Desexing of the female dog or bitch is a common surgical procedure routinely performed at Veterinary clinics and hospitals. Each year at Karingal Veterinary Hospital hundreds of female dogs are desexed. Despite this large number many owners are actually unaware of all the reasons we desex female dogs and exactly what happens when they are admitted to the Hospital for surgery.

Desexing of female dog is known by several different names. These include spaying or the correct scientific term of ovariohysterectomy.

Despite the numerous advantages for desexing your bitch there are also a few reasons why you wouldn’t have the procedure performed.

The temperament of a bitch DOES NOT change after having a litter and so it is not necessary to allow her to have a litter.

It is a common comment by owner's of desexed female dogs that "my dog put on weight after she was spayed". After the ovaries of a dog are removed her metabolic rate will decrease slightly. This is due the absence of the hormone, oestrogen. This reduction in metabolic rate means that the dog does not need to consume as much food as before the surgery to provide adequate amounts of energy. To avoid weight gain after spaying, the amount fed to the dog should be reduced. If you are at all concerned about your dog's weight then please consult one of the staff for advice.

At Karingal Veterinary Hospital we recommend that all bitches that are not going to be used for breeding should be desexed at 6 months of age. At this age it is usually before they have had their first oestrus cycle or "heat". All dogs over the age of 6 months must be registered with the local council. By desexing the dog at 6 months of age the extra fee associated with registering a non-desexed dog is avoided.

Prior to the surgery the bitch is given a clinical examination and a premedication injection to make her sleepy. For the general anaesthetic the dog receives an intravenous anaesthetic injection and is connected to an anaesthetic machine for the duration of the surgery. This machine delivers oxygen and anaesthetic gas to the dog to keep her asleep during the procedure. Respiration, heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the dog’s blood are monitored by several sophisticated pieces of equipment throughout the anaesthetic. A nurse will clip and scrub an area on the underside of the bitch's abdomen with an antiseptic solution. Once prepared the vet will place a sterile drape over the area and an incision is made in the skin and abdominal wall. Using a special surgical instrument called a "spay hook", the ovaries and uterus are exposed. These structures are clamped, tied with absorbable suture material and cut. A similar procedure is carried out on the cervix. Therefore in dogs we completely remove both ovaries and the uterus. Absorbable suture material is used to stitch up the abdominal wall and subcutaneous tissue. A final layer of stitches is placed in the skin. A tattoo is placed in the dog’s left ear to show that she has been desexed.

Even though spaying a dog is a routine procedure carried out at Veterinary clinics and hospitals, it should be noted that the procedure itself can be difficult, especially in large or overweight dogs. It requires the Veterinarian to make an incision into the dog's abdominal cavity, much the same as when performing surgery to the bladder or intestine. These types of procedures can cost at least $400-500. Spaying a female dog requires just as much time and skill yet the price of the procedure ranges from $135 to $160 depending on the size of the dog. The reason for this is simple - Veterinarians perform the surgery at heavily subsidised rates in order to ensure most owners get their dogs desexed. If this was not the case the number of dogs being put to sleep in shelters and pounds would substantially increase because of the increase in the number of unwanted puppies born. There would also be an increase in the number of health problems seen in bitch's associated with not being desexed eg. mammary cancer and pyometra (severe uterine infection). So if you think desexing a female dog is expensive, then consider that you are actually paying only approximately half what the real cost of the surgery is.