Please reach us at hello@ovspayneuter.ca if you cannot find an answer to your question.
When should my pet be spayed or neutered? For most pets spaying or neutering between 4 and 6 months is still acceptable, but we take breed and health factors into consideration as well. Our surgeon is very comfortable with pediatric spays and neuters for reasons of population control when working with rescues, so long as patients are over 1 kg on the day of surgery.
No. All sutures are placed beneath the skin and are fully dissolvable. There is nothing to remove after surgery.
We perform hernia and cryptorchid surgeries at the OVSNC. These conditions require additional time and expertise and therefore incur additional fees. Please refer to our pricing page for details.
We do! This is one way to minimize anesthetic risk making sure there are no underlying diseases your pet was born with or is developing. It also establishes a baseline normal for your pet which is helpful life-long.
Pre-surgical bloodwork should be arranged with an appointment to your regular veterinarian the week or two before your surgical date, and they can share the results with us hello@ovspayneuter.ca
Yes. We accept unvaccinated animals so we can support as many pets in the community as possible. However, vaccinating you pet is strongly recommended to protect your pet as unvaccinated animals may be in the facilty. We take multiple precautions to reduce risk, but some risk does remain.
We only provide spay and neuter services, but can include Rabies vaccination and microchip at the time of surgery. By focusing on only offering this type of service we can keep costs low and pass this along to you!
Yes. Pets must have no food after midnight the night before surgery. Animals under general anesthesia cannot swallow, which is why fasting is so important. Water is okay until pet's leave for surgery unless otherwise instructed.
No. All surgeries are day procedures, and pets go home the same day.
Discharge Times: Dogs 2:30-3:00 pm, Cats 3:00-3:30 pm
We prioritize low-stress handling and a calming environment, including bright windows and natural light, ventilation in all rooms, separate areas for cats and dogs, HEPA filters, pheromone diffusers (Feliway), and minimizing handling for anxious pets whenever possible.
Patient care is very improtant to us and we have included some additional medications in our protocols.
For example, all female and brachycephalic (short nosed dogs like Frenchies/Pugs/Bulldogs) dogs receive a dose of anti nausea medication which has been shown to improve patient comfort post-surgery, but also reduce the risk of regurgitation during and after surgery.
All animals receive
* multimodal pain control on the say of surgery.
* balanced anesthesia.
* anesthetic monitoring using surgical monitoring equipement to record your's pets ECG, temperature, caponograpahy (C02), oxygen saturdation, respiratory and heart rate.
* pain medication for the days following surgery.
In addition, all dogs
* go home with probiotics to help reduce post-operative gastrointestinal upset which is common post anesthesia.
* can be sent home with medications to help reduce activity post-operatively while they need to stay calm during recovery.
Yes. Complimentary post-operative rechecks included for any animals having post operative concerns. Please contact us as soon as you notice anything abnormal. The exam is complimentary; medications, if required, are additional.
We recommend contacting us as soon as you notice any abnormality with your pet, however, emergencies do sometimes happen overnight and on the weekend. There are several 24-hour emergency clinics available in Ottawa. Any after-hours examination or treatment costs remain the responsibility of the owner.
The thin green line near the incision site of female cats, and both female and male dogs shows that they have been spayed/neutered to any veterinary team that encounters your pet in the future. Even though you do your best, sometimes pets can slip out a door, or get off a leash. If your pet ever went missing and ended up at a shelter even temporarily, this would prevent an unnecessary surgical abdominal exploration. And yes, we know male dogs have testicles that would be missing, except when they are cryptorchid! So the tattoo spares them too, even if it seems redundant.
Did you know your pet has a belly button?
Well, the incision in a female dog will be a few inches below the belly button, and a female cat’s incision will be half way between the belly button and the pelvis.
Male dog’s incision will be near the pelvic brim, just in front of the scrotum. And a male cat’s incision will be on the bottom half of the scrotum midline.
There are several different tissue types that need to heal, and each layer has its own unique features and healing time.
Did you know the incision in female dogs is closed in 3 layers. The linea alba is a tendon that holds the abdominal muscles together, and keeps the insides inside! This layer is the most important and takes the longest to heal -actually over a month to reach 50% of its previous holding strength, and over 3-6 months to reach 80%! The fat under the skin doesn’t hold together very well, (think sewing together playdough), but if it gets pulled apart with play or jumping the space fills with fluid and creates way more swelling and longer healing time.
The skin normally looks healed in 8-14 days.
Yes! Shaved skin and sutures feel strange and tight after surgery and can get itchy as they start to heal. The surgical area needs to be kept clean and dry which can be tricky when you walk around on 4 feet. Cones and body suits prevent licking, but can also help keep your pet a little quieter as cats and dogs often move around a little less when wearing them and are less likely to romp and play.
Cones should extend past the nose of a pet when sitting on the neck, snug enough not to slip over the ears, but loose enough to fit 2 fingers under the collar.
Body suits should be big enough to allow full range of motion, but small enough that limbs can not be pulled into them. They must also be kept clean and dry at all times.
We do sell both cones and Vet Med Wear suits at the clinic, or you can bring your own and we will put it on after surgery. We recommend checking if your pet’s bodysuit/cone fits properly before sending it in with your pet.
Please note, e-collars are recommended for male cats, as bodysuits do not adequately protect the surgical site.
Yes, but only if your pet is within arms reach so you can prevent ANY licking of the surgical site. Feel free to take it off while you watch them eat, or while they watch TV with you. But put it back on before you get distracted or move out of arms reach.
We only perform spay and neuter surgeries for cats and dogs.
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