"Altered"

We recently took Kelso, our male Lhasa Apso, to get, as they say, altered. The term struck me as funny, but I guess in the long run, that is exactly what they are doing to him, altering. I remember growing up, and we used to always say the dog was being "Fixed." But when you say fixed, in a lot of ways you are saying that maybe there was something broken to begin with?

I would have thought the term of spayed or neutered would be used by our vet, but when the paperwork came to us, it stated the surgery as our dog being altered.

There really isn't an easy way to describe what is being done to dog...especially if you're a guy!! But the good news is, no matter what you call it, Kelso did fine, and is now recovering. He's been whining a bit since the surgery, and I'm sure he's still a bit uncomfortable, but in a few weeks, it will all be a distant memory.