Keyhole Spaying (Laparoscopic Ovariectomy)
The spotlight is on spaying this week, as Spay Ireland launched this years campaign on Sunday last
One area that has popped it’s head above the parapet only recently, is Keyhole Spaying (Laparoscopic Ovariectomy)
The majority of Vets in Ireland are unaware of the procedure, and to my knowledge only 2 veterinary surgeries perform the procedure.
Hereunder you will find some more detailed information from Eamon the vet at Toby Veterinary Clinic in Cork
“In mid-January we carried out the first Laparoscopic Ovariectomy in Ireland on Holly, a lovely little Bichon, since then we have operated on 38 dogs using this method and the results are truly spectacular. The dogs are up playing in reception half an hour after surgery and they even jump up on their owners when they arrive to collect them. When I contact owners the day following surgery they tell me you would think the dog had nothing done. Take a look at the video “Comparing Laparoscopic to Open Spay Procedure” on Tobyvet.com and check out my video of a recent spay on YouTube – ” Laparoscopic Ovariectomy – Toby-Vet Cork”. The procedure is minimally invasive, less painful and has a rapid recovery. Some vets carry out an open spay (ovariohysterectomy) thru small incisions and refer to it as keyhole but it does not have the advantages of Laparoscopy in that the tissues are still handled and the ovarian ligament has to be stretched or broken which is what causes the pain. With laparoscopy two very small incisions (5mm each) are made in the body wall, one for the camera and the other for a sealing/cutting instrument to resect the ovaries. The muscle layer only needs one stitch and the skin incision is so small it only need to be glued. Ovariectomy (whether open spay or laparoscopically) has the same benefits as Ovariohysterectomy (removing the uterus as well) in that it reduces the incidence of some cancers and dogs will NOT get pyometra or stump pyometra after an ovariectomy unless there was pre-existing pyometra or an ovarian remnant was left at surgery. The uterus in the absence of hormones is completely redundant and becomes a thin fibrous band, in fact it is difficult to find when you go back in with a camera even 6 months after ovariectomy, it’s as if they are born without a uterus! Ovariectomy as an open procedure is a big step in the right direction as removing less tissue causes less discomfort, doing so laparoscopically is much better again. I hope that clients will demand ovariectomy as opposed to ovarihysterectomy and that laparoscopic ovariectomy will become the procedure of choice for neutering as it has become for a whole range of human surgeries.!”
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