Is ovary removal necessary?
Question
Please explain why ovary removal is necessary. I want my pet’s personality to stay the same after sterilization. Won’t her personality change?
Answer
Removal of both ovaries is done for several reasons in dogs and cats. Most owners want cessation of heat periods that attract male dogs and cats, which does not happen if ovaries are left in.
The other major benefit is that if a dog or cat has removal of both ovaries and uterus before the first heat cycle, then we can reduce the incidence of mammary cancer to close to zero. The additional benefit is that we almost never see ovarian cancer with the exception of rare cases in dogs kept for breeding purposes.
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