Spay and Neuters on Dogs/Cats in Bucharest

Animal Spay and Neuter International exhibited at two conferences this year The British Small Animal Veterinary Association in Manchester and The London Vet Show in November. Five members of the team attended, three vets and two trustees.

The aim of the exhibition was to promote spaying and neutering and the general promotion of our charity and the campaigns we hold in Romania. As well as advertising our Veterinary Training Camp where the surgical techniques used by our vets can be learned.

The surgical technique used by our vets at all campaigns is the “Hook Technique” This provides a minimally invasive operation leaving a small wound as small as one and half centimetres. Through this the entire reproductive system can be removed both Uterus and ovaries. It is a procedure that can be done within a few minutes, our vets can carry it out in 6 minutes. All this serves the animal in many ways: less trauma on the body, less recovery time and stitches are few so the animal is less likely to burst them afterwards.

The Hook Technique was learnt by our head vet Dr Aurelian Stefan in the USA, he subsequently came home and taught it to his team of vets. This allows for mass spay campaigns in Romania to be carried out operating on 50-100 dogs and cats in one day where funding allows. To provide surgery for this number of animals a large team is always involved consisting of at least three Veterinary Surgeons, four Veterinary Technicians and around eight volunteers. Volunteers help with the preparation for surgery and monitoring the animals in recovery.

All the above was promoted at the exhibitions as many had not heard of our charity and the work that we do which is essential for the animals in Romania. Spaying and Neutering remains the most effective way to reduce the animals on the streets and in shelters and the only solution to combat the stray animal population.

Links:

• ASNI Website

ASNI operates on both cats and dogs; cats have special needs in comparison as they are more vulnerable due to their size under anaesthesia. A cat’s normal core temperature is 38.3 - 39.2 Celsius (101 – 102.5 in Fahrenheit) A low temperature can set in rapidly on the operating table, anything below 36.6 is considered Hypothermic. So, it is essential after surgery to monitor a cat’s temperature and act accordingly. ASNI now has a new Mistral Air Plus 11 Air Warming System. This provides blankets that have hot air blown into them to keep cats and small dogs warm.

The Veterinary Surgeons will use the hook spay method again to provide minimally invasive surgery. Pre-meds given to cats will be administered in their carriers before surgery calmly and quickly without the need for “scruffing” or crush cages to do so. Cats take longer than dogs to wake up after surgery and can take up to two hours so often an anaesthetic reversal is needed to maintain their core temperature. Cats are more prone to vomiting during recovery also, due to difficulty in maintaining nil-by-mouth prior to surgical procedures. So careful monitoring is essential. Once awake it is also important to put the cat into a carrier as soon as possible as the effects of the anaesthesia can affect them behaviourally.

All these actions help maintain homeostasis in a cat throughout the surgical procedure.

Links:

• ASNI Website