How Laparoscopic Surgery Benefits Your Pet
There are many benefits to choosing laparoscopic surgery for your pet, with the most significant being:
- Less pain
- A faster and more comfortable recovery
- Less time spent under anesthesia
- Minimally invasive (a single, small incision instead of a large one)
- Better visualizing of the abdomen (via a camera sending real-time images to a large computer monitor)
- Fewer post-op complications
What Can Laparoscopy Be Used For?
Laparoscopy is suited for use in numerous surgical procedures, including:
- Laparoscopic dog spays (removal of female reproductive organs)
- Cryptorchid neuters (removal of a testicle that failed to descend to the scrotum and remains in the abdomen, a condition referred to as cryptorchidism)
- Gastropexies (attaching the stomach to the abdominal wall to prevent life-threatening stomach twisting and bloat in certain dog breeds)
- Liver biopsies
- and more…
How We Perform Laparoscopic Surgery in Oakville, ON
Once a patient is placed under general anesthesia, we make one small incision (about the size of a dime) in the abdomen and the laparoscope is inserted through that incision. The laparoscope is a slender tube with a light source and a camera that relays images from inside the abdomen to a large external computer monitor. This allows for improved visualization of all internal organs, making it easier and safer for the surgeon to operate.
Rather than the traditional multi-port system that requires multiple incisions and the use of more than one endoscope to provide all the tools needed to perform surgery, we use a single-port system that does it all (one endoscope with a combined camera, lighting, cutting, and cauterizing capability). A single-port system requires just one incision, is easier and more efficient to operate, and is associated with faster and safer surgeries overall.
How We Sterilize Our Laparoscopic Endoscopes
Southeast Oakville Veterinary Hospital is among the first general veterinary practices in Canada to adopt a Hydrogen Peroxide Plasma sterilizer to sterilize our endoscopes. It’s significantly safer and more environmentally friendly than the traditional alternatives that use ethylene oxide gas, a greenhouse gas that’s highly flammable and carcinogenic.
“It is my pleasure to provide a Five Star review for Southeast Oakville Veterinary Hospital. From the very first time I dropped in – to say welcome to the neighbourhood and get a tour of their beautiful new clinic – to every visit since, it has been nothing but a series of great experiences. Dr. Peters, Dr. Yan and Dr. Jakubowski have all provided stellar care to our Jolene (dog) and Angel (cat). Jolene’s laparoscopic spay and gastropexy went very smoothly with minimal scarring. And we’ve always been able to get an appointment when needed without any delay.
In addition, the staff (all of them…I won’t name names in case I leave someone out) are warm, caring and knowledgeable. Across the board.
I feel very fortunate to have SOVH nearby and have no hesitation in recommending them highly to anyone looking for a vet for their furry family members.”