Pediatric Spays and Neuters

By Roxanne Willems Snopek

Traditional recommendations have changed greatly since the days of letting dogs and cats have one litter before surgery. Most veterinarians today recommend spaying and neutering pets just prior to the onset of puberty, which usually occurs around six months of age. The problem, however, is that depending on the particular animal and the season in which it's born, puberty can occur earlier, resulting in accidental pregnancies. It is quite common, especially in cats, to discover during surgery that she is in heat, or already pregnant.

To help fight the pet over-population problem, much research has been done in the area of early spay-neuter programs. Dr. Patricia Olson, Director of Veterinary Medical Affairs and Studies at the American Humane Association, now recommends that all puppies and kittens being adopted as pets be spayed or neutered well before puberty, as early as six weeks of age. The benefits to society are obvious - no unwanted litters. The benefits to the pets are clear as well: the actual procedure takes less time due to smaller organs and less fat; also young animals recover much quicker from surgery than do their older counterparts. Research has declared NO HEALTH RISKS related to early sterilization surgery.

Because of their smaller size and immaturity, several anesthetic precautions are taken:

• Patients must meet a 2-lb weight requirement.
• To prevent heat loss, a heating pad is used during surgery and recovery.
• Because their metabolic needs cannot tolerate the prolonged fast recommended for older animals, either a small pre-operative meal is fed, or glucose solution is administered.
• Isoflurane anesthetic is recommended instead of the more commonly used Halothane. Isoflurane provides very fast, smooth anesthesia with a very short recovery time and is the agent of choice for anesthesia in young, old or ill animals. It's the same agent used for anesthesia in humans!

In 1991, the American Humane Association endorsed early spay/neuter programs, declaring the surgery and anesthesia completely safe. Shortly after, they were joined by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Kennel Club and the Cat Fanciers Association.

The experts agree! Early spay and neuter programs may be the answer to the problem of unwanted puppies and kittens.

Article courtesy of Suite101.com.