Spaying

Spaying is the surgical removal of the ovaries, and usually the uterus, of a female animal, most often a cat or dog, and is the standard veterinary method of sterilizing females. The full procedure, called an ovariohysterectomy, removes the ovaries, uterus, oviducts and uterine horns, though a more limited ovary sparing spay removes only the uterus and leaves one or both ovaries, and the surgery can be performed through a traditional open abdominal incision or through laparoscopic keyhole surgery. It is performed to prevent unwanted litters, to modify behavior linked to the reproductive cycle, and to eliminate the animal's risk of uterine, ovarian and cervical cancers, and it is also used as emergency treatment when reproductive tissue has been damaged.