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Pet desexing
Pet desexing
Desexing your family pet is an important part of tackling horrifying kill rates across Australia’s shelters and pounds. With kittens making up 60% of all cats entering shelters and pounds, and 25% of dogs being puppies, unplanned litters increase pressure on welfare agencies and lead to huge numbers of healthy animals being put down.
Desexing not only reduces the number of unwanted puppies and kittens but can also prevent medical and behavioural problems from developing in your cat or dog, allowing your pet to lead a longer, healthier and happier life.
Spaying or neutering is unlikely to change your pet’s basic personality or levels of playfulness and general activity - though for timid cats, it can lead them to be more friendly and open to cuddles in the months afterwards!
It can, however, reduce the incidence of some behavioural issues in many animals, especially sexual behaviours, such as mounting, howling and the urge to roam. Despite what some believe, pets show no signs of ‘missing’ mating or breeding.
When to desex
Many pregnancies in dogs and cats occur because the owner didn’t get around to desexing their pet, or believed they were too young to get pregnant. It’s recommended that cats be desexed before four months of age, when they can first get pregnant. For dogs, the right age depends on their breed, size and sex. Your vet will be able to guide you, based on the latest research and guidelines.
Desexing at a young age is much less physiologically stressful, surgery is faster, easier and there are fewer perioperative complications. Animals are awake and walking around usually within one to two hours of surgery being completed, so they can be fed a small meal and then sent home the same day, avoiding an overnight stay.
Cost of desexing
The procedure can be included as part of a kitten/puppy care package of vaccinations, deworming and microchipping.
If the cost of neutering your pet is a problem, contact the National Desexing Network – an Australia-wide referral system that gives pet owners in financial need access to low-cost desexing - or your local council to see if they can help.
How you can help
Transforming outcomes for companion animals means changing how we deal with pet overpopulation. Help us save lives by petitioning your local council to provide low-cost and free desexing in suburbs with high shelter and pound intake.
By donating to the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation (APWF), you can help us prevent unwanted litters of puppies and kittens and the tragedy of unnecessary deaths
