SPAYING YOUR DOG OR CAT
A spay surgery is one that is performed on a female dog or cat which will prevent them from having puppies or kittens. It is a total ovariohysterectomy which means we remove their ovaries as well as uterus.
Your pet is weighed and pre-anesthetic lab tests are performed. These tests measure red, white and platelet cell counts, and general body chemistry primarily liver, kidney function and blood glucose levels. 
Based on the test results, an anesthetic plan is made and your pet receives injections to pre-medicate them before the surgery. These are used to relax them, decrease post-operative pain and maintain regular heart rates while they are under anesthesia.
An intravenous catheter is placed in a front leg vein (cephalic) so that your pet w
ill have a continuous delivery of fluids into their circulatory system to maintain their blood pressure, and protect kidney and liver function during anesthesia. These fluids are carefully regulated and controlled by a fluid pump attached to their intravenous line. This fluid rate is calculated based on your pet’s weight.
Once the IV (intravenous) catheter is placed, your pet is induced with injections of drugs to place them under general anesthesia. The drugs are selected based upon your pet’s age, general health condition, pre-anesthetic lab test results and surgical procedure being performed.
An endotracheal tube is placed into their mouth and down their trachea or windpipe to protect their airway and maintain anesthesia as this tube is hooked up to the anesthetic machine which supplies a continuous mixture of anesthetic gas and oxygen. The size of the tube is carefully selected for each patient. The type of anesthetic tubing and flow rate of gases is also carefully controlled based on the patient’s weight.
My assistant and I, both wear surgical scrubs, and have surgical hair caps and face masks on during the surgery. I do a surgical scrub of my hands and forearms then don a sterile surgical gown and sterile surgical gloves.
Once the patient is placed on their back under general anesthesia, their abdomen is surgically prepped. This means we clip the hair from the abdomen, and surgically scrub the skin so that it is sterile.
I drape the incision area on the abdomen with sterile surgical towels, then a sterile surgical drape. Using my sterile surgical spay pack of instruments, I begin the surgery with an incision into the abdomen through the skin. The subcutaneous tissue is then incised until I reach the abdominal muscles. An incision is made here allowing me to enter the abdominal cavity.
Anesthetic monitoring equipment which is used throughout the surgical procedure includes: EKG (electrocardiogram), pulse oximetry (measure of oxygen saturation of the blood), blood pressure, capnograph (measure of respiratory rate and depth), core body temperature. 
We also use a warm water blanket on the surgical table to help maintain their body temperature.
Throughout the procedure, along with the monitoring equipment, my technical assistant Juliet Seamans, is constantly monitoring the patient’s heart with her stethoscope and checking pulse quality and respiratory rate. 
The ovaries
and uterus are removed by placing ligatures or sutures around the arteries leading to them to allow removal with no blood loss. The abdominal wall is closed with absorbable suture, then the subcutaneous tissue. Depending on the circumstances, I will close the skin with skin sutures or with absorbable sutures.
Both Juliet and I recover the patient together and continue to monitor their vital signs. Any post-operative pain is controlled with medication. Most patients will also go home with pain control medication for at least one week as well as an Elizabethan collar around their head to prevent them from licking at the surgical site.
We will call you the next day to see how your pet is doing at home.
We hope this has helped you understand the surgical procedure of a spay more thoroughly.
