Spaying your Pet

Spay is a term used to describe an ovariohysterectomy of a cat or dog. This surgical procedure involves removing both the uterus and ovaries in order to "sterilize" the animal.

This surgery is usually performed at 6 months of age.  The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, which is the same type of anesthesia used in people, and pain medication is given for a more comfortable recovery.

Surgical risk is very slight due to modern anesthesia and surgical techniques, but there is always a small risk when an anesthetic is used. One way to minimize this risk is to have a pre-anesthetic blood test performed by your veterinarian. This will give insight to organ function, which may detect potential problems.

We highly recommend spaying animals since unwanted animals are becoming a very real concern, especially in these economic times. Additionally, spaying decreases the chance of your pet developing breast cancer later in life, as well as cystic ovaries, uterine infections, and cancer. 

Here are two myths, which are absolutely not true:

Spaying will cause your pet to get fat or lazy.

Spaying will only keep your animal from reproducing, which is a good thing. If you don't want your pet to get fat or lazy, give your pet plenty of exercise and do not overfeed him or her.

Spaying will alter your pet's personality.

Since animals' personalities don't fully develop until they are 2 years old, and pets are usually spayed at 6 months, their personalities haven't fully formed yet. So if their personality does change after spaying, it's not from the spaying, but because their personality is still developing.

Dr. Ali, as her clients call her, always knew that she wanted to become a veterinarian.  Her father, Dr. Harvey Rhein, D.V.M. founded the Dix Hills Animal Hospital in 1967.

Alison graduated, with honors, from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995.  She worked in N.Y.C. at the Tribeca-Soho Animal Hospital for 7 years, where she treated the pets of several celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert DeNiro, Drew Barrymore, Harvey Keitel, and the late J.F.K. Jr. 

In 2002, Dr. Ali joined her father and became the director of the Dix Hills Animal Hospital.  Together, they embarked on an extensive renovation to create a state-of-the-art animal hospital. 

Dr. Ali  loves spending time with her four dogs… Pookie (Chihuahua), Mojo (Pit Bull mix), Audrey (Maltese/Poodle mix) and Scarlet (King Charles/Poodle mix); and her three cats… Calvin, Malcolm and Marcel.  Dr. Alison Rhein resides in Dix Hills.