Your pet will thank you

Laparoscopic Desexing

The safest, most comfortable way to desex your pet.

Many pet owners now understand the importance of desexing their pets.

Southern Cross Vet believes that owners should have the option of the most advanced and safest methods of doing so, and therefore now offer the laparoscopic spey and minimally invasive castration for your male and female dogs.

This minimally invasive surgery is heralded as a revolution in human medicine, laparoscopic surgery (compared to ‘open or keyhole’ surgery) is the standard of care for safety, comfort and return to normal activity. Now there is an even simpler approach to laparoscopy – single port lap and Southern Cross Vet offers the same standard of care to what humans receive in the best hospitals.

Over the last decade veterinary medicine has begun approving minimally invasive techniques to earn the same benefits endoscopy provides humans: less pain, reduced trauma and quicker recovery time. Procedures that have conventionally required large incisions are now performed through keyhole surgery. This technique has been advanced to perform the most common abdominal surgery in dogs and cats; the spey. The laparoscopic procedure enables the surgeon to see inside the body more clearly and perform more precise work

Dr Sam Kovac stated “having a dog spayed is a major surgical procedure. It can be a worrying time for owners and we want to provide the best possible service. By providing the option of the laparoscopic spey we can ensure owners we are performing the safest and quickest procedure for their beloved pet”.

The difference in the amount of disruption to the animal’s body is noteworthy, and that means less pain and a faster healing time. While it is accurate that a pet will likely suffer no long-term consequences from a traditional spay, it is also true that the procedure is harder on her in the short term, even with correct pain management. Desexing your female dog is an important milestone in their life, and we are privileged to offer a safe, more comfortable alternative to a conventional spey.

WHY DESEX YOUR PET?

There are a number of health benefits (see the reasons outlined in the below table) associated with desexing your pet. Desexed animals live longer than their entire counterparts. Desexing dogs is also encouraged to help reduce the number of unwanted puppies. Thousands of healthy dogs are euthanased each week by pounds and shelters simply because there aren’t enough loving homes to go around.

Benefits of desexing female dogs

  • Reduced risk of mammary (breast) cancer
  • No risk of pyometra (deadly pus filled uterus)
  • No vaginal bleeding associated with natural cycling
  • No further reproductive vet fees (emergency caesarians, xrays and ultrasounds are expensive and not covered by pet insurance)

Benefits of desexing male dogs

  • No risk of testicular cancer
  • Reduced risk of painful prostatitis later in life
  • Less likely to be injured while roaming
  • Reduces unwanted sexual behaviour
 

WHAT IS LAPAROSCOPIC DESEXING?

A small incision under 10 millimetres is made in her tummy using an electric device called cautery. Through this single ‘port’, special devices are inserted:

High definition camera

Fibre-optic light source to illuminate the tummy from the inside

A dainty little device called the Caiman which gently dissects and cuts tissue

Once these instruments are in place, the surgeons perform the operation by dissecting the ovary away from other tissues. This is all done by observing the beautiful magnified images on the LCD screens, to guide the precise direction of the instruments. The surgeon doesn’t touch any of the tissue during the procedure. The ovary is then removed through the same port that the instruments are inserted.

Once the instruments are removed, the port is sealed closed and the patient is then handed over to our Nursing Team to monitor for a couple of hours, before she is allowed to go home.

HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT TO A TRADITIONAL SPEY?

A traditional spey involves making a long incision down the midline to obtain access to the abdomen. The surgeon feels for the uterus in the abdomen, and traces the horns to the ovaries. The surgeon must thebn exteriorise the ovaries and vessels, which is done by blindly tearing a ligament that attaches the ovary to the abdominal wall. This is the trickiest part of the spey procedure, and is associated with the highest number of complications. The ligament which is torn travels close to the major ovarian vessels. It is possible to unintentionally tear these vessels, particularly since they cannot be seen by the surgeon. A traditional spey also involves removing the uterus alongside the ovaries, which can increase risk of bleeding during surgery.

The biggest advantage of a laparoscopic spey is the ability of the surgeon to see what they are doing in the abdomen. The surgeon only has to touch the tissues with instruments if absolutely necessary. Most importantly, all vessels and ligaments can be seen before they are cut.  Laparoscopic speys are therefore much safer than a traditional spey. Having a smaller incision also minimises the pain experienced during recovery.

WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER MAKING THE DECISION FOR YOUR FEMALE DOG TO BE DESEXED LAPAROSCOPICALLY:

  • Comfort
  • laparoscopic desexing of your dog is the GENTLEST method to desex her.
  • Fast return to normal activities
  • keeping your pet still for 10 days after the surgery is not required with laparoscopic desexing as opposed to the conventional technique; plus there are no stitches with this method.
  • No risk of bleeding and haemorrhage
  • during or after the surgery
  • Less medication
  • Reduced need for pain killers post op
  • Minimal infection risk
  • as the surgeon doesn’t directly touch any tissue or organs.

RECUPERATION AND MEDICATION

Pets are on their feet, feeling fine and are even able to walk home with ease the day of the surgery, and minimal pain killers are needed post-op.

While still major surgery and return to full activity is only advised after 10 days, the MIS method makes the recovery period much more comfortable, the surgery and anaesthesia time significantly reduced (leading to fewer complications) and a bleeding risk reduced massively.

MINIMALLY INVASIVE CASTRATION FOR MALE DOGS

In a traditional castration the surgeon makes an incision between the scrotum and penis to remove the testicle from the body. The vessels of the testicle are tied off using suture material, and the incision is closed. Usually sutures adequately seal the vessels, but occasionally an inadequate seal is formed and bleeding occurs post surgery. This causes pain, inflammation, bruising and increases recovery time.

At Southern Cross Vets we offer ‘minimally invasive castration’- a new less traumatic method of desexing male dogs. The incision may appear the same from the outside, but there are some important differences between a minimally invasive castrate and a traditional castrate. In a minimally invasive castration electrocautery is available to the surgeon to seal vessels bleeding in the skin and subcutaneous tissue while the initial incision is made. The vessels of the testicles are sealed using an instrument called the Caiman ™. The Caiman painlessly and quickly seals the vessels to prevent bleeding. A strong complete seal of the vessels is achieved, and bleeding from the major vessels is highly unlikely if a Caiman is used. The wound is then closed using suture material, and the dog is woken up from anaesthetic. A minimally invasive castrate is much shorter than a traditional castrate as the surgeon does not need to spend time tying off the vessels. Decreased anaesthetic time means a faster safer recovery for your pet.

WHY CHOOSE SOUTHERN CROSS TO DESEX YOUR FEMALE DOG:

Our surgical staff have performed many hundreds of laparoscopic spays

We perform the procedure through a SINGLE keyhole (as opposed to 2 or 3), making our desexing operations less traumatic

 

WITH MINIMALLY INVASIVE CASTRATION THERE IS NO BLEEDING, LESS TRAUMA AND A FASTER RECOVERY FOR YOUR PET.

Your dog will be sent home with a few days of pain relief and instructions to keep quiet for a few days. Owners often struggle to keep their dogs quiet after surgery- because they recovery so quickly to the dog it is like no surgery ever occurred!

THE REASON FOR THE PRICE DIFFERENCE:

The highly specialised equipment required to perform it is costly to invest in

The skill of the surgeons performing the procedure require a high degree of training and experience

If you’d like to get your pet desexed at our clinic please call us on 9516 0234 or email us at [email protected]