting vessels and structures are isolated.	Now that the testicle is visible and is exteriorized through the incision, the spermatic cord containing the vas deferens and blood vessels are clamped and the area is inspected where the ligature will be placed.	(It is at times like this that the marvels of modern anesthesia are really appreciated by man and dog!  Don't try this at home!  Dr. Dunn)	To allow for the removal of the testicle the spermatic cord must be cut.  Having a generous blood supply, the cord must be tied securely (ligated) to be sure there is no post operative hemorrhaging.
The second testicle is removed in the same manner.  The ligament of the Epididymis and its small vessel are ligated to minimize bleeding.	The final cut is made at the ligament and the testicle is removed.  There should be no bleeding at this time.  The remaining tissues are replaced within the incision.	The surgeon inspects the surgical area for "bleeders"...little vessels that cause nuisance, but not dangerous, bleeding.	The incision is closed by placing sutures through the deep tissues first and then working upward to the subcutaneous layer.
If you are having trouble with your pet being overweight, read how to keep a pet at optimum body weight here.  Numerous health benefits are associated with early spay/neutering... ask your veterinarian.			Tens of thousands of abandoned and unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized every year.  Please consider spaying and neutering... the best way to curtail the mass euthanasia of dogs and cats.
	Here the surgeon chooses to place subcutaneous sutures instead of visible surface sutures.  There is less chance of the dog licking or chewing the area with subcutaneous sutures.  The skin is usually healed in 6 to 8 days; the dog is confined for 7 to 10 days postoperatively.

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