Cléo (who I'm fostering) was spayed yesterday. All my previous cats were spayed on their bellies, but this time it was done on her side. I always thought there would be a hole on each side, but it’s just one incision on one side, and it's smaller than the midline ones. Why has the method changed? What’s the difference between the two? Why do some vets do it on the belly (like my usual vet) while others do it on the side (like the rescue's vet)?
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Bumping this thread – I went to the rescue vet yesterday evening to get Cléo’s stitches out, so I asked the question (last time was just my own vet’s opinion). Usually, it’s done from both sides (one ovary on each side), but if the vets are used to it, they can manage to remove both ovaries from the same side.
As for the belly incision, there’s a risk of the wound opening up during the first 10 days because the organs press down on the stitches. If the cat (or dog) is a bit too hyper, it might pop open, which is why you have to stop them from jumping right after they've been spayed. With a flank spay, there’s no risk of that.
Hi MARGAUX, I went to the vet yesterday for Stessy and asked him to explain it all to me.
So, here’s what he said: whether the spay is done through the midline or the flank, it's much the same. However, the problem that can crop up with a flank spay is that if a tiny cell gets left behind when the ovaries are removed, it can regrow over time, and the cat can start showing signs of being in heat again. There's no risk of that with a midline incision though, as he can see what he's doing much better, plus there's less bleeding than with the side.
Regarding the spot-ons, for Stessy he recommended and sold me some Milbemax tablets as she’s too young for the spot-on treatments, and he suggests giving everyone Milbemax every now and then.
No, I hadn’t thought of that. But I don't think it’s true, because otherwise they wouldn't do the incision on the belly anymore.
My cats have always had theirs done on the stomach and everything has always gone perfectly well. Mind you, I wonder if it’s to do with age, but Cléo—who’s just had her op and is nearly 6 months old—recovered super fast. By the following evening she was full of beans and hasn’t bothered her stitches at all, whereas my other cats who had it on their bellies took longer and messed with them quite a bit.
Ah, right, thanks. So it’s just a case of it being easier through the belly then; that’s what I thought. And did you ask the vet about the risk of a hernia?
So I’ve just seen my vet and he basically just said ‘it’s a matter of technique’. He told me it’s easier to reach both ovaries through the belly, whereas doing it from the side is more complicated, but it all depends on the vet and their preference. Nothing more than that...
