Desex pets sooner rather than later!

EDUCATING cat owners on “birth control” is an all-round job for the staff and veterinary team at Animal Aid in Coldstream.
In the lead-up to Feline Desexing Month – September – veterinarian, Dr Jessica Hubbard, said educating the public, and in some cases, veterinarians who are working on the basis of antiquated information regarding early-age desexing, is the real challenge for organisations who see the result of “teenage pregnancy” in cats.
“Too many times Animal Aid is faced with the result of delaying desexing, unwanted kittens, surrendered to us by unwitting members of the public that have been caught out.
“In some cases they have been told by their vet to wait till their cat was six months old only to find that they have become pregnant at five months,” she said.
Animal Aid has been desexing kittens from eight weeks of age for over 10 years without incidence.
“In the last five years I have only had one instance of a fatality in a kitten under anaesthetic,” Dr Hubbard said. “It was due to an anaphylactic reaction that would have happened no matter what age the cat was.”
Dr Hubbard explained that skilled veterinarians who use anaesthetic regimes specifically tailored to juvenile animals can ensure the safety of the patient and keyhole surgery techniques result in much shorter recovery periods.
“In fact,” she said, “… the whole operation is a much less traumatic experience for them than surgery performed when they are sexually mature, which can be as early as 16 weeks.
“If your vet tells you that they won’t desex your kitten until it is six months old then you need to look elsewhere, any animal welfare organisation and an increasing number of veterinary clinics would be more than happy to perform juvenile desexing for you,” Dr Hubbard advised.
Animal Aid marketing projects manager, Debra Boland, said Animal Aid is committed to raising awareness of the positive treatment of animals.
“Unwanted pregnancies in pets are responsible for the unnecessary demise of thousands of cats every year,” she said.
She urged anyone who would like to have their cat desexed to call the veterinary clinic for information.
Animal Aid is offering discount desexing on all cats and kittens during September.
Phone 9739 0500 or visit www.vaat.org.au.