Desexing your pet

If you do not intend to breed from your dog, surgical desexing has undoubted medical and behavioural advantages, both for males and females.

Why desexing surgery? (instead of Keyhole desexing surgery)

  • Your pet will be less inclined to wander, keeping them safe at home.
  • Reduces the likelihood of anti-social behaviour.

In females:

  • Prevents unplanned pregnancies.
  • Greatly reduces the risk of developing mammary (breast) cancer and some hormone related tumours.
  • Eliminates the risk of developing ovarian and life-threatening uterine infection.

In males:

  • Greatly reduces the risk of developing prostate disease.
  • Eliminates the risk of developing testicular cancer.
  • Greatly reduces the risk of anal cancer.
  • Greatly reduces the risk of perineal hernias, which otherwise require major surgery.

Q: when should I get my puppy desexed?

A: We recommend desexing your dog at the age of 5-6 months, as this is when they become sexually mature. Desexing at this age will ensure your puppy gets the maximum advantage from the procedure. However, no dog is too old to benefit from the procedure.

Q: will my dog put on weight after desexing?

A: Desexing your dog may lower their metabolic rate, making them more prone to weight gain. Monitoring their weight and adjusting their diet as required is the best way to ensure your dog stays healthy for the rest of its life.

Q: will my dog become incontinent?

A: Some female dogs will develop urinary incontinence due to the lower hormone levels in the body. This generally occurs later in life. Very rarely, it can occur shortly after desexing.

Q: my dog is in season, can she still be desexed?

A: When a bitch is in season, the blood flow to her uterus is increased, making it more fragile and increasing the risk of haemorrhage. Therefore, we recommend waiting until 2 weeks after she finishes her season to allow the blood vessels to settle down.

Q: do I need to desex my adult dog?

A Dogs of any age can be desexed and it is still medically beneficial.

What will happen to my pet when he/she is in hospital?

  • Desexing is generally day surgery, so your best friend will be home with you again on the same night.
  • Fasting is required from the night before surgery to ensure that the anaesthetic is safer.
  • At the admission appointment we will check your contact details, discuss the procedure with you and clarify the costs involved. Your pet will be allocated a bed for the duration of the day and we encourage you to settle them in before you leave.
  • They will receive a full veterinary examination before receiving their pre-medication, which contains a sedative and pain relieving medication.
  • Our anaesthetics are very safe. We also have an experienced veterinary nurse monitoring your pet throughout the anaesthesia and during recovery.
  • Every animal going under anaesthesia is placed on intravenous fluids. This helps maintain blood pressure, supports the organs responsible for metabolising anaesthesia and allows for direct injection access should an emergency arise.
  • Upon recovery, an anti inflammatory injection is given and your pet will also be sent home with a few days of antiinflammatory tablets to ensure that they remain comfortable during the healing process.
  • As each pet recovers from their anaesthesia at different rates, we will contact you and arrange for you to collect your pet at an appropriate time.
  • At your discharge appointment a nurse will discuss home care instructions and answer any questions you may have. We will need to see your pet again 10 days after the surgery to ensure appropriate healing.

OVARIOHYSTERECTOMY (spey)

  •  the surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries.

ORCHIDECTOMY (castration)

  • the surgical removal of one or both of the testicles.

10 reasons to desex your dog with Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals

Here are 10 reasons why you should always choose Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals to desex your treasured companions:

1: Pre-anaesthetic checks – All our patients receive a full physical examination and you will be called immediately if there are any additional findings. Pre-anaesthetic blood tests are available in our hospital if we have any health concerns.

2: Pain relief – We use a combination of pain killers to optimise pain control, including pre-surgical opiates and post-surgical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories. All our patients go home with 3 days of further pain relief. This improves healing times and reduces post-operative complications, such as wound licking and swelling.

3: Nurse monitoring – A point of difference at Tasmanian Veterinary Hospitals is our increased level and number of rigorously trained nursing staff. This allows for continuous human monitoring of your pet from induction to recovery. This is still the most important factor in reducing anaesthetic complications. Our extra nurse numbers mean that we have a dedicated nurse to sit with your pet until they have recovered and are sitting upright. This is one of the most common but overlooked times for anaesthetic complications and it is also a potentially stressful time for your pet. So having trained nurses to comfort them on wake up is essential.

4: Intravenous fluids – IV fluids reduce anaesthetic risk and help speed recovery. One of their main purposes is to maintain adequate blood pressure during an anaesthetic as anaesthetic drugs often cause a drop in blood pressure, which can severely compromise organ function. They also help to flush the anaesthetic drugs from the body once the anaesthetic has finished, leading to a much speedier and safer recovery.

5: Cocoon patient warming – This device envelops your pet in a warm air blanket during surgery. It helps maintain body temperature, which reduces anaesthetic risk and speeds recovery. Veterinary bedding and electric blankets

6: Our soft veterinary bedding (with electric blankets) not only ensures a soft and warm recovery, but will also wick away moisture in the case of a post-operative toilet accident.

7: Sterility – Our surgical sterility, which includes full gown, gloves, mask and hat for surgeons is world class. We are proud of the fact that our levels of sterility mean we have no requirement for antibiotic usage in routine surgeries.

8: Monitoring equipment – Our monitoring equipment can measure oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide, blood pressure, temperature and ECG. This equipment dramatically improves anaesthetic safety, as our trained anaesthetic nurses are able to detect any potential anaesthetic complications before they occur.

9: Intradermal sutures – These sutures are buried in the skin so there are no external sutures to lick or chew and no uncomfortable procedure to remove them.

10: Care and communication – We pride ourselves on our care and communication. Our goal is to care for you and your pet as part of our family. Updates are regular and can be tailored to your needs. We offer free post-surgery check-ups, if you have any concerns, to ensure we get the best outcomes for your pet.

It is the effort we put in that tells you how much we care.

Keyhole Surgery

Keyhole surgery helps our pets recover more quickly and comfortably than with traditional open surgical techniques.

Keyhole surgery, also known as laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery, is commonly performed in human surgery, but is only available at a handful of veterinary facilities in Australia. A thin surgical telescope is inserted into the abdomen through a 5mm port allowing the surgeon to visualise the internal organs without opening the abdomen. Subsequent ports can then be inserted to allow surgical instruments to be introduced to the abdomen and perform a variety of procedures.

Desexing procedures can now be performed by keyhole surgery, resulting in less pain and faster recoveries for our pets. A surgical telescope is passed into the abdomen so that the ovaries can be identified and removed via small ports in the abdominal wall. The improved visualisation of the ovaries results in a safer surgery and the keyhole techniques used result in less surgical trauma and pain. This means that our pets recover more quickly and comfortably than with traditional open surgical techniques.

Why keyhole desexing surgery?

Less pain

Because there is less surgical trauma and pain, your pet is dramatically more comfortable during and after surgery.

Better recovery

The rapid recovery from keyhole surgery is amazing and speaks volumes about the reduction in pain.

Smaller wounds

Keyhole technology allows crystal clear visualisation of tissues and organs during surgery. This means less risk for your pet and less stress for you.

Safer surgery

The use of a fine surgical telescope allows better visualisation and access to difficult areas of the abdomen, resulting in a safer surgery for your pet