Spaying or neutering your dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other furkids will help them live a healthier and longer life. Learn about the benefits and common misconceptions of sterilisation.
Why is it important to sterilise your dog or cat? When is the best time to sterilise them?
Read on for a summary of the many benefits and common misconceptions of spaying or castrating your pet. Remember that prevention is always better than cure!
At Paws N’ Claws Veterinary Surgery, our veterinarians at both the Yishun and Upper Thomson clinic branches perform sterilisation surgeries as a routine procedure. Have a question? WhatsApp us at 8891 4417 (Upper Thomson) or 8809 0787 (Yishun).
What is sterilisation?
Sterilisation — also known as desexing, neutering, castrating, or spaying — is a surgery to make an animal unable to produce offspring. The procedure removes a part of the pet’s reproductive organ to permanently stop him or her from reproducing.
It is a very common and safe surgical procedure, and helps you as a pet parent ensure your furkid’s optimal health. It is also a one-off, permanent procedure that will last your pet’s entire lifetime.
Spaying refers to the sterilisation of a female animal by removing her ovaries. Castration or neutering refers to the sterilisation of a male animal by removing his testicles.
Why should I sterilise my pet?
Spaying or neutering increases your beloved pet’s chances to live a longer, healthier life as it reduces or even eliminates a number of health problems. It may also help decrease certain unwanted behaviours in the animal such as aggression issues.
In male animals, castrating or neutering them can bring these benefits:
- Lowers his chances of developing prostatic disease and hernias
- Eliminates his chances of developing testicular cancer
- Reduces any problems with territorial behaviour (such as caterwauling or fighting by tomcats), sexual aggression, inappropriate urination (spraying), and other undesirable behaviours such as humping or mounting people’s legs
In female animals, spaying them can be advantageous as it:
- Lowers her risk of certain cancers by as much as 85%
- Eliminates her chances of developing pyometra — a serious and potentially fatal infection of the uterus, which is experienced by many mature, unspayed female animals
- Eliminates her heat cycle and the associated mood swings and undesirable behaviours as well as messy spotting of bloody discharge (in dogs)
With sterilisation, you are also helping to alleviate the overpopulation problem of stray dogs and cats in Singapore. There are many homeless pets in shelters waiting to be adopted to loving homes.
Debunking myths about sterilisation
There are a few common misconceptions about sterilising dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs.
Myth 1: Sterilisation is expensive
Spaying or castrating your pet is actually an affordable procedure that takes place only once in your pet’s lifetime, and is permanent for the rest of his or her life.
Moreover, sterilisation costs much less than the potential medical treatments from health complications in the future. Pets who are not sterilised face a higher chance of certain illnesses such as cancer, infections, and tumours that will be difficult and expensive to treat.
The cost of sterilisation is also a lot smaller than having to care for a litter of puppies or kittens.
Myth 2: Sterilisation will make my pet overweight and lazy
Sterilisation does not cause obesity. Pets become overweight when they are inactive and overfed or eating more food than is required — and not because they are sterilised.
As long as you control your furkid’s food intake and make sure they get regular exercise, your pet should stay fit and trim.
Myth 3: Sterilisation is painful and dangerous
The risks from the surgery are minimal if your pet is sterilised by a licensed veterinarian.
Your pet does not feel pain during the surgery, because it is performed under general anaesthesia. Also, the veterinarian will give painkillers to your pet where necessary.
Most pets recover quickly from the sterilisation procedure, and are back to normal after about 24 to 48 hours.
When to schedule a sterilisation appointment
Typically, it is recommended to sterilise dogs and cats when they are around 6 months old.
That said, there may sometimes be exceptions, as the table below shows.
We also generally recommend not to desex a female animal while they are still in heat or season, as the nature of being in heat will make the surgery potentially more complicated. The exception will be if there are medical reasons to sterilise the female pet as soon as possible.
Please consult your primary veterinarian as to the best time or spay or neuter your pet.
The following table illustrates the recommended sterilisation age for certain dog breeds, based on research studies examining factors such as the rate of joint problems, cancers, and urinary incontinence at different desexing ages.
Cat Management Framework and Pet Cat Sterilisation Support
In Singapore, the National Parks Board’s Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) encourages all owners to sterilise their cats to prevent unintended breeding, and for better animal health and behaviour.
The Cat Management Framework, announced by AVS in May 2024, will allow people living in HDB flats in Singapore to keep cats. When the new framework comes into effect on 1 Sept 2024, cat owners have a two-year transition period to meet the licensing and microchipping requirements.
Licensing cats will be free during this transition period from September 2024 to August 2026. Afterwards, it will cost S$15 for a one-year licence for a sterilised cat and S$90 for an unsterilised cat.
For sterilised cats, licences issued during this two-year transition period will have lifetime validity. For unsterilised cats, these licences will be valid only during the transition period.
Meanwhile, AVS will also launch the Pet Cat Sterilisation Support (PCSS) programme on 1 Sept 2024, to provide low-income households with free sterilisation and microchipping for their pet cats.
Fear-Free veterinary care for your furkid
Paws N’ Claws Veterinary Surgery is led by Dr Esther Lam, a Fear-Free certified veterinarian who prioritises your pet’s emotional and physical well-being.
Our clinics in Yishun and Upper Thomson each houses a sterile surgical theatre, where the veterinarians perform surgeries such as sterilisation. Click here for details on the services we provide.
The Paws N’ Claws team will work with you and guide you through the steps to make the vet visit as Fear-Free and pleasant as possible.
If you have questions or would like to book an appointment at Paws N’ Claws, WhatsApp us at 8891 4417 (Upper Thomson) or 8809 0787 (Yishun).
Alternatively, please fill in the form below to send us a query.
