This week marks World Spay Day! This is a day to celebrate the work of our vet teams and raise awareness about the importance of neutering for animal welfare.  

To celebrate, we wanted to take you through the steps of a surgery by our Mayhew Georgia team. 

First, all dogs scheduled for surgeries for the day are checked in and held in our pre-op area. When it is time for their operation, they are brought out by our team and given an overall vet check in the prepping area of the clinic.  

Once the dog has had its weight, temperature, and heartrate checked they are given an initial shot for sedation, then pre-medication, and given some time to let that set in. It normally takes up to 20 minutes before the dog is fully unconscious. They are simultaneously given pain relief that lasts for 24 hours and antibiotics, so that they will be comfortable upon waking up from the anaesthesia. 

Once the anaesthetic has completely set in, it is time to prep the dog for surgery. Step one is ear tagging the dog, to show that they have been neutered and vaccinated. This helps monitor numbers and identify dogs that have been operated on already. After that, the dog’s lower abdomen, where the surgical site will be,  needs to be shaved and thoroughly cleaned with an antiseptic and anti-bacterial wash. This area needs to be completely void of any dirt and hair to for optimum sterility and will help to prevent any post-op complications with the healing process.  

Once the dog is prepped, it is time for surgery! They are taken into the surgery room in the clinic and placed on the operating table. Their front and back paws are gently stretched out and secured. This positioning eases the surgery and helps with recovery time, as stretching the muscles allows the vets to make a smaller incision in the animal. 

The surgeries last for about twenty minutes, and our team resets the station before the next dog comes through. 

When the operation is completed and the animal has been stitched up, they are brought back to the post-op area, made warm and comfortable and we wait for the anaesthesia to wear off. Once they begin to stir again, they are tempted with some food to encourage more movement and to give them some extra energy. Their pain relief is still in effect, so there is minimal post-op discomfort.  

At this point, the dog should be up and moving nicely again, and their carer will be waiting for them in the clinic reception. Carers are given instructions on post-operative care and to look out for any signs of possible post-operative problems, such as soreness from licking or long-term discomfort.  

The Mayhew Georgia team neutered over 2,100 animals in 2022, and with a new permanent clinic in Tbilisi, we are sure those numbers will only increase this year. We are incredibly proud of the work our team does to improve the health and welfare of these animals through neutering, today and every day.  

We are also grateful for the support of the Edgard Cooper Foundation who funded the setup of our clinic in Tbilisi and our pop-up clinics in the regions of  Georgia.