Puppies are undeniably adorable - who can resist those tiny paws, big eyes and mini snuffles? But looking after a litter of puppies is hard work, not to mention expensive. Which is why sadly, there are lots of abandoned and homeless puppies in New Zealand. Desexing your puppy (also known as spaying, neutering or castration) is the best thing you can do to help reduce overbreeding in New Zealand.

It also has lots of other behavioural and health benefits for your pup, so you can enjoy a long, happy, healthy life together.

Desexing involves the surgical removal of a puppy or dog’s reproductive system to prevent them giving birth or making another dog pregnant. For female dogs, this is their ovaries and uterus. For male dogs, it’s their testicles. In New Zealand, it’s classed as major surgery and can only be done by a vet. It tends to be the most common surgery performed by vets.

The biggest reason to desex your puppy is to prevent unwanted litters of puppies. Unwanted puppies and dogs are a big problem in New Zealand - they’re normally dumped or become strays because they’re expensive and time consuming to look after. Although charities work hard to find these animals loving homes, a large number of them still have to be put down. Desexing puppies and dogs prevents overbreeding and controls the number of homeless puppies in New Zealand.

Other benefits of desexing include:

• Behavioural. Desexing your puppy reduces roaming (when they search for a mate) and other undesirable behaviour, like aggression, fighting and marking. Desexed female dogs don’t go into heat, so you don’t have to keep them indoors to stop them getting pregnant.
• Health. Desexing reduces your female puppy or dog’s chances of developing breast cancer and prevents various reproductive tract disorders. It also removes the risk of your male puppy or dog developing testicular cancer and prostate disease. These health benefits mean desexed puppies and dogs generally live longer, healthier lives.

If you adopt a puppy, they’ll probably already be desexed so that’s one less thing to sort out.

Sure, male dogs don’t give birth, but they get female dogs pregnant! Female dogs only have one litter at a time, but male dogs can impregnate tons of females every day.

Male dogs that aren’t desexed are often less attached to their humans. That’s because they’re driven by their need to find a mate and procreate. This means male dogs that aren’t desexed often try to escape which can be destructive - they might scratch up your door, dig up the garden, or chew off their lead. Male dogs roaming for a mate are also at increased risk of injury, whether that’s being hit by a car or getting into fights with other male dogs. It’s far safer, and better, for you and your male pup to desex them.

Puppies are normally desexed when they’re between 4 and 12 months old. Dogs are never too old to be desexed, so you can do it at any age.

Puppy desexing surgery happens in a sterilised operating theatre and is performed by a qualified vet. It normally only takes between 15 to 30 minutes. Here’s what happens during the surgery.

1. 1. Your puppy won’t have any food in the late evening the night before the operation, although water is ok.
   2. On arrival, the vet team will thoroughly examine your puppy and possibly take some blood to make sure their vital organs are working well and they’re safe for anaesthesia.
   3. If the blood tests come back normal and your puppy seems in good health, the team will give your puppy a sedative. This reduces any anxiety and helps to keep them calm. You will also notice a shaved patch on their front leg this allows the team to give your puppy any IV (intravenous - i.e. in their veins) medications or fluids throughout surgery.
   4. Your puppy is given a general anaesthetic and they’re prepped for surgery.
   5. Once surgery is complete, your puppy is given an injection of pain medication and is observed until they wake up in recovery.
   6. About 10-14 days after the operation, you’ll go back to the vet for removal of their stitches.

Puppies usually recover from the anaesthetic quite quickly and they’ll be monitored during this time for any unusual reactions or bleeding. Desexing is day surgery, so most puppies are allowed to go home the same day.

At-home care makes a big difference to how quickly and well your puppy recovers from surgery. Most puppies make a quick recovery, especially if they’ve been crate trained - a crate is an ideal resting and recovery spot.

Your vet will give you instructions but generally a puppy should be given plenty of rest at home in a clean place until their stitches have healed enough to be removed (normally 10-14 days after surgery). You should try to limit their running, jumping and other strenuous activity, and baths are off the table until their stitches are removed. Gentle lead walking is normally ok.

Check your puppy’s incision site at least twice a day for signs of infection, like:

• Excessive swelling
• Redness
• Heat
• A bad smell
• Discharge from the surgical site

If you spot any of these signs, call your vet immediately. You can also reduce their infection risk by following your vet’s instructions, using any medications they’ve been prescribed and stopping them from licking their surgical site (ask for a cone or try a protective collar).

You can expect your puppy to eat normally within 2 days of surgery. They should be back to their normal activities 10-14 days after surgery.

Like all surgery, desexing a puppy has some risks. These risks include pain, infection, opening of the surgical site, and excessive bleeding, all of which can be life-threatening. There are extra risks from the general anaesthetic too.

However, the vet team is well aware of these risks and take many steps to reduce them. Blood tests and health checks before surgery can identify any underlying health conditions. During surgery, your puppy’s heart rate and breathing is closely monitored. They will also be monitored as they wake up. Plus, if they do experience any of these complications, the vet team will be able to manage them. The risks will also be lowered by following all your vet’s post-surgery care instructions and using the medications provided.

We hope this guide answers all your questions about puppy desexing. If you need any further help or have a question we haven’t answered, contact our friendly Pet Direct Customer Care team on 0800 200 240 or email support@petdirect.co.nz.