Keyhole Surgery FAQs
What is Laparoscopic surgery?
Laparoscopic surgery, typically used within the abdomen, is more commonly known as keyhole surgery or minimally invasive surgery, and whilst it is used for many human surgical procedures, it is not widely available throughout the veterinary industry. The main reasons for this are cost and expertise. The equipment and training required to carry out laparoscopic surgery are expensive, but here at our sister practice London Road Veterinary Centre we believe the benefits outweigh the cost, and we are very proud to be one of only a few vets in Essex offering pet owners the option of keyhole surgery.
What about Pyometra?
Pyometra is a very serious infection of the womb, which is often fatal. In the dark ages, veterinarians were taught that if they did not remove the uterus at the time of spaying, it could develop a Pyometra. Veterinary medicine moves forward in the same way as human medicine, through research, and we now know that a Pyometra is caused by the hormones produced from the ovaries and removal of the ovaries is as effective as an full ovariohysterectomy in the prevention of Pyometra.
Is it more expensive?
Because the equipment required to carry out laparoscopic surgery is very expensive, and our vets have to undergo additional training to perform the procedure, it is slightly more expensive to have your bitch spayed by this method.