Introduction to Abdominal Surgery:
Abdominal surgery constitutes a number of possibilities; any surgical procedure involving the stomach or intestines, the liver or spleen, the pancreas, the kidney, bladder or other parts of the urinary tract, the reproductive tract, the gall bladder, and of course, the removal or repair of tumors, foreign objects, and injuries.
The average veterinary practitioner has a great deal of experience with opening up the abdominal cavity because of all the spays we do and because of the fairly high number of dogs who eat inappropriate things that get stuck in the intestines.
Most of us are also fairly used to removing bladder stones, doing C-Sections, repairing hernias, and doing "exploratories" as well.
But despite our familiarity with the abdominal cavity, anytime we open up the abdomen, especially to remove or repair organs, it's a major surgery with many types of potential dangers involved.
Anytime a fluid containing organ is opened up (stomach, intestines, uterus, bladder, gall bladder) great care has to be taken to make sure there are no leaks on the one hand, and minimal scar tissue, constriction, and adhesions on the other hand.
The removal of major organs such as the kidney, spleen, or parts of the liver or pancreas require a lot of experience, speed, and precision. These are also highly vascular organs needing lots of ligatures to control bleeding and are often difficult to get to without retraction, so for some of these surgeries, surgical nurses or assistants are needed.
For these reasons, many abdominal surgeries are referred to specialists. Another reason for referral is that many of these patients will need 24 hour post op fluids and other recovery care for several days.
Once again, I've chosen too broad a topic. Abdominal surgery can be anything from the uncomplicated spay of a young cat that goes home the same day as if nothing much happened to the removal of a cancerous kidney or a gut-shot hound dog with multiple holes in the intestinal system and a hemorrhaging spleen...both cases needing aggressive fluids, transfusions, abdominal suction, hours of surgery, and extensive post op care. A little prayer helps in these cases too.
In most all cases, though, whether expected to be routine or high-risk, your surgeon will take care to pre-examine the patient, recommend pre-anesthetic testing, pre-medicate with medications to minimize pain and reduce the amount of anesthesia needed, and have everything ready in case there are problems.
What problems? Well, lots of things can go wrong.
Vomiting and aspiration.
Cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Trouble with clotting.
Necrotic, septic, or abnormal tissue that tears in your hand.
Equipment that fails to work.
Electricity that goes out in the middle of a procedure. Heart attack of the surgeon. Armed robbery of the clinic during the surgery. I'm getting a little carried away here. Sorry. But it's true that every once in a while things get a little hairy during surgery and we have to be ready for trouble. And you should understand that the costs and outcomes can be quite variable...it all depends on the extent of the problem, the number of problems incurred, and any number of other factors. Be prepared for the possibility of bad result and be understanding. If your general practitioner recommends referral to a specialist; take the advice. Some of these cases are a big deal!
For a more detailed discussion of different intestinal problems, please go to our page about Intestinal Diseases.
I intend to discuss actual abdominal surgeries soon to include:
Surgical removal of objects from the intestines
Surgical removal of sections of the intestines damaged from trauma
Surgical removal of the spleen, liver lobes, and gall bladder.
Bladder surgery to include the removal of bladder stones
Surgery to correct Gastric Torsions
Ultrasonagraphy
Laparoscopy surgery
On This Page:
A discussion about doing surgery in the abdominal cavity of dogs and cats. This includes surgery of the intestines, spleen, bladder, kidneys, liver, pancreas, adrenal glands, as well as surgery within the cavity to remove tumors, bullets and so forth.
Abdominal surgery also includes surgery of the female reproductive tract and hernia repair
This page is still a work in progress and is mostly just an introduction/first draft
On Other Pages:
Surgery
Spays (Ovariohysterectomies) in Dogs, Cats, and Other Pets
Includes an interesting short history about a women doctor pretending to be a man performing the first modern C Section
Castration in Dogs, Cats, and Other Pets. Includes recipes for Rocky Mountain Oysters, Montana Tendergroins, and Swinging Beef. What Viagra is made from.
I thought you'd fine this interesting
On Other Pages:
malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, plague, heartworms, Rift Valley Fever, Lymes Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tick Paralysis, Monkey Pox, etc
Heartworms; a parasite spread by mosquitos that causes severe heart, vascular, and respiratory disease in dogs, cats, and maybe humans.
Denistry: why oral hygiene and health is so important and what you can do about it
Orthopedics: How I treat arthritis, pannus, hip dysplasia, and other problems of the bones and joints
Metabolic Diseases like Diabetes, Cushings Disease, Addison's Disease, and Thyroid Disease
History of Veterinary Medicine in the United States
The Pharmacy Page; about the medicines we use as well as information about alternative medicines
