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Shoal Creek News | |
| Volume 12, Number 1 | Fall 2006 |
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Spaying or neutering is one of the most important preventive health care measures that can be done for a pet. Our communities face serious pet overpopulation problems, and preventing dogs and cats from reproducing decreases the numbers of healthy animals destroyed each year for lack of a loving home. However, there are also significant health benefits to the individual pet provided by spaying and neutering. For male animals, neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and reduces the risk of prostate enlargement and infection, particularly later in life. Most importantly, neutering reduces testosterone related behaviors which place the pet at risk for infectious disease and injury. Neutering greatly decreases male tendencies towards aggression and roaming and consequently reduces the risk of injury from fighting or being hit by cars. For cats in particular, this change will significantly decrease the chances of FeLV (Feline Leukemia) and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) transmission as well as bacterial infection from cat bites. |
For dogs, the intact male is at risk for obtaining sexually transmitted
diseases such as brucellosis, which also causes serious illness in humans.
Neutering also reduces behaviors which can be bothersome to pet owners. For
example, intact male cats will spray urine which has a particularly pungent
odor, preventing them from being housed indoors.
For the female cat and dog, spaying decreases the risk of breast cancer. Spaying
before the first heat cycle provides the best protection. There is some
protection if the procedure is performed between the first and second heat cycle
but after that period, there is no additional protection. The majority of intact
females will develop mammary nodules as they age and fifty percent of these
nodules are malignant cancers. Female dogs are also at risk for developing
life-threatening uterine infections every time they go through a heat cycle and
this risk increases as they age. When a uterine infection occurs, the dog must
be spayed necessitating imediate surgery on a very sick, older patient instead
of a young, healthy one. Intact females are at higher risk for some skin
diseases such as demodicosis (a mite infection) and hormonal disorders such as
diabetes. Both dogs and cats experience physical and behavioral changes when
they cycle which can be unpleasant for the owner. The female dog will have a
bloody discharge for 5-7 days and will attract attention from male dogs. Some
dogs will experience false pregnancies, begin lactating, and even collect
stuffed animals as “babies.” Intact female cats become quite agitated, rolling
vigorously on the floor and vocalizing. Female dogs will cycle approximately
twice a year and female cats will cycle continuously for 9 months of the year if
they do not become pregnant. Pregnant animals are at risk for complications from
the pregnancy or delivery. Abortions, infections, and problematic deliveries are
common. Emergency cesearean sections are sometimes needed and can be an
expensive and dangerous surgery.
In conclusion, for both the male and female dog and cat neutering and spaying will provide many health benefits. Not only will these procedures help reduce the pet overpopulation problem but can help to ensure our companions live a long and healthy life.
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Shoal Creek Animal Clinic has been fortunate to have many
outstanding pre-veterinary and veterinary students as staff members. Those
who have moved on in their educational goals continue to impress us with
their commitment to animal health and welfare both at home and around the
world. This issue of Shoal Creek News features two of our former staff --
John Bryan and Shannon Parfitt. John Bryan, who is now in his last
year at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, recently traveled to Central
West Africa. He shares some thoughts about his experience for Shoal Creek
News... |
I was fortunate to be able to travel with my wife, Karen, to the
Republic of Gabon in Central West Africa in the summer of 2005.
As a rising third year veterinary student and a candidate in the veterinary
college’s certification program in International Veterinary Medicine, our trip
was graciously funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, with a great deal of
help from private donations. My project consisted mainly of examining rural
village goat herds for gastrointestinal parasites (gut worms), anemia, and
overall body condition. The data we collected was organized into a short paper
that I presented to the Dodge Foundation this past March. My wife, Karen, is
employed as the Curator of the International Garden at the State Botanical
Garden of Georgia and had quite an interesting project herself. Karen
coordinated with the Missouri State Botanical Garden in their efforts to
describe and catalogue previously unknown forest flora in Gabon. She also worked
with local village healers and shamans in pursuit of medicinal plant knowledge
and identification. It was quite exciting taking tours through the jungle with
the village healers as they identified the different plant species, demonstrated
their medicinal preparations, and showed us villagers whose ailments had been
cured.
A word on Gabon: Gabon is located at approximately zero degrees latitude on the West Coast of Africa; i.e. on the equator. It is a country about the geographical size of Colorado, and has just over one million inhabitants. It is a peaceful country that is mostly covered in tropical rain forest and wide, beautiful rivers. The official language is French, and my wife and I strongly recommend visiting. We plan to return in 2007 to work with the Wildlife Conservation Society (out of the Bronx Zoo, New York) and study gorillas in the lowland areas. We are very much looking forward to returning to our “second home” nation and contributing in part to increased knowledge of both animal and human health.
Of all our adventures, the greatest gift Karen and I received from our trip to Gabon that summer is the newest addition to our canine family: Clara. Clara was a village puppy who followed her mother to our door. We had been feeding her mother for a week or so, and the puppies naturally followed when their legs could make it, trotting behind her. Karen and I quickly became attached, and the rest is history. Clara is named for Cap Santa Clara where Karen and I first discovered her. Cap Santa Clara is one of the capes north of the capital of Gabon, Libreville.”
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Shannon Parfitt, also a senior at the University of Georgia
Veterinary College was recently named as one of UGA’s “Outstanding
Students.” The following is reprinted with permission from the UGA web
pages... “Vet student Shannon Parfitt will go wherever it takes to get the best UGA education she can. As an undergraduate, she participated in the UGA at Oxford program, which allowed her to pursue her degree without being too far from her parents who lived in the United Kingdom at the time. After she graduated and began studying at UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she worked with exotic animals at a zoo in Brazil |
She enjoyed it so much that last year she put together a program and secured corporate support to go back to South America. She went to the Pantanal ecosystem in southwestern Brazil and worked with the Brazilian government in a project to trap vampire bats and assay them for strains of rabies. After graduation, she hopes to secure a medical internship and residency.”
Welcome to all our new staff…
Kristi Smith, RVT, is a graduate of Athens Technical College with an
Associate Degree in Applied Veterinary Technology. Kristi is a Georgia native
and lives in Commerce with her husband, three cats, three dogs and a rabbit.
Eric Pavlovsky comes to our front office staff from a career in both the
finance industry and the Army. Eric and his wife (who is in her first year at
the Veterinary College) have a menagerie of four dogs and two cats. Sara
Nacman, also a member of the front office staff, is a student in the
Veterinary Technology Program at Athens Technical College. Our full-time
veterinary assistant is Gina Lang, a native of the Athens area. She was
graduated from Oconee County High School, and attended UGA. Gina shares, “After
spending many years in retail management, I’ve found my true calling as a
veterinary assistant.”
Shoal Creek welcomes four new part-time veterinary assistants, all pre-veterinary students at the University of Georgia. Sylvia Ferguson is a native of Athens majoring in Biological Sciences. She is interested in pursuing degrees in both Veterinary Medicine and Public Health. Emily Smith, a native of Mississippi, has lived in Athens for two years. When not studying she enjoys spending time with her Boxer and kitten. Rachel Milner, from Atlanta, is currently a sophomore at the University of Georgia. She spends much of her free time horseback riding. Abby Dietz is an Animal Science major at UGA, a leader of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, and an avid reader.
Copyright 2006 Shoal Creek Animal Clinic
Permission to reproduce or retransmit expressly
denied.