Surgery
From spay and neuter services to more complex veterinary surgical procedures, at St Clair East Animal Hospital we always operate with safety in mind.
In fact, we use many of the same safety measures as human hospitals. Performing most of the pre‐surgery blood work at our reference lab, we are able to make sure your pet is healthy enough for the procedure.
Depending on the urgent nature of the surgery, pre‐surgical abnormalities will be addressed, drug selections may be modified and sometimes surgeries are postponed until the surgeon feels the surgery is safe to perform.
Once anesthesia is deemed safe for the patient, we use specialized monitoring equipment to track vital signs and pay close attention to ensure the best possible outcome for your pet.
Cat Spay:
Spaying your cat is an important part of basic cat health care. Spaying at a young age prevents mammary cancer and spaying at any age prevents unwanted kittens, noisy heat cycles, and possibly even urine marking in the house. The following is a list of frequently asked questions gleaned from years of veterinary practice as well as from answering questions online. We have found that even though the cat spay is a routine and commonly performed procedure, many pet owners still have questions.
What is actually removed during spaying?
Spaying is an ovariohysterectomy, which means that both the ovaries and the uterus are removed. The cervix is tied off, leaving the vagina to end in a blind sac. Since it is the ovaries that are responsible for the heat cycles, possible mammary tumor development, and behavior problems, it is crucial that the ovaries be removed intact; some veterinarians leave the uterus behind, though, it is generally regarded as best to remove the entire tract, uterus included.
How long will my cat stay in the hospital?
WE will release the cat on the same day as surgery so that she may be observed at home in case of problems.
What if she is in heat at the time of spay?
Some female cats are disruptively annoying when they are in heat, yowling and carrying on and they are spayed to end the heat quickly. Other cats are spayed in heat randomly when the owner does not realize that the cat is in heat. Either way the spay is slightly more difficult due to the engorgement of the tissues and larger blood vessels. Spaying in heat does not carry a significant risk to the cat but, since extra surgery time is frequently required, an extra charge may be incurred.
Occasionally spaying a cat in heat leads to dramatic mammary gland development in the recovery period. This is because the sudden drop in progesterone levels that happen after removing the active ovaries mimics the drop in progesterone that accompanies giving birth to kittens. The subsequent mammary development (called mammary hyperplasia) can be spectacular but generally resolves without treatment as hormones normalize.
Will spaying affect her personality?
The female cat spends at least half the year with her reproductive tract dormant (cats only cycle seasonally, primarily in the spring and summer). This means that, behaviorally speaking, she acts spayed most of the time and no personality change should be noted. This said, it is important to realize that a cycling cat can be extremely solicitous of affection. This kind of playful, flirtatious behavior will stop with spaying.
Dog Spay
WHY FEMALE DOGS SHOULD BE SPAYED
Mammary Cancer Prevention
A female dog spayed before her first heat will have a near zero chance of developing mammary cancer.After the first heat, this incidence climbs to 7% and after the second heat the risk is 25% (one in four!). It is easy to see that an early spay can completely prevent what is frequently a very difficult and potentially fatal form of cancer.
But is it too late if a dog is already past her second heat? No, in fact spaying is important even in female dogs who already have obvious tumors. This is because many mammary tumors are stimulated by estrogens; removing the ovaries, the source of estrogens, will help retard tumor spread.Spaying removes both the uterus and both ovaries and is crucial in the prevention as well as the treatment of mammary cancer.
Pyometra Prevention
Pyometra is the life-threatening infection of the uterus that generally occurs in middle-aged to older female dogs in the six weeks following heat. The hormone progesterone, which primes the uterus for potential pregnancy, does so by causing proliferation of the blood-filled uterine lining and suppressing uterine immune function. It is thus easy during heat for bacteria in the vagina to ascend to the uterus and cause infection. The uterus with pyometra swells dramatically and is filled with pus, bacteria, dying tissue, and toxins. Without treatment, the dog is expected to die. Despite her serious medical state, she must be spayed quickly if her life is to be saved.
- This is an extremely common disease of unspayed female dogs. One in four female dogs who have survived to age 10 will get it.
- Without treatment, the dog will die.
- Treatment is expensive.
- Treatment involves surgery in a potentially unstable patient. Mortality rates with surgery have been reported as high as 17%.
- Spaying prevents the whole thing.
The older unspayed female dog has an irregular heat cycle. There is no end of cycling comparable to human menopause. If you still decide against spaying, be familiar with the signs of pyometra , which include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, excessive thirst, marked vaginal discharge.
We are also very proud to be among few clinics in GTA to offer Laparoscopic spay to our patients. While a traditional spay is certainly effective, the availability of minimally invasive options in veterinary medicine offers significant improvements. In laparoscopic spay a small 1cm abdominal incision is made, just large enough to introduce a small camera and set of instruments directly into the abdomen.
For Any Type of Surgery in East York ,Toronto, contact one of our staff to make an appointment.
