[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by Boomer

I am not at all familiar with any kind of spaying other than the method that has been around forever.

But I am familiar with pyometra in dogs.......

I had never heard of this potentially deadly uterine infection until a sweet little dog I know gave everybody a big scare. She was 10 pounds and 14 years old and had never been spayed because her owner was all about natural ways.....

Everything turned out OK. Warning signs were caught very early and the little dog is still with her family, after having a very late-in-life spaying.

If you choose to read more about this infection, that can lead to sepsis, you will see that hormones enter the picture and theoretically, I suppose, if the ovaries are removed, there go the hormones. But I know I would worry about leaving the uterus behind if that is what this laproscopic spaying does. (I still am not clear, from the post above, whether the uterus remains, or not.)

Any medical decision requires weighing risk vs. benefit. It sounds like your mind is made up, but I thought I would share this little story in case you are unaware of potentially life-threatening uterine infections in dogs and want to learn more. Of course, Risk vs. Benefit is not seen in the same way by everyone.

(This info might be of interest to others who have older female dogs who have never been spayed.)

Originally Posted by fromHHDS

The risk of developing a pyometra is so great for female dogs who keep their uterus, that I highly recommend a total OHE.

Originally Posted by Amory

Because they don't want to spend the money on the specialized equipment needed. This does make the laparoscopic surgery more expensive. As far as leaving the uterus I feel if the ovary removal wasn't safe it wouldn't be recommended.

Thank you (Boomer & HHDS) for confirming what I've previously mentioned regarding laparoscopic surgery for dogs. Yes -- the uterus is still in tact because it is impossible to remove with that kind of surgery.

To the O.P., Amory -- yes -- removing the ovaries is safe, however, leaving the uterus may not be so safe.
Once again, I am curious to ask a third time:
Why are you so hell-bent on the laparoscoptic surgery if it means that leaving the uterus could present a serious future problem for your pet (a dog, I assume)???

I believe if you asked most vets why they don't perform that type of spay it isn't necessarily because of the cost of the equipment. It's probably because of the potential threat of what not removing the uterus could lead up to.

BTW -- none of this has anything to do with a tubal ligation which is not done on dogs.