Has anyone opted for this over a regular spay? My vet does not offer it but a neighbouring one does. The promise of a quicker recovery time with much less pain really draws me to the idea. Poppy is a very energetic puppy and I have no idea how I will manage to keep her still for a few days after the op!

The cost is a factor as it is £120 over and above a regular spay, but if there are real benefits we will find the money somehow! I'm not looking for a debate on what age to spay. We have researched thoroughly and have come to the conclusion that before her first season will be best for Poppy and the family.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has had a keyhole spay on their bitch.

Thankyou x

I haven't had any experience of this myself but if u can afford the extra, I would definitely go for key-hole spay, it's got to be far less invasive on your puppy so recovery and pain will be less. It's a no brainer for me if u can afford it xxxx


Dawn, Shellsie and Biggles xxxx

By the way, Poppy is absolutely adorable xxx

I have ben researching this for Kizzy as she is very bouncy and I am worried about her ripping stitches etc so would opt for this if I could. Unfortunately i can't find anyone in the south wales area that does this op. Nevertheless I would consider her size when thinking of this as in small/ young dogs spaying is more of a challenge (due to the size of the organs). I would contact this vet who presumably does both types of op and find out what they would recomend for the age/size of poppy. If key hole is fine then I'd go for it if you can afford it .

my sister had one(on herself) lol

My understanding is that it has the advantage of being less invasive, but offers no protection against pyometra.

I understood that there is a very strong hormonal link with pyometra and that by removing the ovaries you are removing this risk. I'm happy to be corrected if I am wrong though - I really want to know as much as possible before we make the choice of how to spay Poppy.

Hi Niandsa,
I researched this about 18 months ago when I was looking to get a foster dog spayed. I couldn't find anyone local offering it (and I don't know if dt would have sprung for it ) but I certainly like the idea.
I hope you aren't going to regret your choice about when to spay: I've got/had dogs that have been spayed before and after their first season, and I'd definitely go for after: it seems to me that if they are spayed a bit later they behave much more maturely. Could be wrong though: only a sample of three.
Dave

We've opted for the keyhole op and it's costing extra (£70 I think they said on top of the normal op).
3 weeks to go and counting!!
From memory Dawn's Luna had the keyhole op, I think it might have been at vets4pets (I may have dreamt that) who I considered but the nearest branch was a bit far away and my vet has a hospital branch nearby that does it.

This was what we were told when researching it for a foster. But having read your post I have been looking at various comments online, it seems that infection is rare when the uterus had shrunk. Other comments are that bitches are more likely to stay continent as the bladder has the support of the uterus (don't know if this is true).

I think it is a case of going with your gut feeling.

We intend to go for the normal spay, but we intend to leave it until she is over two years old in part so she isn't quite so bouncey and is more mature. I have read there are certain physical benefits to leaving them 'whole' until they are a more mature adult.

hi Luna's spay was done at vets4pets but it wasnt keyhole. i was very pleased though. all the stitches were disolvable (no stitches were visable from the outside). the only thing i could see what a neat thin line. and no need for a cone - bonus
my vet advised me to do it at around 6 months because there was no evidence to show that it mattered whether you waited for their first season or not and that she would heal quicker being younger. this is of course just one vets opionion but i decided to trust him. (and after reading what some dogs go through having their first season it makes me glad i did!) each to their own though, we all do research on it and we all make decisions that we think are the best for our dog

We've just picked Chica up from the vet after her keyhole spay.
I've been pacing up and down all day like an expectant father waiting for the phone call to say we could collect her
She's still a bit groggy from the anaesthetic but is obviously hungry, not having eaten all day. I was surprised to see her trotting out of the surgery. We gave her a small amount to eat which disappeared very quickly so if she isn't sick I'll let her have a bit more later.
As for the keyhole op, it's maybe not what I expected. I don't want to manhandle her too much at the moment but I didn't realise there would be 3 small incisions - it looks like she's had buttonholes fitted.
Anyway, the deed is done and we just have to try and keep her calm for a week.................hmmmm

I hope Chica recovers quickly.
Could you keep us updated on how she does as I am considering keyhole too but would need to travel a way to get it done and would like to know if it really does give a quicker recovery time and is therefore worth doing?

I don't remember how long it took our last dog to recover from her spay op - it was over 20 years ago, but Chica has shown no signs of pain after the op. She was give an initial pain killer injection that was supposed to last up to 24 hours and didn't show any discomfort after that. I stayed up with her for the first 2 nights in case she had any problems, which she didn't. She is her normal lively self and the incisions have healed quickly, just abit of bruising showing. I'm glad to say she has shown little interest in licking the stiches ( I can't actually see the stitches - not even with my glasses on ) so we have got by without either the stiff collar the vet supplied or the comfy collar we bought in advance.
I've just come back from her evening walk and the first thing she did was doodle dash round the living room which we managed to put a stop to fairly quickly. I knew it wasn't going to be easy stopping her getting excited. On the plus side we only have to stop her running, jumping and getting excited for 7 days and not the 10 days I was originally told, and we're half way there already. She has to have a check up on Wednesday which I'm sure will be fine.
All in all it's been ok. But whether the keyhole is worth the extra I couldn't say.