Information for Owners

Vaccinations

Why should I vaccinate my pet and how often?

Fleas and Worms

Why and how often should I use preventative treatments?

Neutering

Why is this beneficial and what does it involve?

Microchipping

What is microchipping and what does it involve?

Nutrition

How to choose the best food for your pet

Insurance

Why should I insure my pet and how do I choose the best policy?

Pet Passports

Why are they needed and how do I get one for my pet?

Neutering

Neutering (removal of the reproductive organs) your pet is an important part of responsible pet ownership, and is recommended for all pets not intended for specific breeding. Thousands of homeless animals are put to sleep in shelters every year simply because there aren't enough homes and not enough resources to look after them, and whereas many are stray a lot are from accidental breeding of family pets. Neutering your pet is the only way to guarantee that your pet won't have unintentional offspring to add to this problem. It is a commonly held belief that it is beneficial to allow animals to have a litter for their health but it is a very demanding situation with many potential health complications. In fact having your pet neutered early in it's life has many positive effects to allow it to live a healthier and happier life -

Dogs

In male dogs the mating drive can cause the dog a lot of distress and may make control more difficult, castration eliminates this. It also removes the possibility of testicular cancer and almost eliminates prostate problems when they are older. In bitches speying removes the problems associated with being in season, where they will bleed and be bothered by any nearby male dogs (which haven't been castrated!). Speying removes the possibility of uterine and ovarian cancer; it has also been found that if a bitch is speyed early in her life it dramatically reduces the chance of breast cancer later in life. Speying also removes the chance of pyometra, an infection of the uterus which is life-threatening and must be treated by speying, but with much greater risk then when done routinely.

Cats

Male cats that are not castrated are much more prone to wandering, increasing the chance that they may be lost or hit by a car. They also are much more likely to be involved in fights with other cats. Female cats have frequent seasons during which time they can be very distressed and will be bothered by male cats. They have the same benefits for cancer reduction as in bitches.

What does it involve?

Male and female cats and male dogs can be neutered from 6 months of age. With bitches we feel the ideal time is either 4 weeks or 4 months after the end of her first season for minimal risk in the procedure. You will bring your pet to the surgery in the morning and in most cases they can go home the same day. We use what we feel is the best anaesthetic and pain-relief methods for your pet and we find as a result the recovery from the operations is excellent (read more about our surgical facilities).