spaying
Definition
Noun: - The surgical removal of a female animal's ovaries: Spaying is a veterinary procedure that sterilizes a female animal, typically a pet like a cat or dog, by surgically removing its ovaries. This prevents the animal from becoming pregnant and can provide health benefits.
Usage
- As a subject: "Spaying is recommended for most pet cats."
- As an object: "The veterinarian performed the spaying yesterday."
- With a possessive: "The dog's recovery after her spaying was quick."
Examples
- Responsible pet ownership often includes spaying to prevent unwanted litters.
- The animal shelter requires spaying or neutering for all adopted animals.
- After the spaying, the cat will no longer go into heat.
Advanced Usage
- "Spaying and neutering": This is a common paired phrase referring to the sterilization of female (spaying) and male (neutering) animals.
- The clinic offers low-cost spaying and neutering services.
Variants and Related Words
- Spay (verb): To perform this surgical procedure on a female animal.
- We plan to spay our puppy before her first heat cycle.
- Neutering (noun): The general term for the surgical procedure that removes an animal's reproductive organs; it can refer to males (castration) or, in broad usage, females (spaying).
Synonyms
- Ovariohysterectomy: The full medical term for the spay surgery, which often involves removing both the ovaries and the uterus.
- Sterilization: The general act of making an animal incapable of reproduction.
- Fixing (informal): A common informal term for spaying or neutering.
Related Phrases
- To be spayed: The passive form describing the animal's condition post-surgery.
- Our cat was spayed when she was six months old.
Noun
-
neutering a female by removing the ovaries
