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Chapter 6 Introduction to Animals 107

animal is when getting them ready for neuter or spay
Learning Exercise surgery!
Dogs are easy to determine. Males will have a prepuce
Visit pet stores that offer pocket pets for purchase. and penis on the ventral side of the abdomen and testi-
See if you can identify the species as you look at cles on the ventral caudal end. However, cats are often a
them. Ask the sales person if it is possible to pho- bit more difficult. Always check the sex of every cat in for
tograph them for your scrapbook. spay or neuter surgery. Many a tom cat has been prepped
for a spay surgery only to find no ovaries or uteri in the
abdomen. This usually occurs when the owner states the
sex of their pet cat but no one checked! Cats are difficult
Determining the Sex to determine because the genitalia for both sexes are
of Companion Animals presented caudally just under the tail. The anus is located
on both sexes just below the tail and is round. The vulva
on females will be almost directly below the anus and is a
Sexing an animal is an important skill for assistants and straight slit opening; it looks almost like a semi‐colon
technicians alike. It is common for an owner to rescue (Figure 6.22). This is called the anal–genital distance
an animal, either a stray or by private purchase, and not and is used on many animals to determine sex. The
know the sex of the animal. This is very important to pre- male’s prepuce will appear as a rounded opening with a
vent accidental breeding. This tends to be more of an longer anal–genital distance away from the anus, approx-
issue with immature cats and pocket pets. Another imately ½ inch in kittens and a full inch in adults. Think
important reason to be able to determine the sex of an of a rather spread out colon. You should be able to make

(a) (b)

(c)
(d)

FIGURE 6.19 Guinea pigs: (a) English, (b) Abyssinian, (c) Peruvian, and (d) Texel. Source: Wikimedia Commons; Used under CC BY‐SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hausmeerschweinchen.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rene_the_long‐haired_
Satin_Peruvian_Guinea_pig.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swinka_morska.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Texel_guinea_pig.jpg.