In January I wrote a piece called, “A Different Way to Spay” (
http://speakingforspot.com/blog/?p=1931) describing two techniques for performing spay surgeries. The method widely embraced in the United States is ovariohysterectomy (OVH) in which both ovaries as well as the uterus are removed. The second way to spay- popular in many other countries- is ovariectomy (OVE) in which only the ovaries are removed and the uterus is left behind.
Charlotte, OVE spay at 7 months © Kathie Meier
Since publishing the piece, many of you wrote to me expressing your frustration at not being able to find a veterinarian willing to perform OVE surgery. I’ve written about those comments and provided an overall update on this topic for PetConnection.com- I sure hope you will read it (http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2011/03/15/a-better-way-to-spay-your-dog-that-you-probably-never-heard-about/). Additionally, Dr. Tim McCarthy, a wonderful PetConnection colleague provided a response blog discussing the benefits of performing spays via laparoscopy- a form of minimally invasive surgery (http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2011/03/17/another-better-way-to-spay-that-you-probably-never-heard-of/).
I look forward to your feedback about both articles. If you are new to PetConnection, I hope you will follow my blog posts there as well as the ones you find here at Spot Speaks.
Best wishes for good health,
Nancy Kay, DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
Recipient, American Animal Hospital Association Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award
Recipient, Dog Writers Association of America Award for Best Blog
Recipient, Eukanuba Canine Health Award
Recipient, AKC Club Publication Excellence Award
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Please visit http://www.speakingforspot.com to read excerpts from Speaking for Spot. There you will also find “Advocacy Aids”- helpful health forms you can download and use for your own dog, and a collection of published articles on advocating for your pet’s health. Speaking for Spot is available at Amazon.com, local bookstores, and your favorite online book seller.