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UPDATE: Question about swelling after spaying

inne

Posted : 7/19/2006 10:33:39 PM

I know this should really be in the Spay/Neuter forum, but I figure more people will see it here and I'm really worried right now.

Louise was spayed on Monday and everything went well. I picked her up yesterday and she has to wear her cone all the time because she wants to itch and bite her stitches a lot. Aside from that everything was okay, but today I noticed that the incision site is swollen. It looks like someone stuffed a basball into her tummy and then sewed it shut. From the side it looks like it hangs down. Her tummy is usually flat as she is quite slender. I took her to the vet this evening, but the veterinarian had gone home for the day. The receptionist agreed that it looked a bit swollen and told me to come back tomorrow, which I'm planning on doing first thing in the morning. But for now, I'm wondering if anyone has had this happen to them or has any ideas about what it could be (an infection, I'm assuming).

She's acting pretty normal. She's very happy to go for walks, has a good appetite, is drinking well, wants to give kisses, etc. But she does sit in a funny way when we're not doing something and she really wants to be able to scratch the incision site.

I'm just scared something will happen to her.

Debbie R

Posted : 7/20/2006 2:07:29 AM

I'm not positive because I'd really need to see the tummy to know, so don't freak out. But get her to the vet asap, Trixie had a hernia from jumping over a baby gate after her spay, my fault for not keeping her crated longer.
Vet had to re-open her. If it keeps getting bigger, faster t hen you really need to go to emergency er.

rwbeagles

Posted : 7/20/2006 7:27:59 AM

Debbie is spot on. there could be a big problem or only a little one. ANY bulging of an abdominal surgery site IMO is cause for great concern...it could be bleeding beneath the skin or a hernia, or the internal stitches could have partially or completely given way....I agree..VET asap! Good luck and I hope it's nothing and she's better soon!

inne

Posted : 7/20/2006 8:49:23 AM

Thanks, you guys. I just got home from the vet and he said it's normal swelling for an active puppy and I need to cut back on walking her, which I suspected after looking some things up online last night. She's also discovered that she can just barely scratch the incision with her back leg - she is too bendy for her own good! We're going back on Saturday to check in again.

How awful for Trixie! I'm glad you told me so I can be extra careful.

inne

Posted : 7/21/2006 12:45:45 PM

More drama has been happening with this situation.

[align=left]Last night a little fluid started coming out by one of the stitches and I called my dad (he's a dentist and used to be a military doctor who did a lot of work on animals), who told me to put a tea bag on it and then ice it, but she didn't want anything touching it at all. We called the animal emergency room too, but they said it was normal. Then today blood and fluid started dripping out everywhere and I grabbed her and ran to the vet and all the vet techs said HUGE INFECTION but the veterinarian lady said the fluid build-up that caused the swelling needed to come out, which it will by dripping out like this, but it is not infected and gave she me pills so it doesn't get infected. Then they had to comfort me because I was crying. I've seen so many people cry in there so they must be used to it. Louise was busy trying to eat a bug. The people most traumatized were probably those who saw me running down the sidewalk carrying a cone-neck dog with a huge gash in the stomach, leaving blood from our apartment to the office.

She better be okay now because she's scared me enough for many, many years to come. The swelling and incision already look much better.

Rachel Slider

Posted : 7/21/2006 12:55:14 PM

My cat had a hernia repaired and we had the same problem a few days after. It was swollen and leaked a clearish red fluid. I took him to the vet and they drained it with a syringe and told me that it happens sometimes when the animal's body reacts to the sutures. But they also said it won't hurt anything and he was fine after that. It's been a few months and we haven't had any other problems. Don't worry about it, your dog will be okay.

Just to let you know it will leak for a little while. My cat drinks from the toilet and I would go in and there would be blood spots on the seat and anywhere else he sat for a week.