Shelter Medicine
- 1. Pediatric Spay/Neuter
- 2. Giving a Basic Health Exam - Facilities and Procedures
- 3. Examination of the Eyes
- 4. Understanding Shelter Medicine
- 5. Zoonosis
- 6. Determination of Sex of an Animal
- 7. Restraint During a Veterinary Exam
- 8. Sanitation in the Animal Shelter
- 9. Examination of the Head and Mouth
Determination of Sex of an Animal
Dr. Lila Miller, D.V.M., ASPCA Sr. Director Animal Sciences & Vet Advisor
THE BASIC HEALTH EXAMINATION
Determination of the sex of an animal
Determining the sex of animals, in most cases, is a fairly simple task. Mistakes are made most commonly in male animals whose testicles have not yet descended into the scrotal sac or may be retained in the inguinal canal, and in very young kittens. (See addendum)
The vaginal
opening in female felines is a slit that appears below the
anus.
The scrotum and
penis in male felines also appear below the anus.
If visual
inspection is not sufficient, the lips of the vulva may be
gently spread apart to verify the presence of a slit.
In very young
kittens, the testicles may be so small they cannot be
visualized. The scrotal sac should be palpated to detect the
presence of testicles. Alternatively, the sheath of skin
covering the penis, or prepuce, can be gently pulled back to
expose the penis.
Cryptorchidism or
monorchidism are terms that describe a situation in which one
or both testicles have not descended into the scrotal sacs. The
testicles may both be retained in the abdomen, or somewhere in
the ingunial region (inside on the inner thigh), where they may
be palpated under the skin.
Many animals are
being spayed or neutered at an early ace, so the absence of
testicles may be due to surgery and not from the conditions
described above. In these cases, additional efforts should be
made to check for a tattoo.
Male animals have
nipples, so their presence cannot be used as a criterion for
determining the sex of animal.
© 2000 ASPCA
Courtesy of
424 East 92nd Street
New York, NY 10128-6804
212-876-7700
www.aspca.org
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