PG 14 rating? laperoscopic ovariectomy & gastropexy - Page 1

This was a real cool experience doing a laperoscopic ovariectomy and laparoscopy-assisted phrophylactic gastropexy on  This is less evasive and there is not any stitches on the outside, skin is glued shut. I enjoy teaching so here are pictures of the ovaries being taken, as you can see it is so fast. Putting her under anesth took the longest. She bounced back to her normal self the day after. She still will be off work for 10 days with short leash walks due to the we do not want the gastropexy to fail. The two incisions are maybe 1/4 inch long with the incision for the gastropexy maybe 1 inch long along the side wall of the body right behind the rib cage. This surgery has been done for years in Europe but most spays here in the states is done taken all pieces parts out.  I hope everyone does not find this photos offensive, just a learning experience.
Always,
Cee

 Nice pictures. Maybe you could put arrows and point to the various body parts and name them for most people won't know what they are looking at without that.
Good thread.

That's pretty cool! How many ovaries do dogs have? Is there one for each horn of the uterus? That would mean 6 or 8 of them, wouldn't it? How does this procedure compare with regular spay, cost wise? And I guess it is not as hard on the dog, either. Any pictures of the gastropexy?

 Two ovaries

Really? Only 2? I wish I could find an anatomy book that illustrates dog anatomy like my human anatomy books.....any one know of one? I was picturing the female canine reproductive organs, uterus & ovaries as enlongated with multiple ovaries & horns of the uterus...just from the U/Ss I've seen...! So I guess then, they must release multiple oocytes....are there many from each follicle, or multiple follicles? This is good stuff to know.....thanks, jackie harris

 Two ovaries, one uterus, two horns. Think it through.

There's a reason why the standard in the US is to still do a complete ovariohysterectomy: while removing only the ovaries does eliminate the estrus cycles, it doesn't remove the risk of pyometra. while the chances of pyometra are significantly less in a bitch whose ovaries have been removed, as long as the uterus remains so does the risk of pyometra.  Given that such an infection can be life-threatening to the affected bitch, especially if it's a closed pyo (meaning there's no visible discharge) that goes undetected until the animal becomes septic, and considering that leaving the uterus behind does not provide any benefit to the animal, there does not seem to be a good, scientific reason for doing only an ovariectomy.

Removing the utuerus increases the risk of postop bleeding, as I found out the hard way last summer! 

I think I'd be willing to take the risk of pyometra for the shortened recovery time and much less invasive (not EVASIVE) surgery.

I'd like to know what we're looking at, too!  I think the last photo is probably the stomach, while the others look to be photos of the ovariectomy.
 
IIRC, from the spay surgeries I was allowed to watch, (this was 30 years ago, so memory is a bit fuzzy)  the horns of the uterus are very long in the dog, compared to the human female, and the embryos implant in the horns, while in the human, they implant in the body of the uterus. A tubal pregnancy in a human can cause a pretty spectacular emergency if it's not caught before the fetus grows enough to rupture the tube!  It happened to a friend of mine, and she bled so much she was up shaking hands with the angels before they got her to the hospital!

I mean that literally, too. She had an 'out of body' experience, where she saw a lady in white beckoning to her!

Sunsilver, given that you're still reeling from your experience last year, I can understand your position.  Having dealt with more than a few closed pyos while working in clinic, however, I'll still take the full ovariohysterectomy--most vets are taught to work with a very small incision these days, and I'd rather the dog have a slightly longer recovery period while they're 100% healthy than contend with the nursing care required to pull a senior bitch through a closed pyo where the uterus basically disintegrated as soon as the surgeon touched it with an instrument...

Good Morning everyone :)   how do you keep a good dog down .  LOL  The photos are of one ovary that  is first  connected to the uterine horn then cut away. With this style of just taking the ovaries, pyo usually is not an issue, you do not have oestrus (heat) or any hormone changes (progesterone) to be specific. After many heat cycles and pregnancy does not happen, the lining of the urterus can continue to thicken. This can create areas were the bacteria can grow. The cervix inturn ( is closed except during oestrus), when it is open bacteria that is found in the vagina normally can enter the usterus. If everything goes as it should and the heat is normal, bacteria do not survive, but when you have a cystic uterus you can have a chance for  bacteria overgrowth, the uterus cannot contract and the bacteria cannot be expelled. The cost of the this type is about 450.  In our area a normal ovariohysterectomy is about 250.  In the  Just cool stuff. Have fun training, I saw a robin this morning, it is going to be in the 50's next week and dry:)
Always,
Cee