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Desexing your pet

Deciding on whether to have your pet desexed or not is a question that every pet owner asks. Not only are there are a number of health benefits but having your pet desexed also decreases the number of unwanted puppies and kittens that find themselves homeless or in shelters or pounds across Australia.

The benefits of desexing

Reduces health risks

Reduced risk of getting cancer or other diseases of the reproductive organs, such as testicular cancer, prostate cancer/disorders in males, and cystic ovaries, ovarian tumors, acute uterine infections and breast cancer in females, and also other diseases like mammary cancer, perianal tumors and perianal hamias.
Females can suffer from physical and nutritional exhaustion if continually breeding.
Pets generally live longer and healthier lives.

Improves behaviour

Reduces pets roaming and aggression
Reduces territorial behaviour such as spraying indoors.
Pets are more affectionate and become better companions.
Eliminates "heat" cycles in female cats and dogs and their efforts to get outside in search for a mate.
Eliminates male dogs' urge to "mount" people's legs.

Cost savings

The cost of dog registration is substantially reduced for desexed dogs.
No additional food or vet bills for the offspring.
Save money from expensive surgeries from car accidents or fights, which are less likely to occur when your pet doesn't roam.

Eliminates difficult situations

No need to find homes for unwanted or unexpected litters of puppies or kittens.
Dumping or disposing of puppies or kittens is illegal and inhumane.

Council's Desexing Subsidy

Council is committed to reducing the number of unwanted cats and dogs within the Rockhampton Regional Council area. To assist Council has a Desexing Subsidy Program. The initiative aims to target low income earners who would not usually have their cats and dogs desexed due to cost affordability. Council will provide eligible persons with a desexing voucher to the value of $50 to assist with payment of the desexing procedure from selected vets.

To be eligible for a voucher you must be:

A resident of the Rockhampton Regional Council area.
An eligible holder of a Queensland Pensioner Concession card issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or Queensland Repatriation Health Card – for all conditions issue by the Department of Veterans Affairs or in receipt of a Widow’s Allowance.
The owner of a non-desexed cat or dog (must be registered if the dog is over 12 weeks of age).

To apply complete the Animal Desexing Voucher Application Form and submit with proof of current pensioner status to one of Council’s Customer Service Centres. An application for a dog must be made in the name of the registered owner of the dog who meets the eligibility requirements.

Vouchers expire within 30 days from the date of issue. A household is entitled to a maximum of two desexing vouchers in two years.

If your dog is not microchipped, talk to the vet about getting your pet microchipped at the same time.

Once your dog is desexed, update the dogs registration details using the Dog Registration Amendment Form (PDF, 281KB) to have your dog registration fee reduced.

Please refer to the Desexing Voucher Policy(PDF, 148KB) for further information.

RSPCA Operation Wanted

Operation Wanted is a major and successful annual desexing initiative marking the collaboration of local Councils, local participating veterinary clinics and RSPCA Queensland.

It runs from 1 June to 31 August and has been running since 2015. It has resulted in over 74,000 animals being desexed, and therefore up to 500,0000 fewer unwanted animals throughout Queensland that could end up in Council pounds or shelters.

You can do your bit by desexing you pet.