Pet Surgery with Less Pain: The MIS Advantage

Pet Surgery with Less Pain: The MIS Advantage

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a technique in surgery that utilizes specialized tools and small incisions to perform surgery with minimum tissue damage compared to conventional surgery. This approach is becoming more prevalent in veterinary medicine following years of use in human medicine. 

MIS offers several benefits to pets, including decreased pain, reduced scarring, faster recovery times, and a lower risk of complications. This article highlights five specific benefits of MIS for pets: smaller incisions, decreased post-operative pain, a faster return to normal activities, shorter hospital stays, and a lower risk of infection.

5 Advantages of MIS for Pets

Here are the top five benefits of opting for MIS for your pets.

Smaller Incisions

MIS enables surgeons to access pets’ internal body cavities and organs without needing large incisions. In contrast, traditional surgeons performing abdominal surgery require sizable incisions to view the surgical area, manipulate necessary structures, and insert their hands into the body cavity. 

MIS uses small cameras and surgical instruments inserted through tiny incisions to locate organs, cut tissue, and ligate vessels. This technology replaces surgical incisions up to 12 inches long with a few millimeter-long incisions. Though the entire surgical area must be shaved to create a sterile field, fewer sutures are required to close the small incisions. You can also try to visit https://www.springanimalhospital.com/site/veterinary-surgery-long-beach to learn more about surgeries. 

Reduced Blood Loss

Excessive blood loss during surgery increases the risk of surgical complications such as hypotension and hypothermia. Surgeons utilize precise techniques to minimize blood loss during surgery by Spring Animal Hospital Long Beach vets, such as strategically planning an incision’s location and ligating or cauterizing small blood vessels to avoid this whenever possible. When a large surgical incision is necessary, reducing your pet’s incision makes it easier to avoid major blood vessels and prevent blood loss.

Less Pain

MIS uses technology to keep pets comfortable and reduce pain during and after surgery. Smaller incisions reduce your pet’s pain, while a large incision to access a body cavity can cause significant pain by severing skin, muscles, and nerves. 

Even though your pet is sedated during the procedure and not in pain, its body can still respond to the stimulus. Additional medication may be necessary to keep your pet adequately sedated. Analgesics also make your pet’s recovery as comfortable as possible.

Shorter Hospitalization Time

While vets provide excellent care when your pet is in the hospital, you want them to return home as soon as possible. Since there are no lengthy incisions to suture, surgical times are frequently reduced. 

Less time under anesthesia will likely result in a quicker recovery for your pet. Less pain, less bleeding, and less post-operative swelling can all contribute to a shorter hospital stay for pets undergoing surgery. If you are looking into the benefits of pet wellness care, you can also try to ask your vet about it.

Faster Recovery Time

MIS helps your pet recover quickly and with fewer complications. Pets who undergo MIS recover faster and feel better than traditional surgery. However, pet owners should be reminded that their pets’ internal surgical sites are still fragile, even though they may appear to have recovered and feel great. Pets with shorter recuperation times may require fewer rechecks and follow-up visits.