At Sitara Animal Hospital we are able to perform many different abdominal surgeries, such as:

Cystotomy:

There are a number of signs that may indicate that a dog has bladder stones and requires surgery. Some of the first signs include difficulty with urination, or frequent urination where only a small amount of urine is produced. Bloody urine is another sign. Some dogs do not show any evidence of bladder stones at all and the condition will only be discovered during the course of a normal exam.

The surgical removal of bladder stones in dogs is known as cystotomy. The dog is placed under anaesthesia and laid on its back. An incision is made in the front of the pelvis, going through the abdominal wall. The bladder is brought out of the incision and opened up. The stones are removed and then the bladder and urethra are flushed with a sterile saline solution before the bladder is closed and replaced. The abdominal wall is then closed up with sutures. The stones will be sent to a lab for analysis and a nutritional recommendation to avoid new stones from forming will be made.

Exploratory Surgery:

Occasional vomiting is relatively common in dogs. Most dogs will at some point throw up food, grass, acorns, weeds, small rocks, pebbles, berries, water or even a dog toy. If your dog looks ill or if the vomiting occurs more than once, let your vet examine him, especially if he’s throwing up blood or dry-heaving. In some instances, exploratory surgery may become necessary to determine the cause of the vomiting.

At Sitara Animal Hospital we will start by taking a complete medical history and a thorough physical exam. If warranted lab work, x-rays or a contrast study may be performed. An exploratory surgery may become necessary to remove a foreign body (eg. dog toy, leash, cloth) or to obtain biopsies (tissue samples) for microscopic examination.

Splenectomy:

Splenectomy is a kind of surgery in which spleen is removed from the abdominal cavity. Common indications for splenectomy include splenic neoplasia, severe splenic trauma or splenic torsion.

Gastric Dilitation Volvulus (GDV):

GDV, commonly known as bloat, is a life threatening, acute condition that requires immediate medical attention. Certain breeds are more prone to this condition: Boxers, Great Danes, Standard Poodles, Saint Bernards, Irish Setters, Dobermans, Weimaraners and Gordon Setters. These breeds are considered deep-chested (large chest and narrow waist) but any similarly shaped dog can be at risk.

Diagnosis of GDV is made based on physical examination, history and abdominal x-rays. Often GDV happens when a pet eats a large meal and then becomes very active. Initially the dog may become restless, try to vomit or retch continuously but is unable to produce any vomit. This is because the stomach has twisted, preventing anything entering from entering or exiting the digestive system. The pressure inside the stomach starts to increase and the dog may salivate and pant excessively. As the patient’s condition progresses they become lethargic, have a swollen stomach and eventually collapse. If not treated, the internal organs can be damaged and without timely treatment this condition is fatal.

The goals of treatment are to reduce the pressure in the stomach and return the stomach to its normal position. During the surgery, the stomach and internal organs are examined for damage and then the stomach is attached to the body wall to prevent a reoccurrence.

Prophylactic suturing of the stomach is sometimes advised in breeds predisposed to GDV during routine surgeries for other causes (spay or neuter).