http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/21656977/detail.html

Melissa
Buffalo, NY

Neutered dogs do not have testicles. A couple of things could be going on with King.

Dogs that are neutered early in life (as I imagine yours were) have their testicles removed when they are very small. The scrotum does not develop in these dogs. However, dogs that are neutered later in life will have fully developed scrotums prior to the surgery. After surgery their scrotums will be intact but devoid of testicles. Connective tissue and tied off blood vessels in the scrotum can sometimes look like testicles from a distance.

It also is possible that King is not neutered. I have known many animals who were declared to be neutered before the testicles descended from the abdomen into the scrotum. Often the people adopting the animal assume, wrongly, that it is neutered because no testicles can be found on the pet at the time of assessment. Here is an example: the other day a client brought a “spayed female” cat to my office for a check up. A glance under the tail revealed that the cat was in fact an intact male!

Since it sounds like King was adopted after the surgery supposedly took place, a vet should take a look at King to assess the situation.

Statistically speaking, intact male are more likely to be involved in inter-dog aggression. However, that does not mean that all intact males have trouble getting along with other dogs–most have no such problems. Testicles certainly are not the only cause of dog fights. I know this because I spend so much time treating female dogs that have been in fights.

Su
Miami, FL

I suspect that your dog is suffering from clipper burn–the equivalent of razor burn in people.

Surgical procedures must be performed in a sterile manner. That means that the surgeon and the surgical area of the patient must be prepared in a fashion that eliminates as many bacteria as possible. Hair, it turns out, harbors massive amounts of bacteria. Hair is the enemy of sterility in surgery.

Surgeons scrub their hands with antiseptic solution. They don masks to prevent breathing or sneezing bacteria into the surgical site. Surgeons also wear surgical caps to keep their bacteria-ridden hair from falling into the sterile area.

Surgical patients have their hair removed with clippers (or, rarely, razors) in order to create a sterile area. The skin is then scrubbed with antiseptic solution before an incision is made.

Some animals, like many people, are sensitive to clipping or shaving. In these individuals hair removal can lead to irritation of the skin. I suspect that is what is happening with your dog.

The worst clipper burns I have seen have occurred in male dogs after neutering. The procedure requires that the scrotum be clipped. Unsurprisingly, this area is very sensitive and highly prone to clipper burn.

Most cases of clipper burn subside after several days. It is important to keep your pet from licking the area–this can exacerbate the irritation. A dreaded cone collar may be necessary to protect the site.

I do not recommend using hydrogen peroxide because it can be irritating to the skin and make the problem worse. However, ointments containing cortisone often help to alleviate the pain, burning, and redness that accompany clipper burn.

I’d recommend that you have the vet who spayed your dog take a look at the site. He or she should be able to help with the problem.

Photo: no sign of clipper burn on Recy.

Spay/Neuter Bill Returns

California state senator Dean Florez, D-Shafter, reintroduced legislation that requires pet owners to have their cats and dogs sterilized. The bill requires that dogs be spayed or neutered unless the owner gets an unaltered dog license. Roaming cats would have to be spayed or neutered.

Julie Mancuso, founder of Social Compassion in Legislation said the bill would cut euthanasia ratios and save taxpayer dollars.

Bill Hemby of PetPAC, a group that helped defeat a similar bill last year said the legislation arrives during financially tough times for the state, making enforcement a challenge.

Steph
Kansas City, KS

Cats and dogs often cough for several days after surgery or anesthesia for dental work. This occurs for two reasons. First, to safely perform anesthesia, a special breathing tube must be inserted in the throat. The tube ensures that animals are able to breathe properly. It also protects the lungs from foreign material during the procedure. However, it occasionally causes minor irritation to the windpipe that leads to coughing for several days.

Also, remember that all major medical procedures are stressful. Stress weakens the immune system and makes pets more susceptible to minor respiratory ailments.

In either case, the coughing should not be accompanied by symptoms such as lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite, or difficulty breathing. If you see these symptoms, or if the coughing persists for more than a few days, contact the vet who performed the surgery.

Pets that undergo spay or neuter surgeries before puberty should not experience permanent personality changes. In fact, one of the benefits of early spaying and neutering is the prevention of undesirable personality changes that occur at puberty.

Temporary personality changes can occur after surgery, especially if proper pain management isn’t utilized. Aggression can be a sign of pain in both cats and dogs. I strongly recommend that you talk to your vet as soon as possible about your cat’s new aggressive tendencies.

It should be noted that when pets are spayed after puberty personality changes are not uncommon. The most frequently encountered changes are decreased levels of aggression and decreased interest in sexual activity.

Photo: Zipper shows off the site of her spay surgery.

Nikki
Los Angeles

I realize that the title of this post is only tangentially related to Nikki’s questions. I will answer all of the questions in this post, but Nikki’s e-mail reminded me of an article that appeared in the November, 2008 NAVC Clinician’s Brief.

The article discussed the tendency of pets to gain wait after they are spayed or neutered. The authors of the article reached a conclusion that is relevant to Nikki and to anyone whose pet has recently been spayed or neutered: the key to preventing obesity in spayed and neutered pets appears to be keeping them slim in the time period immediately after surgery.

Nikki, your cat does not need a special diet as he is recovering from surgery. However, be careful not to over feed him for the next several months. Monitor his weight, and cut back his food if his body fat increases.

There are several other steps you can take to help prevent complications during your cat’s recovery. All pets should be kept quiet for at least a week after undergoing spay or neuter surgery (cats should be kept indoors and dogs should be kept on leash). Prevent your cat from licking the incision excessively–in some cases, an Elizabethan collar is necessary. Unless a pet is thoroughly soiled, it should not be bathed until the incision has completely healed. This can take up to two weeks.

Finally, be sure to follow any post-operative instructions that your veterinarian may have provided.

Photo: Tiger is looking sharp in her Elizabethan collar.

Feline adaptability and survival skills have led, unfortunately, to a tremendous amount of suffering in cats. Enormous populations of feral cats live in every town and city on the fringes of society. Thomas Hobbes wouldn’t have hesitated to refer to their lives as nasty, brutish and short.

Cat advocates in the United States have largely embraced trap-neuter-return (TNR) as a means of alleviating feral cat suffering. TNR programs attempt to stabilize feral cat colonies by catching cats, surgically sterilizing them, and returning them to the environment.

TNR has not been universally accepted by animal welfare experts. Some people point out that TNR programs have failed to achieve a measurable reduction in feral cat populations. And an exchange of letters to the editor in the October 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAVMA) drew attention to another possible shortcoming of TNR programs: inadequate postoperative pain control.

Feral cats are completely unaccustomed to handling by humans. To safely perform any form of medical treatment on a feral cat, the cat must be anesthetized. This means that oral pain medications generally are not administered after surgical sterilization. Most cats in TNR programs receive a solitary injection of pain medicine at the time of surgery and are released a few hours after they wake up. The author of a letter to JAVMA pointed out that this is, definitively, inadequate.

Is there a solution? Perhaps. Some pain control medicines are flavorless and can be administered in food to a hospitalized cat–if the cat is willing to eat while hospitalized. Some are, but many aren’t. To provide pain control in this fashion would require that feral cats stay in the hospital for several days after surgery–something that many feral cats would find exceptionally stressful.

Like so many issues surrounding feral cats, the provision of adequate pain control during TNR programs is an ethical minefield. I suspect that this controversy will prove to be as intractable as the problem of feral cats.

Teresa
Florence, AL

Intact adult male cats have large amounts of testosterone flowing in their blood. The hormone has many effects on the body. It promotes increased muscle mass. It promotes activity. It is linked to aggression. And it creates a strong urge to mate.

Many intact male cats make challenging pets. They may be obsessed with getting outdoors to engage in trysts. They may be very territorial, and they may fight with other cats and develop abscesses or catch FIV/feine AIDS. They may spray urine to mark their territory. When this happens indoors, it is quite intolerable for the people living with the cat.

When male cats are neutered, testosterone levels in their bloodstream steadily decrease. In many instances this causes their behavior to change. One of the most consistent changes is a decreased desire to go outside to look for fights and mates. Many, but not all cats become less active and less aggressive after they are neutered. Spraying of urine usually, but not always, diminishes.

Based on your description, I think your cat’s behavior is changing normally in response to decreased testosterone in his system. However, if you are worried about his condition, I’d recommend that you have your vet take a look at him.

The vet should be able to rule out complications such as infection that might be impacting your cat’s behavior (these sorts of complications are rare). And your vet will be able to help you devise a plan to ensure that you continue to enjoy your bond with your cat.

Hat tip to Mr. Gato — great photo!

Vets and animal lovers have been dreaming for years of a simpler way to prevent pet overpopulation. Sadly, that dream is nowhere near reality.

However, a philanthropic organization has taken an important first step towards the goal. Following the successful example of the Ansari X prize, the organization is motivating people to find a solution to pet overpopulation using a tried-and-true tactic. They are offering a huge wad of cash to the person or group that develops a simple, safe, easy to administer, single dose pet sterilization technique.

You can read more about the prize (called the Michelson Prize) here.

The reality of such a technique is still far away. However, I suspect that the Michelson Prize help motivate researchers to achieve the goal.

Robin
St. Petersburg, FL

This is a very good question. The overwhelming majority of spays and neuters performed by veterinarians do not lead to major complications. Nonetheless, the risk of complications exists any time a pet undergoes surgery. Your desire to minimize that risk is very understandable.

Here is what I recommend: ask your vet some questions.

Surgeries performed by experienced vets generally have lower rates of complications than those performed by vets fresh out of school. Ask your vet how long she has been practicing. Ask her how many spays she has performed.

As well, surgical safety precautions vary widely among veterinary facilities. Does your vet run blood tests before surgery to ensure that your pet’s organs are functioning properly? Does she give IV fluids to help support blood pressure? Does she monitor heart rate, blood oxygenation levels, and blood pressure continuously throughout surgery? Does she provide thermal support to prevent low body temperature? Is she aggressive and proactive about treating pain? Does she use the most modern and safest forms of anesthesia?

The only way to know whether your vet does these things is to ask her. You can ask the same questions at the rescue-spaying clinic. Once you have the answers you will be able to make an informed decision that is in the best interest of your dog.