# Ovariectomy or ovariohysterectomy?



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Wow, I find it really odd that your Vet would do that and not even mention it to you!
I read about it prior to doing Timi's, and wound up doing a traditional spay because in an open procedure it would wind up being a much larger incision, and my feeling was "if you are not using it, why keep it and leave a potential for something to go wrong with it at a later date?"
One of Timi's cousins though had it done - she had to take a overnight trip to find someone who could do it laparoscopically. Her feeling was "if it doesn't have to be removed, why not keep it?" She said that without the ovaries manufacturing the hormones, that there was no risk of pyometria. I am not sure that I believe that because I have heard of bitches having "stump pyometria" if just a little bit of tissue is inadvertently left in (one of the reasons that I felt it important to have the best veterinary surgeon in NYC do Timi, not just the regular vet - figured she would be much less likely to make such a mistake).
Anyhow, I don't think that is necessarily a bad choice, but I find it very very odd that your Vet would make that choice for you and not even mention it! I would sure have a talk with them about it - I have had major issues with Vet's making medical decisions for my dogs without my knowledge (my old vet doing that I believe cost Taylee a year of her life - he said cost her "3-4 months", so we did not agree on the length of time, but there was an admission of guilt, and that is why he is my old vet and not my current one), so I would have a huge problem with my vet if I were you....


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Eh, I have faith in my vet to make the best decision based on current research, and she had to spay her while I was in class so we couldn't discuss the method anyway--it was an emergency. The notes say it was confirmed that all ovarian tissue was removed, so, no real chance of pyometra. I have read that the odds of uterine cancer are well under 1%. 

Here's what my veterinary hospital has to say:

http://adobe-animal.com/LosAltos/form/Spaying.pdf


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Timi's surgeon said that her uterus looked odd, "boggy" I think she said. She concluded that maybe she was about to go into heat, but the look on her face made me think that she wasn't really confident that that was the case, so I have a feeling that even if I had requested only the ovaries being removed, she would have recommended doing the hysterectomy as well, so I am glad that it is gone.
But, that was Timi, I have not read anything that would contradict what your Vet wrote, and I am sure it is fine.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Wow! I am sorry I missed this before, but saw Maisie's remarkable recovery on your video of her zooming around with the cone on...silly girl. I think that's wonderful how well she's doing. It's nice to have a vet you can count on and trust to do right by your dog. Glad she's well on the way to getting that cone off.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I asked my vet about doing the reverse of an ovariectomy--I wanted her to remove Jazz's uterus and leave the ovaries, so she wouldn't have an obvious heat but would continue to produce hormones. My vet flatly refused, wouldn't even consider it, but that's done for human females, so it sounded like a reasonable request to me. I wish I'd looked for someone else to do it, but this vet had taken care of our animals for ten years, so...


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

JudyD said:


> I asked my vet about doing the reverse of an ovariectomy--I wanted her to remove Jazz's uterus and leave the ovaries, so she wouldn't have an obvious heat but would continue to produce hormones. My vet flatly refused, wouldn't even consider it, but that's done for human females, so it sounded like a reasonable request to me. I wish I'd looked for someone else to do it, but this vet had taken care of our animals for ten years, so...


It's a very reasonable request! Not a lot of vets do it, though. There is one locally that just opened up in my area that does ovary sparing spay. It's been a huge hit!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

JudyD said:


> I asked my vet about doing the reverse of an ovariectomy--I wanted her to remove Jazz's uterus and leave the ovaries, so she wouldn't have an obvious heat but would continue to produce hormones. My vet flatly refused, wouldn't even consider it, but that's done for human females, so it sounded like a reasonable request to me. I wish I'd looked for someone else to do it, but this vet had taken care of our animals for ten years, so...



If that is what you want for your dog, then you should find a Vet who will do it. Do they have a surgeon that they bring in for more complicated procedures? If so, perhaps they could do it. If not, is there a teaching hospital near you?
I would have liked for Timi to keep her hormones because I think it is healthier, but still having her go through the heat cycles would mean way to much time away from the dog park so we opted for the traditional spay.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Keeping the hormones will result in a higher rate of mammary problems.
Losing the uterus will result in a higher incidence of prolapse.
Removing the ovaries only is the least invasive and most healthy alternative for dogs, provided they are fully developed. This procedure can be carried out laproscopically. However few vets are trained or experienced in this procedure.
Eric:angel2:


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

ericwd9 said:


> Keeping the hormones will result in a higher rate of mammary problems.
> Losing the uterus will result in a higher incidence of prolapse.
> Removing the ovaries only is the least invasive and most healthy alternative for dogs, provided they are fully developed. This procedure can be carried out laproscopically. However few vets are trained or experienced in this procedure.
> Eric:angel2:



Higher rate of prolapse of what? Really I don't know what you are speaking of, please enlighten me!


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## peccan (Aug 26, 2014)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Higher rate of prolapse of what? Really I don't know what you are speaking of, please enlighten me!


Vaginal/uterine stump prolapse, I wager.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

peccan said:


> Vaginal/uterine stump prolapse, I wager.



In a well done spay there is no uterine stump, correct?


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## blueroan (Dec 28, 2015)

There isn't, so that sounds a bit strange to me. Believe me, I went to vet tech school but didn't get a job later. But I've seen tons of spays and neuters.

I haven't seen the ovaries only one but it does sound like it'd be a bit more fiddly as the ovaries are hard to grab and the uterus isn't! I'd probably go for the traditional one as I think that is shorter surgery and the less time they are under anesthesia the better.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

Hmm..leaving the ovaries and removing the uterus does not sound appealing to me. As a show person/breeder I have kept many intact bitches over the years. The only thing that removing the uterus (not ovaries) would do is keep the hear cycle from being messy. The system is still being bombarded with hormones. My Scottie bitches always turned brainless and silly when in heat, sometimes housebreaking went out the window for a couple of weeks to a month. It's the ovarian hormones doing that. Also, I imagine that they would still be attractive to males. I'd rather have a more stable temperament to live with. 

I did have one bitch with pyometra, and it was scary enough to make me stick with traditional spay for my girls. We saved her with an emergency spay, thank goodness, but she was really sick. Maybe the effect of the procedure is different when you are spaying a youngster, 6 months old to a year, rather than a 5 year old like I have usually done .


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

blueroan said:


> There isn't, so that sounds a bit strange to me. Believe me, I went to vet tech school but didn't get a job later. But I've seen tons of spays and neuters.
> 
> I haven't seen the ovaries only one but it does sound like it'd be a bit more fiddly as the ovaries are hard to grab and the uterus isn't! I'd probably go for the traditional one as I think that is shorter surgery and the less time they are under anesthesia the better.


The ovariectomy is quicker, which is one of the reasons it's preferred by some vets.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

sidewinder said:


> Hmm..leaving the ovaries and removing the uterus does not sound appealing to me.


Yes, I can't think of a reason why anyone would want that surgery--it just doesn't make sense :confused3: 

A traditional spay is probably best for the majority of dogs, but for a vet who knows what she or he is doing, the ovariectomy seems like a smart choice. Maizie is my guinea pig for that, so we'll see how she does.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

zooeysmom said:


> Yes, I can't think of a reason why anyone would want that surgery--it just doesn't make sense :confused3:
> 
> 
> 
> A traditional spay is probably best for the majority of dogs, but for a vet who knows what she or he is doing, the ovariectomy seems like a smart choice. Maizie is my guinea pig for that, so we'll see how she does.



The reason is because they think it is healthier for the dog to retain their hormones but don't want to risk puppies or pyometria.


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