BLAKE Vets, who have a surgery in Bridgwater, has become one of the few practices in the South West to offer keyhole surgery for a variety of animal procedures.

The surgery will allow various operations to be conducted with minimal invasion for the pet and only a handful of veterinary practices in the UK have invested in the specialist equipment and training needed.

Blake Vets believe they are the only veterinary practice between Exeter and Bristol who can offer this method of surgery.

Caroline Haywood, the veterinary surgeon in charge of keyhole surgery at Blake Vets, said: "We all want the very best for our pets and Blake Vets believe keyhole surgery represents a major benefit to our pet patients and their owners.

"With keyhole surgery the pain the pet can feel after the operation is significantly reduced compared to normal open surgery, which means that the pet recovers faster.

"The surgical wounds are much smaller, there is less scarring, and the risk of wound infection after the operation is less.

"Keyhole surgery will be of particular benefit to those clients who want their dogs to be spayed and is available in our Bridgwater and Burnham surgeries."

Blake Vets are also using keyhole surgery for a number of other abdominal surgical procedures such as undescended testicles in dogs and liver, kidney and pancreas biopsies