Lakewood Veterinarian Provides Dog and Cat Spay and Neuter Services

An essential part of dog and cat vet care is having your pet spayed or neutered by your Lakewood veterinary team. Spay and neuter procedures help to keep the pet population down, which eases animal suffering. The surgeries also have a positive impact on your pet's health, as they reduce your pet's risk for certain cancers and conditions. The procedures are part of pet wellness care and can be performed by your Bel Mar vet while your pet is still young.

Pet spay and neuter procedures should be part of any pet wellness care plan. Our Lakewood veterinarians will recommend the appropriate time for performing the procedure on your pet. Your Lakewood veterinarian recommends that pets be spayed or neutered as early as 16 weeks of age as part of their general puppy and kitten care. Typically, the sooner the surgery is performed, the healthier and happier your pet will be.

Pet spay and neuter procedures performed by your Bel Mar vet before a pet has a chance to reproduce reduce the number of pets who enter the shelter system. This lessens strain on shelters, allowing them to provide effective dog and cat vet care to the pets that do come through their doors. Pets reach their reproductive years sooner than humans, so spaying and neutering is an essential part of puppy and kitten care. 

Pets enjoy physical benefits from spay and neuter procedures. Female cats and dogs will not experience heat, a cycle that occurs seasonally in dogs and several times a year in cats. The heat cycle can be stressful for both pets and humans, as cats cry frequently and seem nervous and jittery. Removing the reproductive organs in a female pet reduces or eliminates her risk of developing cancer of the uterus, ovaries or mammary glands. Removing the reproductive organs in a male pet reduces the pet's risk for testicular and prostate cancer.

Neutering a male pet can improve his behavior. Pets that are neutered as part of dog and cat vet care do not feel the need to mark territory and will be more invested in their human family, allowing pet owners to develop a deeper relationship with their dogs. The surgery also reduces a dog's urge to roam, meaning he is less likely to wander off or get lost, and increases life expectancy, meaning you will have many more years to enjoy with your pet.

Other behavioral changes pet owners notice after spaying or neutering their dogs or cats is that the pets seem less willing to fight, with other pets and with humans. The procedures may reduce biting behaviors too.

If you think that spay and neuter surgery is an important part of pet wellness care, call our Lakewood veterinarian today. We will work with you to develop a plan for dog and cat vet care while in your pet’s early stages, which will include spaying or neutering.