Prevalence and Risk Factors of Complications in Canine Laparoscopic Ovariectomy and Ovariohysterectomy: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis investigated the pooled prevalence and risk factors of intra- and postoperative complications in dogs undergoing laparoscopic ovariectomy (LOVE) or laparoscopic ovariohysterectomy (LOVH). A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar was performed for studies published between January 2000 and October 2025. Eligible studies provided numerical data on intraoperative and/or postoperative complications and clearly reported the number of laparoscopic ports used. Forty-three studies comprising 45 analytical arms and 2.548 female dogs met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of total complications was 14.4% (95% CI 10.5–18.8) under the random-effects model, indicating high heterogeneity (I²=87.1%). For LOVE, the pooled prevalence was 10.6% (95% CI 7.4–14.3), whereas for LOVH it was 31.6% (95% CI 21.3–42.9), both showing substantial heterogeneity (I²>75%). The odds of complications were significantly lower for LOVE than for LOVH (OR=0.23, 95% CI 0.18–0.30, p