When Bella, a lovable, four-year-old golden retriever, went to the vet's office to be spayed, she had no idea that she was about to make canine history in T&T. Bella is one of the first dogs to have laparoscopic surgery.
For the last year Dr Mark Adam has been performing laparoscopic surgery at the Broad Street Veterinary Clinic in St James. He's the first veterinarian in T&T to do this surgery–often called keyhole or minimally invasive surgery–on dogs.
Laparoscopic surgery goes like this: the surgeon makes a small incision and inserts a cannula through the incision where the scope is placed. The scope is attached to a video camera that is hooked up to a monitor. The abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide gas, creating a working space for the surgeon. Depending on the procedure being done, additional cannulas might be placed to facilitate the use of surgical instruments. The surgeon performs the procedure by looking at a monitor.
Laparoscopic surgery uses tiny 5mm or 10mm incisions rather than one large abdominal opening that may be many inches long.
"Smaller incisions mean less pain, less bruising, less discomfort and less complications than with multiple stitches. Recovery time is quicker. Blood loss is greatly reduced, as a vessel-sealing system is used to seal the blood vessels as compared to tying off and cutting in traditional spays," says Adam.
Laparoscopic surgery also allows the vet to have an excellent view which means any abnormality can be picked up at the time of surgery.
Dogs recover faster from laparoscopic surgery. This means that no long hospital stays are required.
Other elective surgeries can be performed laparoscopically in certain breeds.
When Amber, a playful, five-year-old chocolate Labrador, came to Adam to be spayed, her owner also opted to have a procedure known as a prophylactic gastropexy.
"Certain breeds of dogs are susceptible to a condition known as gastric dilation/volvulus (GDV) where the stomach twists on itself. This is an extremely traumatic and agonising experience that most times ends in death," says Adam.
Amber's owner had gone through this experience with two previous Labradors and wanted to do the procedure to prevent it in Amber. The stomach wall is attached to the inner abdominal wall to prevent it from twisting.
"It's a much simpler and less traumatic operation when done laparoscopic-assisted," says Adam.
Amber is now safe from this life-threatening condition.
Fewer risks for animals
In the last year, close to 30 dogs have been spayed laparoscopically for Animals Alive.
Laparoscopic surgery can be used in many other procedures.
Maximo, an eight-month-old Italian mastiff, suffered from a condition called cryptorchidism, in which one of the testicles remain in the abdomen. Dogs with this condition have a much greater chance of testicular cancer. There are fewer risks in doing laparoscopic surgery.
Then there was Lily, a 13-year-old golden retriever who had previously been diagnosed with cancer of an internal organ, which was removed. When Lily became sick again, she had to have exploratory surgery to see what was going on inside. At 13, Lily might not have been able to survive a large incision, but she survived laparoscopic surgery. A biopsy showed that Lily's cancer had spread.
While laparoscopic surgery results in far less stress for pets and their owners, it does come with a greater cost: about 50 per cent more than open surgery.
In general, dogs follow humans and so it's no surprise that they are doing so in reaping the benefits of medical research and medical procedures.
"Laparoscopic surgery really has a bright future in veterinary medicine," says Adam.
