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My puppy's spay incision is small, she's active. What was removed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Cocker Spaniel | Female | spayed | 6 months and 1 day old | 13 lbs

My puppy was spayed yesterday. Compared to my other dogs I had 15 yrs ago her incision is only about 1-2" long. Sophie is also much more active than my others were. She does not seem to have any pain. Do they still remove the entire uterus as well as ovaries?...or did she have a tubal ligation? Paper says ovariohysterectomy. I am used to the nsg term. Bilateral salpingopherectomy.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 17th, 2018

Thank you contacting Pet Coach about Sophie! An ovariohysterectomy means her uterus, both ovaries, and uterine horns were removed. Veterinarians are able to perform spays using much smaller incisions, which is why hers is so small. You don't need a large incision to spay a dog. Each dog reacts differently to the procedure, and some are more active than others. It's very important that you keep her as quiet as possible to ensure correct healing and avoid post-surgical complications like wound breakdown or a sermoa. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    In the United States it is still custom to remove both the ovaries as well as the uterus (ovariohysterectomy), In Europe oophorectomy is the usual procedure. Tubal ligation is not done as it would not provide any of the advantages of castration (is the word for removal of the gonads/used for both genders). So I am sure Sophie had an ovariohysterectomy, just as the report says. We do not need to make such incisions, and especially if the dog is not fat, you can just do a small incision. Apparently your vet also provided her with good pain control. Sounds like a good vet and a very successful perfect spay to me. Make sure she cannot lick the incision, as that can cause an infection.

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