Many of our clients are requesting laparoscopic spays; and we are also receiving enquiries from across the country.
‘Laparoscopy’ describes keyhole abdominal surgery – a minimally invasive technique that is used to achieve the same goals as we would with traditional surgery. The difference is in the technique.
Pets are with us for the day and given a full general health check before the operation.
During a lap spay, small incisions are made, usually less than 1cm, above and below your pet’s belly button. A camera is placed through the incision to visualize each ovary up close and in lots of detail.
Surgical instruments are placed through the second hole to seal the blood vessels and remove the ovaries. Each hole is then closed with a small suture.
There is a reduction in the amount of pain during and after the keyhole spay. The surgical wounds are much smaller. 0.5cm-1cm compared to 3-20cm with traditional spays. We see a quick recovery with rapid return to normal activity.
Are there any drawbacks?
It costs a little extra and there can be a longer waiting list. We also clip a larger area of your pets fur but you will only notice this when your dog is lying down. Complications are extremely rare but if they do occur we can quickly convert to traditional open surgery with no long term consequences.
Is every bitch suitable for keyhole neutering?
We can keyhole spay any female dog but dogs over 5kg benefit the most. We often opt for a traditional spays in dogs less than 5kg because the amount of space available to manoeuvre our instruments during a keyhole spay is reduced.
Our next date is August 9th. We are happy to take referrals.
