Reproduction and Spay/Neuter
Interested in breeding your dog or cat? Want to confirm that your pet is pregnant? Need help with delivery or scheduling a C-section? The doctors at Foothill Farms are here to help!
For specialized care, Foothill Farms has partnered with a companion animal reproduction specialist right next door! Kokopelli Assisted Reproductive Services offers the expertise of a board-certified theriogenologist. Their services include:
Breeding management with vaginal cytology, vaginoscopy, and same-day, affordable progesterone analysis
Breeding management with vaginal cytology, vaginoscopy, and same-day, affordable progesterone analysis
Transcervical insemination (TCI)
Ultrasound evaluation for pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring
Digital radiography for pregnant female puppy counts
Elective c-sections
Brucellosis testing
Semen collection for chilled shipping or freezing
Frozen semen storage
Computer assisted semen analysis
Medical treatment for pyometra, prostate disease, and accidental matings
Estrus induction
Infertility evaluations and treatment
Boarding in luxury suites to avoid long travel distances between breeding management follow-up evaluations
Why should I spay/neuter my pet?
- Eliminate the risk of testicular cancer.
- Decrease the risk of pyometra (a life-threatening infection of the uterus that may require emergent and expensive surgery to treat).
- Decrease the risk of breast/mammary cancer.
- Eliminate female heat cycles (during this time female pets will have bloody vaginal discharge, behavior changes and are at increased risk of escaping from your home and yard).
- Reduce male pets from urine marking inside your home, fighting with other male dogs and escaping from your home/yard in search of a mate.
Help control pet overpopulation. - Eliminate risk of unwanted litters and dangerous/expensive pregnancy and delivery complications.
- Decrease risk of prostate infection and enlargement in male dogs.
When should I spay/neuter my pet?
- Cats: Female kittens can go into heat as early as 4-6 months of age. We recommend spaying or neutering your kitten around 5 months of age to decrease the risk of mammary cancer and spraying behavior.
- Dogs: Unfortunately, there are few studies evaluating the risks and benefits of spaying/neutering dogs at various ages. For smaller breed dogs it is recommended to spay/neuter around 5-6 months of age. Larger breed dogs need more time to grow and the recommended age to spay/neuter them varies from 5 to 15 months depending on their size, lifestyle and risk of certain diseases.
What does the research currently show?
- Study performed at UCDavis in 2013: Early spaying/neutering may increase the risk of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate rupture, and cancers including hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor and lymphosarcoma.
- Another study from UCDavis looks back over 15 years and recommends when to spay/neuter dogs based on their breed and risk for developing disease.