Early spay-neuter: Clinical considerations

Early spay-neuter is ovariohysterectomy or castration of puppies or kittens 6 to 14 weeks of age. Pediatric animals may have an enhanced response to relatively low doses of anesthetic agents. Animals should be fasted no more than 3 to 4 hours before surgery to prevent hypoglycemia, and hypothermia s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical techniques in small animal practice 2002-08, Vol.17 (3), p.124-128
Main Author: Kustritz, Margaret V. Root
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anesthesia - veterinary
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Cats - physiology
Cats - surgery
Dogs - physiology
Dogs - surgery
Female
Male
Orchiectomy - methods
Orchiectomy - veterinary
Ovariectomy - methods
Ovariectomy - veterinary
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Summary:Early spay-neuter is ovariohysterectomy or castration of puppies or kittens 6 to 14 weeks of age. Pediatric animals may have an enhanced response to relatively low doses of anesthetic agents. Animals should be fasted no more than 3 to 4 hours before surgery to prevent hypoglycemia, and hypothermia should be avoided. Heart and respiratory rates must be monitored carefully throughout anesthesia. Pediatric gonadectomy surgeries are quick with minimal bleeding. Anesthetic recovery is rapid. No significant short-term or long-term effects have been reported. Prepuberal gonadectomy is most useful for humane organizations and conscientious breeders wishing to preclude reproduction of pet dogs and cats while placing animals at a young enough age to optimize socialization and training.
ISSN:1096-2867
1558-2272
DOI:10.1053/svms.2002.34328