A Shorter Road To Recovery

Your fur kid will unfortunately require at least one surgery in their lifetime — for sterilisation purposes, if nothing else. Fortunately, there is a quick, virtually painless procedure which allows for speedy and comfortable recovery.

Endoscopy may or may not be a familiar term to you, but it has existed in human healthcare for decades with global manufacturers of endoscopic equipment like Karl Storz being founded back in 1945. Despite its known advantages when done on the human body, however, endoscopy is still a relatively new development in the veterinary industry.

Jonathan Chen, from the Singapore subsidiary of Karl Storz, shares, “I would say that veterinary endoscopy kicked off in Singapore about four years ago. Dr Eugene Lin, who is a senior veterinary surgeon from The Animal Ark, was one of the pioneers of veterinary endoscopy, and he started practising it in his clinic by the end of 2011.”

Dr Hsu Li Chieh, senior veterinary surgeon from The Animal Clinic, adds, “As it becomes more common in human healthcare, pet owners also started to look for it for their pets, as they become more aware of its benefits and its availability locally.”

What is endoscopy? 

Endoscopy is an umbrella term for the use of an endoscope — essentially an illuminated, slender, and miniaturised camera — to take a look at the internal organs by projecting the magnified images on a monitor.

Insertion of any endoscopic tools can be done via small incisions (typically 5mm to 10mm) or through natural orifices. By using a flexible or rigid endoscope, diagnostic procedures such as looking for foreign objects within the body, identifying tumours and taking a look at internal infections are made easier. Carbon dioxide insufflation into the cavity helps to create more space between each organ for better visibility and counteract space constrain.

Depending on the optical tools, 3D imaging is available as well.