As pet owners, you’ve likely considered having your pet spayed. A procedure to remove the reproductive organs of a female dog or cat, it often comes with a number of benefits, hence making it common practice among pet owners. Not only does it prevent unwanted pregnancies, spaying also reduces chances of illnesses in reproductive organs to zero. In some cases, this has also resulted in a positive behavioural change.

However, as a surgical procedure, spaying often requires a standard amount of recovery time. Your pet has to be constantly monitored to ensure that it isn’t picking too much at its stitches and reopening the wound. In addition, it’s also required to limit your pet’s movements as much as possible during its recovery period to prevent the wound from reopening.

All these cons that come with spaying can actually be alleviated with laparoscopic spaying or lap spay, for short.

Unlike the regular spaying procedure which is performed through a five to ten centimetre incision in the abdomen, lap spaying is done through two punctures in the abdomen that are a mere five to six millimetres long and require a single stitch to close. This means that your pet will experience minimal post-operational discomfort and a faster recovery period. According to a study done in the 2005 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, laparoscopic spays cause less surgical stress and up to 65% less postoperative pain, highlighting the drastic difference that it can make for your pet.

This was tried and tested when Karl Storz – Endoscopy worked and the Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA) collaborated to perform lap spays for 51 stray dogs in Bali. The four day event, Lapspay for a Cause was a community service event attended by vets from all around the region to learn more about the benefits of lap spaying as well as the technique of it.

The advantages of laparoscopic spaying are particularly crucial for Bali dogs—a majority of which are strays or community dogs—at the event. The quick recovery time and small wound meant that there’s a lower chance of infection and other complications, which for these street dogs, could mean the difference between life and death.

They were also able to be returned to their regular environment quickly with little to no need for a regular administration of painkillers or close supervision. Sounds impossible? Here’s a video of one of the dogs at the event who was up and about fresh out of her lap spay seemingly no worse for wear.

Her mobility and comfort is evident and proves to be a game-changer in the world of spaying and for your pet as well. Most importantly, follow up reports on all the canines that the Lapspay for a Cause event had operated on confirmed that there was no morbidity nor mortalities among them.

If you’re considering spaying your pet and aren’t sure how well your pet will handle it or are looking for a minimally invasive and as painless option possible, then lap spaying may be what you are looking for. For the sake of your pet’s health and comfort, as well as your own peace of mind, laparoscopic spaying could be the answer and very well the future of spaying.