Laparoscopic Surgery for Pets: Benefits, Safety & Recovery

Among the many advancements in modern veterinary medicine, laparoscopic surgery has an incredible impact on pet health. Considered minimally-invasive, laparoscopic surgery is a sophisticated approach to various procedures including spays and neuters. This means it’s less painful, and offers shorter recovery periods for a variety of surgical procedures.

Special Equipment

Laparoscopic surgery creates tiny incisions, each about the size of a keyhole. The actual laparoscope is a thin, flexible tube equipped with a light and camera that allows surgeons to see what’s going on inside a pet’s body. Without extensive damage to tissue, laparoscopic surgery is precise, efficient, safe and offers quicker recoveries.

A Clear View

The laparoscope takes high definition pictures and sends them to a monitor. With this view, surgeons can proceed with any of these common procedures:

Spays
Neuters
Biopsies
Organ removals
Cystotomies
Bladder stone removals

Possible Alternatives

While laparoscopic surgery is commonly recommended because of the reduced pain, faster healing time, and overall accuracy and safety, the following situations may lead a veterinarian to consider another direction:

If a pet has had previous abdominal surgeries, laparoscopic surgery might not be the best course of action to deal with layers of scar tissue.
If a pet has a serious heart condition, such as high blood pressure, they might not be able to withstand the effects of anesthesia and the stress of recovery periods when blood pressure can spike.
If a pet has one or more abdominal tumors, laparoscopic surgery may not be the right technique.
If a pet has widespread infections or advanced stages of disease, this procedure might not be the safest option.

A Look at Recovery Times

Incisions sites take time to heal in general, but laparoscopic surgery recovery times are drastically reduced. As a result of the smaller, keyhole incisions, the trauma to tissue is significantly minimized. While restrictions to their activities and exercises are required, most pets are back to themselves within a couple of days.

We closely monitor a pet’s recovery progress,and keep lines of communication open to help pet owners properly care for their pet post-op.