WHAT TYPE OF ANESTHESIA IS NEEDED FOR AN OVARIOHYSTERECTOMY (SPAY)?
As in a human patient, the procedure in dogs requires general anesthesia to induce complete unconsciousness and relaxation. In the usual case, the dog will receive a pre-anesthetic sedative-analgesic drug to help her relax, a brief intravenous anesthetic to allow placement of a breathing tube in the windpipe, and subsequently inhalation (gas) anesthesia in oxygen during the actual surgery. How Is the Ovariohysterectomy (Spay) Operation Done? Following anesthesia, the dog is placed on a surgical table, lying on her back. The hair is clipped over the middle of the abdomen and the skin is scrubbed with surgical soap to disinfect the area. A sterile drape is placed over the surgical site. A scalpel is used to incise the skin at the middle of the abdomen, and then the abdominal cavity is opened. The organs of the female reproductive tract are identified and the major blood vessels supplying the ovaries and the uterus are ligated (tied off). This must be done before these organs can be remov
