# Spay laser vs traditional



## britishbabe

Hi, I am contemplating laser spay. Has anyone done this, and if so what is the recovery time like vs the traditional method. 

I know the cost is high, but unless there is a huge difference in pain control and recovery time is it worth it?? 

Thanks.


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## Heather's

Truffles only had her ovaries removed after turning one year old. She had an incision that was about 2" long. It was high on her abdomen so she wasn't able to reach it. The first night she was pretty drowsy. The next day she was back to her old self. I really had to watch her closely for a week because she wanted to play with Scout. I did give her pain medication for a few days. The incision never bothered her. She made a fast recovery.


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## Dee Dee

Sophie has an app't next Friday (ACK!!!) for laporoscopic spay. I know that most dogs recover fine with traditional spay and don't seem to have a lot of pain with it but just to be on the safe side I decided to have it done laporoscopically. I know dogs and humans are different but I got "spayed" myself this summer minimally invasive and when I woke up I literally could not tell I had had surgery! Nothing hurt, I was up and walking immediately, came home the next morning and went straight to work...I almost wondered if they actually did anything. Friends who had it done the other ways had a terrible time recovering. So again I doubt the difference it that big with dogs but even if it's a little bit I feel is worth it and as crazy as Sophie is even though I plan to keep her as quiet as humanely possible for a couple days I know she is going to be a hard one to keep from over doing.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA

Willow had laser. They told me that healing would be faster and less pain, less bleeding, etc. I decided to go for the laser just to play it safe.


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## Dee Dee

how did Willow do with recovery?


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## davetgabby

laser


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## davetgabby

Laser surgery benefits for patients
•Less Pain - The CO2 laser beam seals nerve endings as it cuts through tissue. This reduces the amount of pain the patient feels during surgery and patient experiences a far more comfortable post-operative recovery.
•Reduced Bleeding – The CO2 laser beam cauterizes and seals small blood vessels as it cuts. This laser energy achieves hemostasis and provides the surgeon with a bloodless surgical field in most procedures. This drastic reduction in bleeding also enables a number of new surgical procedures that are not practical with conventional scalpel.
•Reduced Swelling – There is no physical contact between the laser and the surgical region, eliminating the tearing and bruising of tissue associated with traditional surgical methods. Lymphatic vessels are also sealed.
•Reduced Infection – Laser energy acts as an antibacterial agent by producing high temperatures, effectively eliminating microorganisms.T his is one of the unique features of the CO2 laser beam: it efficiently kills bacteria in its path, producing a sterilizing effect.
•Quicker Recovery – As a result of all of the above, laser surgery provides the benefit your clients will appreciate the most: a quicker recovery for their pet


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## Heather's

I would also inquire about their how long they have been doing laser surgery. There are lot's of benefits, but experience is very important.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA

Dee Dee said:


> how did Willow do with recovery?


She had to wear the cone of shame for a week, but she didn't seem to be in much, if any pain. The first day home she was kind of dopey and not very energetic. After the first day she seemed pretty normal. I got her a onesie to wear during the day.

Amazon.com : Cover Me by Tui Adjustable Fit Puppy Print Pullover with Long Sleeve for Pets, Small : Pet Supplies

I would catch her trying to lick the incision site but it never looked bad or inflamed. She recovered just fine!


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## Eveningpiper

I bought the same brand for Ruby who has her spay operation in a few weeks. These doggie onesies are more expensive than the baby ones but I wanted the exact custom doggie design - more for my own anxieties than anything else. The fabric is really nice and thick and the snap system seems very well designed. I chose the short sleeve style.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA

Yeah, I didn't even know that human baby onesies might work. These doggie onesies worked just fine though and were easy on/off.


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## Dee Dee

Jackie I am surprised Willow had to wear the cone and for so long was this with the laser spay? I figured Sophie wouldn't have to wear one at all since there will be no big incision...?


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## Heather's

Truffles had the cone on when she came home, but was bumping into everything. She even had trouble walking so I removed it. I just left the cone off and she never noticed the incision.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA

Dee Dee said:


> Jackie I am surprised Willow had to wear the cone and for so long was this with the laser spay? I figured Sophie wouldn't have to wear one at all since there will be no big incision...?


Yes, this was with the laser spay. The vet told me to use it for a week if she seemed to want to lick the site and she did want to lick. :frown2: I used the onesies during the day and the cone only at night since I couldn't watch her at night.


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## Dee Dee

I'm so surprised about having to wear a cone, there are no stitches right? So what would they hurt by licking? (I had laser surgery this last summer and you could barely tell there were incisions at all). But maybe it's a little different on a dog? A friend of mine recently had her havanese puppy spayed with laser and they didn't even mention her having to wear a cone. She said she licked a little but not too bad. I think I will call the vet clinic tomorrow and see what they say about it if she definitely needs a cone I want to go out now and find her a soft one.


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## krandall

I'm interested to hear too. I know when Kodi was neutered, the vet told me he can tell before they leave the hospital which one are going to leave the incision alone and which ones won't. They said Kodi would be fine, and they were right.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA

Dee Dee said:


> I'm so surprised about having to wear a cone, there are no stitches right? So what would they hurt by licking? (I had laser surgery this last summer and you could barely tell there were incisions at all). But maybe it's a little different on a dog? A friend of mine recently had her havanese puppy spayed with laser and they didn't even mention her having to wear a cone. She said she licked a little but not too bad. I think I will call the vet clinic tomorrow and see what they say about it if she definitely needs a cone I want to go out now and find her a soft one.


She had some small stitches. They were the kind that dissolved so we didn't have to go back and have them removed. Let me know what your vet tells you. I tried to Google about laser spaying and stitches but didn't have much luck.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA

Dee Dee said:


> I think I will call the vet clinic tomorrow and see what they say about it if she definitely needs a cone I want to go out now and find her a soft one.


Dee Dee, did you ever hear from he vet clinic? I'm curious now. I hope I didn't put Willow through the trauma of wearing a cone for nothing!


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## Heather's

Even if you can't see the little puncture sites they are still there. They are closed with skin glue. I'm pretty sure vets use that too. I'm just thinking that if the dog licks the site that is healing there is the possibility of infection. I'm assuming they use skin glue, but dissolving sutures would probably be a safer. If skin glue was used it is probably more important to prevent licking.


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## Kidpsychpdd

Luna had a laparoscopic ovariectomy(left the uterus in) and just had two little incisions but wound up getting subcutaneous emphysema (air under her skin) from the trach tube and a reaction to the anesthesia so what I thought would be an easy procedure wound up costing more for the visits. It resolved on its own but was scary. I researched both methods though and the laparoscopic seemed to be a much quicker recover time.


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## Heather's

So very sorry to hear Luna had complications. I know everyone assumes laparoscopic procedures are much easier. The healing is faster than having a big incision. It really depends on the skill of the surgeon. I would ask how long they have been doing laparoscopic procedures and how many. It really is a special skill. Glad to hear Luna is all better now.


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## Kidpsychpdd

The surgeon had been doing thousands of them for 10 years and apparently this was the only time that this had happened.. But I am still glad that I did it rather than a normal spay.


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