Surgery is a scary word, especially for pet owners. They don’t know what to expect from their vet and often find themselves lost in a sea of worry.
Our Markham vet clinic completely understands your need to get answers and stay on top of things. If you’re having trouble understanding laparoscopic surgery and what it entails, we hope the information below helps you.
Until recently, many (if not most) surgeries involved large incisions, including routine surgeries, like a spay. Why? The idea was this allowed the surgeon to see, check, and touch organs in the abdomen. When you’re looking for strange growths or signs of conditions like cancer, large incisions prove to be very useful. Unfortunately, these surgeries can have problems. For one thing, there is a higher risk for a difficult recovery. Because cats and dogs are active creatures and like to lick their sutures, the stitches may fall apart (doctors call this dehiscence). These vulnerable areas could also become infected. Veterinary clinics found themselves at square one, causing frustration for everyone.
These days, there is a trend in human surgery to make incisions smaller to help the patient get out of the hospital as quickly as possible. This means less money spent by the health care system. Patients experience less pain and get up and move much sooner. Of course, smaller incisions mean fewer cosmetic problems, too.
Naturally, animals also should benefit from this surgical method. It’s only right to encourage its use. Any veterinarian can learn how to spay an animal using a 1-2cm incision. In the medical world, people call this minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Marsig is a Markham veterinarian very familiar with small incisions – in fact, he has used them since the early 1990s. Many clients choose him to spay their pet because they know about his minimally invasive approach.
Of course, some surgeries have to use large incisions, like cesarean sections. It’s not always possible to use tiny incisions in the operating room.
So what then is laparoscopic surgery? Is it the same as minimally invasive surgery?
Laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive and involves usually cutting three holes into the abdomen. Three holes are needed to insert special tools and a camera into the body. The technique works great for human surgeries, like a gall bladder removal, but the equipment is very expensive. (Disposable items may cost upwards of $100 for one surgery!). While in human hospitals the added cost of surgical equipment is easily offset by the savings from shorter hospitalization times, this just isn’t the case when it comes to spaying dogs and cats at a veterinary clinic.
Dr. Marsig has refined a technique allowing him to spay dogs and cats with a very small incision. Instead of creating three holes when spaying a pet, Dr. Marsig performs the surgery using one hole – it’s just about as small as a laparoscopic hole. He does however not use laparoscopic equipment to keep the fees reasonable.
Equipment manufacturers of course would like to see every veterinarian buy laparoscopic surgical tools, but the cost would need to be passed on to clients. This is not feasible. Dr. Marsig uses a surgery method that cuts down on expenses and helps with a uncomplicated recovery.
You love your pet, and you know surgery is necessary to improve their quality of life, but you’re still nervous and afraid. Don’t deal with it alone. The team at Unionville is ready to help.
Sincerely,
Your team at the Animal Hospital of Unionville for
Dr. Ernst Marsig, veterinarian in Markham
Fear Free Certified Practitioner
Practicing Veterinary Medicine in Markham for a Long and Happy Life of ALL Your Pets.
Animal Hospital of Unionville, a veterinary clinic on the north side of Hwy 7, serving all pets in Markham, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Stouffville, and North York since 1966. We are your family vets for dogs, cats, pocket pets (rabbits, chinchillas, gerbils, mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, skinny pigs, etc.), ferrets, and birds (budgies, cockatiel, parrots, amazon, cockatoo, love birds, conures, African greys, finches, canaries, etc.). We pride ourselves to provide cost effective veterinary medicine and give you options for treatments. Some may think our services as cheap, but our goal is to give good value.
Disclaimer: No part of this website constitutes medical advice. Readers are advised to consult with their veterinarian.
