April 2012 sees our annual Pet Neutering Month scheme. Please see end of article to claim your 10% discount off your
pets neutering.
The importance of neutering your pet:

Preventing unwanted Litters
Rescue centres in the UK have huge numbers of dogs, cats and other small
animals that are brought to them on a daily basis. A shocking number of
these will be euthanased. Many of the animals that are bought to them are
expectant mothers, where their previous owner could not afford to have
them neutered earlier or could not cope with the additional attention and
additional finance that is needed for a pregnant animal.
A female cat can come into season and mate with a male cat up to three
times a year and each litter could result in 6+ kittens. Do you want to be
responsible for up to an extra 20 kittens a year? Possibly being abandoned
in rescue centres or living feral on the streets.
Rabbits can have up to 10 babies (kittens) in one litter, and their gestational period is approximately 1 month leading to
up to 12 litters a year!!
Bitches can give birth to about 10 puppies per litter and come into season roughly every 6 months. We are an animal
loving nation- so let’s start neutering and stop thousands of unwanted pets each year needing a home. Health Benefits
Testicular tumours are the second most common tumour affecting the male dog, although rare in the tom cat.
Castrating your pet will be a guaranteed way to prevent these tumours from developing.
Mammary gland tumours are the most common tumour affecting the bitch but not as common in the queen. About 50%
of mammary tumours in the bitch are benign (non-harmful) but can require quite radical surgical removal. Over 80% of
mammary tumours in the cat are malignant (harmful) tumours with a high likelihood of metastasis (spread of tumour to
other tissues) before you have even noticed the tumour.
Spaying your pet will decrease the chances of them developing mammary tumours although best effective if performed
before their first season.
Uterine cancer is likely to develop in approximately 85% of rabbits before they reach the age of 4.
Pyometra (most common in bitches) is an accumulation of pus in the uterus. This usually occurs in middle aged to
geriatric females and can be life threatening and usually by the time the patient is presented to a veterinary surgeon it
would be classed as an emergency.
There are two types of Pyometra; these are ‘Open’ and ‘Closed’.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
When the cervix is open, allowing the pus from the uterus to discharge out of the vagina it is termed an ‘Open
Pyometra’.
When the cervix is closed the pus remains locked inside the uterus and therefore the toxins are unable to be released,
this leads to the body becoming poisoned. This is termed a ‘Closed Pyometra’.
Treatment for this condition leads to the patient being admitted for blood tests, often ultrasound, Intravenous fluids,
General anaesthetic and Spay. Depending on the patient they may need to be hospitalised on intravenous fluids and
receiving antibiotics and pain relief. The cost of this treatment often exceeding 4 times the amount of a routine
spay.
Uterus during a routine Ovario
Infected uterus (Pyometra)
Hysterectomy

PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF DISEASE
Neutering your animal also helps prevent the spread of diseases such as F.I.V (the feline equivalent of H.I.V). This is
spread via cat bites and mating.

BEHAVIOUR
Unwanted behaviour such as:

Tom cats urine marking,

Straying of both dogs and cats, sometimes leading to lost pets.

Mounting,

Boisterousness,

Aggression,

Vocalisation when a bitch is in season close by,

Fighting.
Does your male cat often disappear for long periods of time? It is very likely that he is in search of a mate. Castrating
him will reduce the need for him to do this and will also reduce the risk of him becoming fatally injured by a road traffic
accident or injured by fighting with other cats leading to expensive trips to the vets.
An un-neutered cat will have the need to mark its territory everywhere possibly including your sofa and curtains. If your
cat is neutered but has started marking in the home you should seek behavioural advice, it is likely something has upset
him such as a new cat on the block.
Mounting, Boisterousness and aggression can be seen more often in un-neutered dogs. Wanting to mate but being unable
to can be very frustrating for a dog, whether they are male or female. This often results in them becoming snappy,
mounting objects as well as your leg and quite often they become aggressive particularly towards other dogs.
Rabbits are a very popular children’s pet but these cute fluffy creatures can also become very aggressive, usually the
females. Having her spayed at a young age will help prevent this problem, which will also make handling of her much
easier and an enjoyable experience for you and your children.
On average more than one dog an hour is being put to sleep- totalling approximately 36 dogs every day (These
figures could possibly be more). This is due to lack of homes, lack of funding available to the rescue centres to
maintain the large quantities of homeless and abandoned animals.
This voucher entitles the
bearer to claim 10% off their
pets neutering when
presented upon payment.
Valid 2nd-3rd April
Surname....................
Animal name:........................