Desexing & neutering procedures

We practice the highest standard of care for all routine desexing procedures

At Eastwood Veterinary Hospital, we generally recommend the surgery be performed between 5-6 months of age. However, we may give specific advice to you and your pet as to the exact timing of desexing depending on their breed and in line with recent research.

De-sexing is a surgical procedure performed to sterilise male and female animals. After this procedure is performed your pet will no longer be able to reproduce. This is permanent and the procedure cannot be reversed.

When a female dog (bitch) or cat (queen) is de-sexed it is referred to as spaying and involves the removal of the uterus and ovaries. De-sexing of a male dog or cat is referred to as castration. It is a shorter operation that involves the surgical removal of the testicles.

Both procedures are ‘day procedures’ and require hospitalisaton for the full day to allow us to monitor your pet and provide adequate pain relief prior to, during and then after surgery.

We welcome all sizes and breeds!

  • All desexing surgeries include additional intravenous fluids throughout surgery, pain relief for 3 days at home, an Elizabethan collar and a post-op recheck
  • Day procedure available Monday-Friday
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Benefits of Desexing

These include a documented decrease in several tumour types for both sexes, and majorly decreased chances of life threatening issues like pyometra or prostate disease.

Patient Comfort

Comfort is key! We provide all of our patients with high levels of ‘peri-operative’ pain relief as research shows that the more comfortable they are, the quicker they recover!

Anaesthetic Safety & Monitoring

We use the latest in anaesthtetic protocols, techniques and monitoring to make your pet’s anaesthetic as safe as possible.

Pre Surgery Care

We understand that surgery for your pet can be daunting and scary. The aim of our pre-surgery care is to minimise your concerns and prepare your pet for safe and stress free surgery.

Prior to the day of your pet’s surgery, one our team members will give you a call to remind you of your pet’s desexing date, admission time and to answer any questions you may have. A text message and email will also be sent as a helpful reminder as well.

The main points to remember are to:

  • Withhold food on the day of surgery;
  • Water is ok up until you leave the house to come to the clinic;
  • Take your pet for a short toilet walk prior to arriving at the clinic;
  • Arrive at the clinic at your scheduled appointment time.

When you arrive at the clinic one of our nurses will explain the procedure for the day and take you through some paperwork, including:

  • the recommended option to perform a blood test prior to the anaesthetic to help increase your pet’s anaesthetic safety;
  • answer any questions about what will happen during the procedure;
  • ensure vaccination, flea and worm treatment is up-to-date to prevent cross infection.

During the pre surgery consultation with out nurses, you will be offered the choice of performing a blood test.

The blood test is designed to pick up any internal health concerns that may affect the anaesthetic. The test includes a check of the liver and kidney values, blood glucose level, electrolyte levels, overall protein level and overall red blood cell count.

During the Surgery

We take ananaesthtic monitoring and surgery very seriously. We use the latest in recommended anaesthetic techniques and monitoring and practice strict aseptic surgical techniques.

We take anaesthetic monitoring extremely seriously and are proud to offer the highest level of monitoring care for you pet.

We go above and beyond the accepted standards to include:

  1. monitoring of oxygen levels via an spO2 probe (called pulse oximetry)
  2. a continuous ECG trace to track the heart’s rhythm throughout surgery;
  3. blood pressure monitoring – this is the key to a successful recovery;
  4. carbon dioxide monitoring to ensure the lungs are able to blow off all harmful gases;
  5. patients are warmed with a ‘bare hugger‘ to prevent deleterious cooling;
  6. all patients receive intravenous fluids to ensure hydration remains perfect;
  7. we use the most modern anaesthetic machines and drug protocols.

Patient comfort is also key and again we go above and beyond! We ensure all patients are kept as comfortable as possible with a combination of local anaesthetic pain relief, opioid pain relief and anti-inflammatory pain relief.

We take great pride in our standard of surgical care. The surgery team is lead by Dr Matt Buchanan-Pascall, who has further qualifications in surgery (GPCert in Small Animal Surgery) and constantly updates the team’s surgical techniques as the techniques continue to evolve. Very simply, we know the better our tecnhique is the better the outcome is for your fur baby.

During routine desexings we ensure that a combination of local and general anaesthesia is used to provide the most comfortable experience for your pet. We close all incisions with an ‘intradermal’ technique, which means there are no stitches on the outside of the wound –  this decreases the chances of infection and eliminates the chance of our patients chewing at their stitches during recovery.

Post Surgery Care

We send all of our patients home with 3 days of additional pain relief, an Elizabethan collar, a desexing certificate and post operative instructions. It’s then over to you to help them rest and recover.

Our patients generally recover exceptionally quickly from surgery, so it can be tempting to get back to normal activity straight away. However, remember that whilst the surgery is routine, it is still considered major surgery.

Please strictly rest your fur child in a warm, calm environoment for the first 7 days post surgery. This may mean you need to separate them from other pets in the meantime to facilitate the chance to recuperate in peace.

Patient comfort is our priority! All animals undergoing desexing surgery receive both opioid pain relief (methadone, which is similar to morphine used in humans) and strong anti-inflammatory pain relief peri-operatively.

We then send all patients home with further pain relief to be given over the 3 days following surgery.

Most cats and dogs recover extremely quickly from surgery and are comfortable within 24 hours after surgery. However, if you feel that your fur child still seems uncomfortable then we always encourage you to contact us for any further advice on providing additional comfort.

We provide a complimentary visit with one of our nurses following all desexing surgery. This appointment occurs 2-4 days after surgery.

During the appointment we will further ask you how you think your pet is recovering and then perform a basic health and surgery site check to ensure we are happy with how you fur child is recovering.

Gap Only Payments Available!

We work directly with most insurance companies so that you only have to pay the gap for any hospital treatment or surgery. Sorted!

Gap only treatment available at Macquarie Veterinary Hospital in North Ryde