Reproductive Surgery in the Female

This chapter describes the most important surgical procedures performed on the reproductive tract in sheep and goats. In the first section, animal preparation for surgery and anesthesia protocols are described. Local and locoregional anesthesia techniques are described and illustrated. Cesarean section is the most common surgery performed on female small ruminants. Indications, surgical steps, postsurgical care of the dam and neonates, and complications are discussed for both flank and midline approaches. Laparoscopy is commonly used for several reproductive surgeries (abdominal exploration, ovariectomy, ovariohysterectomy) and for the implementation of assisted reproductive technologies (embryo collection and transfer, oocyte collection). The equipment and techniques used are all described in a richly illustrated manner. The chapter ends with a comprehensive illustrated discussion of mastectomy techniques.