Laparoscopy and keyhole surgery

What is laparoscopy?

Laparoscopic surgery, better known as keyhole surgery, is a modern surgical technique that is proving ideal for many abdominal procedures, including spays.

You may have heard of keyhole surgery in humans, but it is a relatively new advancement in veterinary medicine – and one that we’re keen to make use of. We are always looking for ways to improve our level of expertise and the care that we can provide, and we are pleased to be able to bring you this new service!

It involves two small 0.5mm incisions that are made to allow the laparoscope, the name for a surgical camera, and specialised instruments to be inserted into the abdomen, meaning the procedure can be performed with significantly less manipulation.

This greatly reduces the size of the wound, as well as reducing pain and speeding up recovery.

What are the benefits of keyhole surgery?

This reduces discomfort, as only two small wounds are left, which are less likely to be noticed by your pet. In turn, this reduces the risk of infection and allows a faster return to normal activity.

There is a significantly reduced risk of complications, bleeding from the surgical site is reduced due to the vet having a much better view of the organs and it allows samples to be taken where necessary.

What are the benefits of keyhole spays in dogs?

We are proud to offer keyhole spays for dogs at our Sevenoaks branch.

We recommend to all owners not thinking of breeding from their pet that they get their pet neutered.

Not only does it prevent unplanned additions to the nation’s pet population, but it provides a range of health benefits, that you can read more about here !

In female pets, neutering is called spaying, and involves going into the abdomen to remove reproductive organs. The smaller incisions and reduced risks of keyhole spaying means that your dog has a less invasive procedure and can get back to doing what they love sooner.

We don’t offer keyhole surgery for cats as the incision required for this is generally very small and there are not the additional benefits we see for dogs. This may also be the case for particularly small dogs – which is something we will discuss with owners on a case by case basis.