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Spay vs Castration (Female vs Male Neutering) ?

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susie_q

susie_q

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I've turned into a bit of a gumtree nazi. This is the second time I've seen someone advertising for a female sow to put in with their boar - thankfully I am quite polite and send off an email to them asking them to please reconsider due to the risks of pregancy and rescue cases etc.

The first time I managed to convince someone to not do it, and get a baby boar instead.

This time, I have someone emailing me back saying they had discussed their options with a vet, and the vet was recommending getting a sow and getting her spayed because, despite it being a more invasive operation there was less risk?! Now, I am confused. I know there is always a risk in neutering, male or female (in any animal) but at my one week vet nursing experience, I was told by the vet I was studying under that spays were higher risk operations because they were more complicated surgerys. I am right, yes? Or am I just doubting myself?

They also tried to convince me that their six month old boar would be unable to be introduced to a baby boar... cos their vet said it. I am beginning to think they have a very daft vet. pow-pow mallethead
 
I was always told that spaying a female guinea was very high risk and alot more complicated than neutering a male.
Spaying a female guinea pig is also more expensive because of this, maybe the vet was just thinking of the ££ ?

Well done on changing the mind of one advertisor :))
 
Missbonbon said:
I was always told that spaying a female guinea was very high risk and alot more complicated than neutering a male.
Spaying a female guinea pig is also more expensive because of this, maybe the vet was just thinking of the ££ ?

Well done on changing the mind of one advertisor :))
Click to expand...

That was my thought too - what a horrible, rubbish vet to only think of the ££. I mean, with a spay you are opening the animal right up and getting things out...with a castration it's typically a snip and a squish!

Thanks for the reaffirment - I was sure spays were higher risk but I was doubting myself.

I find being polite and laying out the facts (with useful links!) helps to educate owners who clearly love their pigs but have their facts wrong.
 
"I've turned into a bit of a gumtree nazi."
What does that mean? Is it a Scottish saying?
 
Haha Al gumtree is a free ads gumtree.co.uk you get people listing pets on their! I picked up Radley from a free ads at 5 months he'd already fathered they were up to their eyes in pigs! :o

I agree Suzie I wouldn't do it, sounds like the vet doesn't know his onions! Maybe tell her about the forum. :)
 
alcesterpigs said:
"I've turned into a bit of a gumtree nazi."
What does that mean? Is it a Scottish saying?
Click to expand...

I keep emailing people on gumtree with advice about guinea pigs! Can't stand buy when I think someone, mostly through lack of knowledge, will end up doing something that might harm their guinea pigs. Bit like a grammer nazi but instead of correcting everyone's spelling it's guinea advice... xx>>> As Sunshine said, gumtree is a free advertising website.

Sunshine: I got my squeaky off it for free too! He'd been running around a garden, free range, in winter with no shelter and only rotten apples and pears to eat. :{ I have pointed her in the direction of guinea lynx and this forum, so hopefully she join and get advice from folk who know what they're talking about!
 
Ive seen both a male and female get neutured. The op on the sow took much longer was a hell of a lot more complicated and the vet had trouble getting everything and clamping off-the op was nesasary after a c-section as the sow was really infected, but still it was much longer.

the boars op took about 15 mins if that and it was a case of make the cut clamp the blood vessile and snip job done, hadly invasive at all wear as the sows was much more invasive and intense.

It is beond me why a vet would spay a sow for no good reason when the boar can be done, as said in the thread obviously money......
 
My vet regularly does both male and female neutering as he does all the castrations and spays for Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare. However, although he is really experienced in doing the op, he would never recommend it in preference to castration.
 
The cost to neuter my rabbit: £40
The cost to spay my rabbit: £60

The reason why both of the operations, while the same thing (desexing), had different costs was because it is more invasive to go INTO a girl and remove her entire reproductive organ than to create a little incision to neuter a boy.

I'm really questioning the vets opinion here. Unless they meant that it would be easier (not less risky) to spay a female because she cannot get pregnant afterwards while it takes a short while for a boy, after his neuter, to be completely infertile.
 
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