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Spay and Neuter

Appointment is required with daily drop-offs at 8:00 am on Tuesday - Friday and pick up time is 5:00 pm Tuesday - Friday.

Click HERE to download the Patient Information Form.

Before Surgery

• Do not give your animal food after midnight the night before surgery, or the morning of. Water is okay. A pet less than three months old may have a small snack in the morning.
• All cats must be in a carrier. Each cat should be in a separate carrier; they may be dropped off in one but will need to go home in separate carriers. We have cardboard carriers for sale for only $5.
• All animals are to remain in your car during check-in. They will be going through a separate entrance for surgery.
• We MUST see a rabies certificate, or a rabies vaccine will be given at a cost of $12. Proof of rabies must be in the form of a rabies certificate; we cannot use the rabies tag as proof. It is a state law that all dogs and cats must be current on their rabies vaccines.
• Payment is due at drop-off. We do not accept personal checks. We accept cash, MasterCard, Visa, or debit (as long as it has the MasterCard or Visa emblem).
• Please bring all vouchers at the time of check in. We must be given all vouchers that the customer may have at drop-off in the morning, as all payments are processed in the morning.
• Pick-up is at 5pm Tuesdays - Fridays.

After Surgery Care Instructions

• No running, jumping, playing, swimming or baths, or other strenuous activity for 7-10 days. Keep your pet quiet and indoors where they can stay clean, dry, and warm. Dogs must be walked on a leash.
• Check the incision site twice daily. There should be no drainage. Redness and swelling should be minimal. Do not allow your pet to lick or chew at the incision. If this occurs, an Elizabethan collar (a.k.a. cone) must be applied to prevent it.
• Appetite should gradually return to normal within 24 hours of surgery. Lethargy lasting for more than 24 hours post-op, diarrhea, and vomiting are not normal, and your pet should be taken to your regular veterinarian. Dogs may have a slight cough for a few days after the surgery.
• Do not change your pet's diet at this time, and do not give junk food, table scraps, milk, or any other people food during the recovery period. This could mask post-surgical complications. Do not administer any human products such as aspirin, Tylenol, etc. (including herbs).
• Make sure your pet is urinating normally and is having regular bowel movements. Keep your cat isolated from other cats to monitor this.
• If there are any questions or concerns directly related to the surgery during the recovery period, please call Pets Alive at (812) 349-1349. If there is an emergency after hours, contact our after-hours number at (812) 360-3384.
• Your pet received a green tattoo next to the incision. This tattoo is a scoring process in the skin; it is not an extra incision.

Facts about Reproduction
The first cycle may be as early as four months of age, and pregnancy is possible when this occurs. Dogs usually have a heat cycle every 6-7 months, while cats are seasonally affected and may cycle every 2-3 weeks, spring through fall. Dog destination (pregnancy) averages 63 days. Cat gestation (pregnancy) is more variable and averages 66 days but can range 62-74 days. An unspayed female cat, her mate, and all their offspring, producing two litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter, can total nearly 12 million kittens within a 9-year period. An un-spayed female dog, her mate, and all their puppies, and their puppies' puppies if none are ever spayed or neutered, can total up to 67,000 puppies within a 6-year period.

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Why Spay or Neuter?

Peace of Mind
Did you know that a spayed or neutered animal is better behaved?
Neutered male cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered and unsupervised males roam in search of a mate, risking injury in traffic and in fights with other males. They mark territory by spraying strong-smelling urine on surfaces. Indoors, male dogs may embarrass you by mounting furniture and human legs when stimulated. A neutered dog protects his home and family just as well as an unneutered dog, and many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.

While female cycles vary greatly, most cats exhibit several unpleasant signs when in heat. For four or five days every three weeks, they yowl and urinate more frequently, sometimes all over the house, advertising for mates. Often they attract unneutered males who will spray urine around the female's home. Female dogs also attract males from great distances. Female dogs generally have a bloody discharge for about a week and can conceive for another week or so.

Good Medicine
Did you know that a spayed or neutered animal can live a longer healthier life?
Spaying a female (removing the ovaries and uterus) or neutering a male (removing the testicles) is a veterinary procedure with the same general anesthesia used in human medicine. Both surgeries usually require minimal hospitalization. Neutering a male cat or dog by six months of ages prevents testicular cancer, prostate disease, and hernias. Spaying a female cat or dog helps prevent pyometra (a pus-filled uterus) and breast cancer; having this done before the first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. Treatment of pyometra requires hospitalization, intravenous (IV) fluids, antibiotics, and spaying. Breast cancer can be fatal in about 50% of female dogs and 90% percent of female cats. For older, seriously ill animals, anesthesia and surgery are complicated and costly.

Responsible Care
Did you know that you can prevent the suffering and death of millions of animals?
One cat or dog who has babies and whose babies have babies can be responsible for the birth of 50 to 200 kittens or puppies on one year. Almost everyone loves puppies and kittens, but some people lose interest when these animals grow up. As a result, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized annually or suffer as strays. Rarely surviving for more than a few years on their own, strays die painfully by starvation, disease, freezing, or being hit by cars.

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Myths About Spay/Neuter
Myth: A female cat or dog should have a litter before she is spayed.
Fact: The sooner you spay your female, the better her health will be in the future. As long as a kitten or puppy weighs more than two pounds (usually 10-12 weeks old), he or she can be neutered or spayed. The likelihood of developing mammary tumors or uterine infections increases the longer a female goes unspayed. In fact, a female spayed before sexual maturity (6-9 months of age) has one-seventh the risk of an intact female of developing mammary cancer.

Myth: Spaying or neutering (sterilization) will alter my pet's personality.
Fact: Any slight changes will be positive. Regardless of the age when spayed or neutered, your pet will remain a caring, loving, and protective companion. Neutering will reduce the desire to breed, and that has a calming effect on many animals. Both neutered male canines and felines tend to stop roaming and fighting and lose the desire to mark their territory with urine.

Myth: Companion animals will become fat and lazy if they are spayed or neutered.
Fact: Absolutely not. Lack of exercise and overfeeding make pets fat and lazy – not spaying or neutering. Your pet will not gain weight if you provide exercise and monitor food intake. Sterilized pets live an average of two to three years longer than unsterilized pets.

Myth: Sterilization is a dangerous and painful surgery for my pet.
Fact: Spaying and neutering are the most common surgeries performed on animals. With a minimal amount of home care, your pet will resume normal behavior in a few days.

Myth: Children should witness the miracle of birth.
Fact: Countless books and videos are available to teach your children about birth in a responsible manner. Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is teaching your children irresponsibility. Anyone who has seen an animal euthanized in a shelter for lack of homes knows the truth behind this dangerous myth.

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