A study conducted in 2008 by British veterinarians, led by Professor David Brodbelt, tracked 98,036 dogs and 79,178 cats that
underwent anaesthesia.
In this analysis we did not include patients without hernias, those who withdrew their consent before
undergoing surgery, those who at the time of surgery were found to be poor candidates for general
anaesthesia, and those who did not
undergo the assigned operation because of a misunderstanding resulting in an unplanned open or laparoscopic repair.21