Laparoscopic Procedures and General Surgeries

Animal Care Daybreak is proud to offer our pet patients the benefits of laparoscopy, a less invasive, gentler, more efficient option for cats and dogs who require abdominal surgery.

Laparoscopy Explained

Laparoscopy uses a tiny video camera, fiber optic lights, and special instruments to perform procedures typically involving a pet’s abdomen or pelvis. Your Animal Care Daybreak surgeon will make tiny incisions through which tubes containing the camera and surgical instruments will be inserted. The high-definition camera transmits the images to a screen, where they can be enlarged and enhanced, giving your pet’s surgeon a clear, detailed picture of the surgical area.

The Benefits to Your Pet

The primary advantages of laparoscopy are less pain and shorter recovery times, primarily because the incisions are much smaller, which results in less damage to both the affected area and the surrounding tissue. For example, the recovery time for spays that are performed laparoscopically is just 48 hours versus 2 weeks for traditional procedures. Plus, when we use a laparoscope for biopsies, we can typically employ sedation rather than general anesthesia, resulting in faster, safer biopsies.

Additional benefits to pets include:

• Less blood loss
• Reduced risk of infection
• Reduced anesthesia time
• Minimized tissue trauma
• Can minimize the need for pain medications

The Procedure

Whenever possible, we use laparoscopy in place of traditional surgery to minimize your pet’s discomfort and significantly shorten their recovery time. We use laparoscopy most often for the following:

• Diagnostics, including organ biopsies and abdominal exploratory surgery
• Spays for larger dogs
• Gastropexy to prevent twisted stomachs in large-breed dogs
• Cryptorchid neuters for dogs with undescended testicles

Traditional Surgery

When laparoscopy isn’t an option, we can perform a wide range of standard surgeries, including:

• Spays and neuters
• Mass and foreign body removals
• Some orthopedic procedures
• Cruciate ligament repairs
• Fracture repairs
• Oral surgeries, such as extractions and gum repairs
• Bladder stone removals

Please call us if you have any questions about veterinary laparoscopy or other surgical procedures performed at Animal Care Daybreak.