Services
To maximize your pet’s health and happiness,

Hunter Animal Hospital’s veterinary health care team recommends the following:


Spay:

Surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus in female dogs and cats while anesthetized
Recommended at about 6 months of age
Eliminates heat cycles
Prevents female animals from reproducing
Helps reduce the numbers of homeless pets euthanized each year
Greatly reduces the chance of developing mammary cancer later in life
Eliminates the risk of pyometra, a potentially fatal infection of the uterus

Neuter:

Surgical removal of the testicles in male dogs and cats while anesthetized
Recommended at about 6 months of age
In many cases, reduces urine marking behavior
Reduces the drive to reproduce
Helps reduce the numbers of homeless pets euthanized each year
Reduces the incidence of prostate disease and perineal hernias
Reduces the chance of rectal tumors
Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer

General Procedure:

Please call our office to set up your pet’s surgery appointment.

By 8pm the night before your pet’s scheduled surgery, please remove all access to food; access to water is necessary so your pet does not get dehydrated before surgery. DO NOT feed your pet the morning of surgery. You will need to bring your pet in between 8-10am. Please allow 10-15 minutes for one of our technicians to go over necessary paperwork and perform a brief exam.

You will be offered pre-anesthetic blood work which will help us detect potentially unseen health problems BEFORE anesthesia is administered. This test is highly recommended as it will allow us to postpone surgery if necessary, until the problem can be corrected.

Another important recommendation is an intravenous (IV) catheter. IV fluid therapy is necessary to maintain your pet’s blood pressure during surgery and allows immediate access to the bloodstream if emergency medications are needed.

Your pet’s surgery will be performed between 9am and 2pm. Once the procedure is completed and your pet has recovered from anesthesia, one of our technicians will call you to set up a discharge appointment, usually between 3:30-5:30pm. During the discharge appointment, instructions will be provided on postoperative care and pain medication.