Complications and surgery time for sutureless castration in young dogs

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To determine complication rates associated with sutureless scrotal castration (SLSC) performed in a large number of pediatric and juvenile dogs and investigate whether procedure duration differed from that of traditional prescrotal castration (TPSC). DESIGN Prospective case series and clinical trial. ANIMALS 400 shelter-owned dogs that underwent SLSC and 18 shelter-owned dogs that underwent TPSC between 2 and 5 months of age. PROCEDURES In the first phase of the study, SLSC was performed for 400 dogs, which were monitored for ≥ 24 hours after surgery to identify surgery-related complications such as hemorrhage, signs of pain, self-trauma, swelling, and dermatitis at the incision site. In the second phase, the durations of 18 SLSC and 18 TPSC procedures were measured and compared. RESULTS No hemorrhage-related complications were identified in any dog during SLSC in the first phase. Complications were all minor and self-limiting and included peri-incisional dermatitis (9/400 [2.3%]), skin bruising (4/400 [1.0%]), and swelling (1/400 [0.3%]). No self-trauma was observed for any dog, nor did any dog require additional analgesic treatment after surgery. Procedure duration was significantly briefer for SLSC (mean ± SD, 1.0 ± 0.2 minutes) than for TPSC (3.5 ± 0.4 minutes). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that SLSC as evaluated was safe and significantly faster than TPSC when performed in healthy 2- to 5-month-old dogs. The SLSC technique has the potential to improve morbidity and mortality rates as well as financial costs associated with castration, particularly in high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter programs.