Ovariohysterectomy 2:28
This mini mare is being presented to the surgery service for a problem in her uterus: an abnormal accumulation of fluid.
She is prepared for anesthesia - her mouth is rinsed out, and she is given intravenous medications to help put her to sleep. The machine you see actually breathes for her; it is a ventilator. The mare is moved into the operating room, and the surgical site is prepped and draped. The surgeons remove her enlarged uterus from her abdomen. The blood supply to the uterus and both ovaries is ligated and the uterus is removed at the level of the cervix. Her abdomen is closed, and a sterile sticky drape is applied over the incision to protect it while she wakes up from anesthesia. The mare is moved into the recovery stall which is padded so she doesn't hurt herself as she wakes up. When she is strong enough to stand up and walk on the thick padding, she's ready to go back to her stall. The anesthesia doctors help support her on her way.
After 48 hours, she happily goes out for a walk. The intravenous catheter and it's attachment are still in place since she's still receiving antibiotics.
This was an unusual procedure - it's very rare to remove a horses' uterus, but in her case, leaving all that fluid in place could have resulted in a serious infection. And, unlike people, adult horses do not need any hormone supplementation after an ovariohysterectomy.
Dr. Susie Fubini
