In females:
In males:
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.
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.
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.
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.
A Dogs of any age can be desexed and it is still medically beneficial.
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, 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.
Because there is less surgical trauma and pain, your pet is dramatically more comfortable during and after surgery.
The rapid recovery from keyhole surgery is amazing and speaks volumes about the reduction in pain.
Keyhole technology allows crystal clear visualisation of tissues and organs during surgery. This means less risk for your pet and less stress for you.
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