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We have developed this handout to
help you understand what is involved in the ovariohysterectomy surgery
as well as the pre and post surgical treatment of your pet.
Pre-Surgical Preparation: When <animal> is admitted to the
hospital, <he> is weighed by our technicians to help us determine the
correct medications for <him>. Then one of the doctors performs a
physical examination to look for any problems that might interfere with
surgery or which may be treated under the same anesthetic. In most
cases, we will draw a small amount of blood from your pet in order to
run pre operative blood tests in our in-house laboratory. These tests
will help to ensure that <animal> is not suffering from any incipient
condition that might make anesthesia or surgery inappropriate (such as
anemia, diabetes, kidney or liver problems etc).
We administer pre-anesthetic sedation so that
<animal> will not be under undue stress at the time of surgery. At the
same time, pain relief medication will be administered so that it will
be on board at the time of surgery (providing you have opted for it on
the pre-anesthetic consent form).
Anestetic Induction:
When the blood work has been completed and the drugs have had time to
take effect, we will bring <animal> to our surgical prep suite. Here we
will place <her> under anesthesia. Generally, this is done in two
steps. First, an injectable drug is given in the vein that will render
<animal> unconscious. Then we can place a breathing tube (endotracheal
tube) in <his> trachea and<he> is hooked up to an isoflurane anesthetic
machine, which will allow us to maintain a surgical plane of
anesthesia. Isoflurane is one of the same anesthetic agents used in
people, and is one of the safest inhalant agents available.
At this point, we hook up our
biological monitoring devices, which include pulse oximeter (to check
the amount of oxygen in the blood), electrocardiogram (to check for
heart rate and rhythm), respiratory monitor and blood pressure monitor.
These monitors give us the information we need to keep <animal> in a
safe plane of anesthesia.
To prepare for the surgery, our
technicians will clip the fur from the belly and perform multiple
surgical scrubs to reduce any chance of wound infection. <Animal> is
then transported to the surgical suite and positioned on her back on the
surgery table, which is warmed with a water blanket for her comfort and
safety.
Surgery:
The doctors prepare for the surgery with a meticulous hand scrubbing,
followed by application of a sterile surgical gown and gloves. The
surgical area is draped off with sterile drapes to reduce the chance of
contamination during surgery. A sterile surgical pack is opened by the
doctor and the surgery is started.
The abdomen is opened
with a scalpel or laser (depending on your selection) between the pelvis
and the umbilical cord. The uterus and ovaries are located and removed
from the body. The blood vessels supplying these organs are isolated,
clamped and each is sutured twice to prevent any hemorrhage in the
abdomen. The uterus and ovaries are removed completely from the body so
<animal> will not have any more heat cycles. The body wall is closed
with three layers of suture material. As the surgeon is completing the
surgery, the anesthetic gas is turned off and the recovery phase begins.
Recovery:
Isoflurane is eliminated from the body quickly and most pets regain
their reflexes within minutes of turning off the gas. Once we know that
<animal> can swallow, the endotracheal tube is removed from her
trachea. She is then placed on an insulated pad in the recovery area
where a technician will observe her until she is able to right herself.
At this point she is placed in a warmed recovery cage for observation.
When she is fully awake, we will place an Elizabethan (plastic) collar
around her neck to prevent her from licking her incision. <Animal> will
spend the night with us and is fed a small meal approximately 6 hours
after the end of the surgery. In the morning, the doctors will check
her incision and make sure that she is in good shape to go home.
Discharge is generally done after 10AM the day after surgery.
Home Care:
An ovariohysterectomy is a serious surgical procedure and
<animal>’s body will need time to recover from it. It is important that
you restrict <animal>’s activity to leash walks only for the first 10 to
14 days after surgery. She should not be allowed to run or jump during
this time. We ask you to apply warm compresses to the wound twice daily
for the first 5-7 days post operatively. This will keep the incision
clean, enhance healing by drawing blood to the area and allow you time
to inspect the wound. In most cases, no antibiotics will be dispensed as
this is a sterile surgery.
We encourage the use of post-operative pain
medication for 1-5 days. Because of client’s differing budgets, we have
made this medication optional. If you would like pain medication
dispensed for <animal> check with the reception or medical staff at the
time of admission or discharge.
Generally, we will take the sutures out
approximately 14 days after the surgery. Some pets will leave their
incisions alone, while others are prone to lick at them. If <animal>
wants to lick or bite at her wound, stop in and pick up an Elizabethan
collar to protect the wound. If you think she might be a licker, take
one home at the time of discharge.
At the time of discharge, you will be given
written instructions that go over these details |
