What is castration?

Castration or neutering of domestic animals it is the removal of their sex glands or testicles (orchiectomy). Pet owners often confuse it with vasectomy. However, vasectomy implies only sterilization and does not include surgical removal of sex glands that producing sex hormones. Castration doesn’t merely sterilize the pet but also changes its behaviour  making it more docile. Spayed animals have also proven to live longer. A University of Georgia research, based on medical records of more than 70,000 dogs, found that the lifetime of neutered males was 13.8% longer than that of their un-operated conspecifics, while female dogs lived 26.3% longer. 

Spaying and neutering reduce dramatically the number of stray animals. Every year, millions of adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized simply because they don’t have a home. Assessable castration is a great solution for stray animals’ global overpopulation. 

Castration benefits

Let’s have a closer look at the benefits of castration. The pets castration procedure:

– extends the life of the animal, reduces the risk of inflammatory and oncological diseases of mammary glands, reproductive system, testicular, and prostate.

– reduces the urge for your male cat to spray urine to mark territory which will keep in safe your furniture, shoes, clothes, and other.

– eliminates the need for mating and consequently keeps your animal, especially cats, far from roaming. Roaming can risk your pet from getting into fights with other animals, being hit by a car, lost or stolen, or injured by extreme weather.

– makes the animal more soft and gentle. The manifestation of aggression caused by the unsatisfied sexual desires disappear. 

– reduces the cat or dog overpopulation. Unfortunately, there are not enough homes for domestic animals in need. Worldwide, there are millions of dogs and cats looking for adaptation. 

The castration procedure

Castration in these cases is a solution to many problems. The procedure lasts for about one hour and the recovery process can take up to two days. It is better to perform castration on 7-9-month-old animals with no mating experience. Interestingly, at the beginning of the 20th century veterinarians recommended spaying pets even before they reached 3-6 month of age.

The procedure involves general anesthesia and there are some risks associated with it. The vet will need to check if your pet is in good general health to undergo the surgery. The blood test done prior to the procedure may minimize the risks associated with it. The applied test will check the liver and kidney function that is vital when dealing with the anesthetic. It also can help to rule out an unsuspected disease. 

Undesirable consequences

But there could be some medical consequences as well: testicular tumors, orchitis, trauma, prostate hypertrophy and others. Surgical castration is relatively common but it can cause various complications such as fever, excessive edema, allergic reactions and infections. It is important to choose a veterinary clinic with vast experience and capabilities to observe your pet in the intensive care unit to avoid severe complications. Postoperative care, whether it takes place in a clinic or at home, is crucial. 

Fast recovery tips

Medication and Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can speed up the recovery process and help relieve pain. Laser therapy of post‐castration wounds and edemas should be initiated as soon as the acute inflammatory stage ceases 2–3 days after the operation. It has a therapeutic and preventive effect on living organisms and features safe, painless, non‐drug, low‐energy, environmentally‐friendly electromagnetic radiation. In order to achieve desired effects and speed up post-castration recovery, RANKEL Smart Vet uses simultaneous pulsed infrared laser radiation, pulsed visible red light, pulsed visible blue light and the continuous magnetic field.