Proper care of your dog is key to creating a healthy life for them. It is important to spay or neuter your dog. Spaying involves the removal of the reproductive organs from the body of a female animal. This procedure is performed like a human surgery; while neutering is a procedure that involves the removal of the male animal's testes. With spaying, both the ovaries and uterus are removed. Ovariohysterectomy, often known as spaying, is recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association as the effort goes a long way in reducing the overpopulation of dogs in the United States and elsewhere. The scientific name for neutering is called an orchiectomy.
When an orchiectomy is performed, the male dog is heavily sedated. A trach tube is placed in the throat to facilitate breathing and the genitals are prepped for surgery. The dog's sexual organ must be shaved, cleaned and disinfected. An incision is made into the penis, right above the testicles. Each testicle is pushed up into the sheath of the penis and subsequently removed. The incision on dogs is sutured in two layers. The first layer adds a material that will dissolve in time and the second layer adds a threadlike material that the veterinarian removes within fourteen days.
In female dogs, an ovariohysterectomy is achieved with a midline incision. The veterinarian then separates the membrane that covers the stomach. After this is done, the veterinarian ties a knot around the uterus and cuts blood supply to the ovaries. The veterinarian then places a clamp near the tied knot and held to ensure bleeding does not occur.
Spaying is suggested to be done when the female dog is six months old, as is neutering. Since dogs can become a problem, especially when they are in heat, medical professionals suggest that your dog should be spayed or neutered before their heat as it makes the surgical procedure easier for you and for your animal. Sometimes, neuter is used interchangeably when discussing the removal of sexual organs in dogs, but spaying is specifically denoted towards the female species.
Sources
http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-spay-and-vs-neuter/
http://www.essortment.com/spay-neuter-difference-22777.html