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Tattoos are used as an indicator that an animal has been spayed or neutered, and this video shows a standardized method of application.
Included is information on placement and appearance of the tattoo for both males and females.
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Why do some dogs have a line tattooed on them?A blue line tattooed on a dog’s belly is the operating veterinarian’s way of signaling that the dog has been spayed or neutered. The tattoo is done when the animal undergoes its sterilization surgery, usually with a tattoo gun owned by the veterinary hospital, explains Cherice Roth, DVM, chief veterinary officer at Fuzzy, an online pet-health company. “Alternatively,” she says, “we may also just add sterilized ink or dye directly into the incision. The tattoo is placed after the surgery is complete but before the pet has woken up from anesthesia.” Because the dog will be on pain medication during and after the surgery, it won’t feel any discomfort as a result of the tattoo.Wondering if your dog has this mark? If you have a
Here are some other reasons, related and unrelated to the ones above, that spay/neuter tattoos are a good idea for pets.
When dogs end up in a shelter, their sterilization indicator tattoos remove all doubt about their reproductive status. Sometimes female dogs who have undergone spay surgery have a telltale surgical scar on their tummies, but in other cases the scar is impossible to detect and her reproductive status must be determined with exploratory surgery. If a dog was already spayed, says Meaghan Mielo, DVM, of Inverness, Florida, the exploratory surgery disrupts that day’s schedule of operations and is itself a complicated, lengthy, and unnecessary procedure.
Dogs who have been spayed or neutered may have a simple tattoo on their tummy. Called a sterilization indicator tattoo, this short straight line of blue or green ink indicates that the dog has had surgery to remove their reproductive organs.
In 2019, Dr. Mielo surveyed shelters, spay/neuter clinics, veterinary colleges, and private veterinary practices about their awareness and use of the tattoos. Her findings were published in the July 2022 issue of The Veterinary Journal. While only a few private clinics tattoo the dogs they spay or neuter, 80% of shelters and 72% of spay/neuter clinics tattoo the animals they sterilize. Green is the most common tattoo color and the most common placement is near or in the incision for male and female dogs. Dr. Mielo’s report recommends enhanced training for veterinarians to encourage the use of tattoos and protect animals from unnecessary procedures.
In some cases, the tattoo ink is applied to a very small, shallow incision is made in the dog’s skin close to the site of their surgical incision. After the ink application, the skin is gently stretched and a tiny amount of glue is applied on the tattoo to prevent the ink from spreading. A video at the ASPCA website demonstrates that style of tattoo application. Other clinics prefer to apply the tattoo ink directly to a short section of the dog’s spay or neuter incision itself.
Finally, the scrotum of male dogs who have retained or undescended testicles (bilateral cryptorchidism) may appear to be empty, suggesting that they are neutered; in fact, their testicles may be located anywhere in their lower abdomen or inguinal canal (the passage through the abdominal wall through which a testicle normally descends). These dogs are generally infertile, but still manufacture testosterone and develop secondary sexual characteristics like the intact males they are.