As a pet owner, you know that spaying your four-legged friend has many benefits—but, are you concerned about traumatizing your pet? Our Aloha Veterinary Hospital team understands your concern, and we provide information about a LOVE spay to help you determine if this option is right for your pet.

Benefits of spaying your pet

Spaying your pet has many benefits for your pet, for you, and your community, such as:

  • Reducing your pet’s risk of mammary cancer — About 25% of unspayed pets develop mammary cancer, a potentially fatal disease, but a pet who is spayed before their first heat has a near zero risk.
  • Reducing your pet’s risk of pyometra — Pyometra is a serious, often life-threatening, uterine infection that typically affects middle-aged and older female pets in the weeks following heat. Hormone changes that prepare the uterus for potential pregnancy suppress immune function, making the uterus an easy target for bacteria. Spaying helps prevent this dangerous infection.
  • Prevents heat — In-heat female pets can disrupt your household by attracting male dogs, vocalizing excessively, and bleeding. Spaying your pet ensures they won’t go into heat.
  • Saves you money — Spaying your pet saves you the expense of caring for a litter of puppies or kittens.
  • Fights pet overpopulation — Every year, millions of cats and dogs are euthanized or wander the streets as strays. Spaying your pet helps keep pets out of shelters and off the streets.

Traditional spay procedure for pets

A traditional spay procedure is performed under general anesthesia, and involves making an abdominal incision below the pet’s belly button and removing the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus. The surgery typically takes about 15 to 20 minutes in cats and 20 to 90 minutes in dogs, depending on the pet’s age, size, and timing in her heat cycle.

LOVE spay procedure for pets

A LOVE spay is a laparoscopic ovariectomy. The LOVE spay, which is also performed under general anesthesia, involves passing a camera and instrumentation through Three small incisions to remove the pet’s ovaries, leaving the uterus intact. The pet’s abdomen is filled with CO₂ gas to help our veterinary team visualize the surgical field. A LOVE spay’s benefits include:

  • Reduced pain — Research has demonstrated that pets undergoing a laparoscopic procedure rather than a traditional spay feel about 65% less pain.  Because of this we are able to decrease the use of analgesic pain medications.
  • Smaller surgical wounds — A surgical incision in a traditional spay is about 5 cm to 15 cm long, whereas the small incisions that a LOVE spay requires are about 0.5 cm to 1 cm. Smaller incisions mean a speedier recovery.
  • Faster return to normal function — After a traditional spay, pets typically must rest for about 10 to 14 days to prevent inflammation and swelling at the incision site, but after a LOVE spay, they typically need only two to three days of rest.
  • Reduced complication risk — The LOVE spay minimizes anesthesia time, and reduces associated complications.
  • Reduced bleeding — During a LOVE spay, electrocautery is used to seal blood vessels before they are cut, which reduces bleeding during surgery and decreases the risk of future bleeding. In a traditional spay, blood vessels are tied off with sutures, which can potentially loosen or slip.

FAQs about the LOVE spay procedure for pets

Many pet owners have questions concerning a LOVE spay. Here are our answers:

Question: Is a LOVE spay appropriate for all pets?

Answer:  While the LOVE spay is beneficial for most pets, the procedure isn’t appropriate for all pets, such as:

  • Extremely small pets — A traditional spay is safer for pets who are too small for the laparoscopic camera and instruments to fit in their abdomen.
  • Ill pets — Pets who have pyometra require a traditional spay to safely remove the uterus.
  • Uterine abnormalities — If uterine abnormalities are discovered during the procedure, we may need to convert to a traditional spay.  

Q: Why does a LOVE spay cost more than a traditional procedure?

A: The LOVE spay requires advanced training and highly specialized equipment, including tiny cameras, special instruments, and video screens as well as the use of a ventilator to ensure adquate breathing patterns during the procedure.  

Q: Is my pet still at risk for pyometra and uterine cancer? 

A: Pyometra and uterine cancers are mostly driven by female hormones produced by the ovaries. Removing the ovaries prevents hormone production, and the pyometra and uterine cancer risk is extremely low for pets who undergo a LOVE spay before their first heat cycle.

Q: Are there drawbacks to a LOVE spay?

A: Complications can occur in any abdominal surgery, such as mild hernia, infection, or hematoma formation but are extremely rare during a LOVE spay.  A minor concern could be licking or irritation at the incision sites which may be treated with healing topical gels and therapy laser treatments.  There is the potential that a LOVE Spay may need to be converted to a traditional spay intra-op if there is any pathology or additional visualization of the abdomen is required.

If your pet needs to be spayed, contact our Aloha Veterinary Hospital team, so we can determine if your pet is a good candidate for a LOVE spay.