Doc Pawsitive, Clair Thompson, "Leader of the Pack" at East Stroudsburg Veterinary Hospital and PAWS/Pocono Animal Wellness Services clearly loves his job as a small animal veterinarian! In this 2 part video, the first part shown here, Doc Pawsitive is shown performing a canine spay procedure or ovariohysterectomy. The canine spay procedure is one of the more frequently performed surgeries in a small animal hospital and it renders a female dog sterile by surgical removal of the ovaries and the uterus, hence the name ovariohysterectomy. In addition to rendering the female dog sterile and unable to reproduce, this surgery eliminates any subsequent heat cycles or estrus periods. In the long run, spayed female dogs also have a greater life expectancy as the surgery reduces breast cancer later in a dogs' life and eliminates any possibility of pyometra. Pyometra is defined as pus in the uterus, an infection that can strike older, unspayed female dogs shortly after their period and is potentially life-threatening. Doc Pawsitive is committed to spaying as many female dogs as possible to reduce the population of unwanted dogs turning up in local shelter environments looking for homes. Most pet owners drop their female pet off on the morning of surgery and have absolutely no idea the extent and involvement behind a spay procedure. The female dog walks in during the morning and the owner often returns later the same day to pickup their dog, who now has a very small incision on her belly with a couple small sutures in place. For many people seeing the small incision with a couple sutures, they wonder aloud why a spay "costs so much?!" since it appears to them judging from the small incision to be a relatively minor procedure. This rarely shown footage of an actual canine spay surgery is to show the viewing public what goes on behind the scenes so clients have a better understanding and a greater appreciation for the canine spay / ovariohysterectomy surgery.