Laparoscopic Spays & Neuters

At Litchfield Veterinary Hospital, we make every effort to provide the best medical care and practices available. We practice fear free medicine, utilize advanced and effective medical equipment, and train our staff to keep pace with new developments and advancements in veterinary medicine.

We now offer laparoscopic spays and neuters as an alternative to the traditional open procedure. Laparoscopic surgery, or keyhole surgery, is minimally invasive and has been proven effective in many human and animal applications for decades.

In a traditional spay procedure, a single long incision is made and the uterus and ovaries are removed. A laparoscopic spay involves 2-3 small incisions, one of which is often used for a specialized camera, and only the ovaries are removed. This requires less cutting and suturing, and results in less overall tissue trauma. This method is also beneficial with some neuters in which one of the testes did not descend during development and is located in the abdomen, a condition known as cryptorchidism.

There are multiple benefits to choosing laparoscopic surgery:

Reduced trauma to tissue and internal organs
Less bruising and irritation
Lower post-operative pain
Faster recovery (approximately half that of open surgery)
Significantly reduced post-operative infection rate

A traditional spay may be required due to special circumstances or owner request. Small animal veterinarians perform this procedure routinely and the majority of household pets will experience this at some point. The main benefits of an open spay procedure are reduced cost and high availability as the tools and skills required are less specialized. Regardless of which method is performed, the risk of complication from either method is low, and pets can live longer and healthier lives.