Spaying and Neutering Services in Burke & Springfield, VA
Unless you plan to breed your pet, we recommend having it spayed or neutered in order to prevent behavioral problems and help reduce the tragic scene at animal shelters of putting unwanted dogs and cats to sleep.
For small breeds, we recommend spaying and neutering at 6 months of age. For large breed females, we recommend spaying at 6-8 months of age. For large breed males, current evidence suggests that delaying the procedure may protect their bones and joints. We recommend neutering large breeds between 1-2 years.
Pet Spaying and Neutering to Maintaining Lifetime Health
- Promotes longer lifespan: Spayed and neutered pets tend to live longer, healthier lives
- Reduces aggression: Especially in male pets, lowering territorial and dominance-related behaviors
- Prevents life-threatening infections: Eliminates the risk of uterine infections (pyometra) in females
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Have a Question?
Spaying and Neutering FAQs
Spaying is the surgical removal of a female pet’s reproductive organs, while neutering is the removal of a male pet’s testicles.
No, there is no advantage to letting your pet have one litter. However there are plenty of advantages to having your pet spayed or neutered. These advantages include decreasing the chances of breast tumors later in life, decreasing the chance of cystic ovaries and uterine infections later in life, decreasing the desire to roam the neighborhood, decreasing the incidence of prostate cancer later in life, helping prevent spraying and marking, and also decreases the surplus of unwanted puppies and kittens.
This varies by species, breed, size, and health. Many pets are altered between 4–6 months, but our veterinarians can recommend the best timing.
Yes, most pets need a cone or recovery collar to prevent licking or chewing the incision.