Major Recovery Surgery

A surgical intervention that penetrates a body cavity (i.e. cranial, thoracic, abdominal, synovial, pelvic, ocular or orbital, skeletal, joint or bone marrow), involves extensive tissue dissection or transection, or has the potential for producing a substantial impairment of a physical or physiological function.

Examples of major survival surgeries include:

  • Tendon/ligament repair or injury
  • Ovariohysterectomy
  • All --otomies (e.g., lararotomy, tracheotomy) and --ectomies
  • -Oscopies that involve incision (e.g., laparascopy)
  • Implantation of central devices
  • Amputation
  • Enucleation
  • Eye surgery involving corneal incision
  • Central cannulation (central approach)
  • Musculoskeletal system repair, injury, or biopsy
  • Extensive tissue dissection/transection (e.g., nerve or muscle cut-down)

Some surgeries may be classified as major or minor depending on various factors, and may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

  • Factors that can influence the classification may include the duration of anesthesia, size and location of the incisions, amount of tissue dissection and characteristics of the animal to undergo surgery.