How Can You Tell

[ell&diesel]

I was just thinking about this.

Is there any way at all that a vet/similarly qualified person can tell if a bitch is desexed simply by looking at her? Or would you have to perform some kind of invasive surgery to find out? I mean, if a stray dog came along with no microchip/tags/registration came along and you..well I don't know, wanted to keep it or wanted to rehome it or something, if you took it to the vet, would they know?

Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question or if there is an obvious answer

[poodlefan]

My bitch has a desexed tattoo in her ear. So do my dogs.

There would also be a scar but that might be difficult to see on some dogs.

You can wait to see if the bitch comes in season I suppose - I'd prefer that to potentially unnecessary surgery.

Edited August 22, 2008 by poodlefan

[Paula-]

Regardless of whether she's desexed or not, you should take her to the pound

[Luke W]

Ultrasound or Xray?

[Caesars mum]

I'm just got a letter from my vet to take to the council to say there is a scar consistant with desexing on Mega as she has no tatoo and her microchip does not state if she is desexed or not. We have had her 7 months and she has shown no signs of a season, but at nearly 9 years old it is hard to say. the vet was no inclined to go in for a look see.

[ell&diesel]

Regardless of whether she's desexed or not, you should take her to the pound

I'm going to assume you're trying to gently/subtly hint I take this dog to the pound?

While I thank you for your tact, there is no need. The dog doesn't actually exist, it's a genuine question . I was thinking, generally with boys you can tell (unless they have 2 undescended testes) but I just realised, you can't tell with girls. At first glance, anyway. Although when I re-read my OP, I did sound awfully sus

That's interesting re: scars & tattoos. Do all vets tattoo desexed females or is it generally something you'd have to request?

[Caesars mum]

Regardless of whether she's desexed or not, you should take her to the pound

I'm going to assume you're trying to gently/subtly hint I take this dog to the pound?

While I thank you for your tact, there is no need. The dog doesn't actually exist, it's a genuine question . I was thinking, generally with boys you can tell (unless they have 2 undescended testes) but I just realised, you can't tell with girls. At first glance, anyway. Although when I re-read my OP, I did sound awfully sus

That's interesting re: scars & tattoos. Do all vets tattoo desexed females or is it generally something you'd have to request?

generally vets do it as part of the service even my male dogs have the tatoos

[ruthless]

It's something you request. I've heard of several dogs that have been opened up to be desexed only to find they were already done

[ell&diesel]

I never knew that about the tattoos, Diesel doesn't have one. Should he have one? Does everyone else's dogs have them?

Ruthless, I was just wondering if that happened and if so what the vet does about charging the owner. Can they charge you for desexing if it's already been done?

[MolassesLass]

It depends on the vets policy, some will ask, some do unless you say not to and some won't do the op without doing the tattoo.

[Kavik]

My dogs are desexed but don't have tattoos. The vets I used don't routinely tattoo for desexing, some clinics do.

[cowanbree]

You pay full price as the time and operation is the same. I desexd a cat that had already been done and the vet said in reality he should charge more as he has to look for it and it becomes a bigger op

[dead sheep]

my boys were desexed at different clinics and both places tattooed without asking me

boys are obvious but girls you cant tell by looking unless you can find the scar. some scars disappear too.

i always thought the reason for the tatts was to inform RSPCA/poundies/rangers/vets that the dog is desexed before they go in for surgery.

Thats why I assumed all vets do it no questions asked

[ruthless]

Ruthless, I was just wondering if that happened and if so what the vet does about charging the owner. Can they charge you for desexing if it's already been done?

In the incidents that I know of the vet charged AFAIK. They were rescue dogs and the rates were already greatly reduced. It's still a surgical procedure after all.

[ell&diesel]

Fair enough then, makes sense especially if it ends up taking longer in the search for a uterus that isn't there.

Kosti, I think that would have to be the only reason? Although I guess it could also be useful in deterring thieves who may want to use it for breeding?

[dead sheep]

possibly E&D but its not really common knowledge outside dog world

but if old mate down the road wanted to steal your dog to mate with his, I doubt he would know what an ear tattoo means since he's not the most responsible person in the world to begin with

[ell&diesel]

Oh, what does the tattoo look like?

I thought it..

Actually no I won't say.

[Kavik]

Looks like this

Ø

[Miss B]

Re: vets tattooing dogs during desexing surgery.

It depends on the vet. Our clinic does tattoo all cats/dogs as a matter of routine, however when the animal is admitted for surgery this is mentioned to the client and gives them the opportunity to declince the tattoo if they do not wish to have one done.

I've had one female cat and three male dogs desexed. None of them have tattoos. Just personal choice.

[Greytmate]

We recently had a bitch in our program that we weren't sure if she was desexed or not. She had a C-section 2 years before we got her, the scar was a noticeable white line, and the internal stitches were easy to feel. I rang the vet that did the C-section, and he told me that his stitches would have dissolved by now, and that if I could feel some stitches in her, then she probably had been recently desexed. I don't know if he would have written us a certificate though.

So we sent her in to UQ for an ultrasound, and found that she had not been desexed. They then desexed her.