Question about dogs post spaying......Another question......

[luvdzne]

Gracie was spayed on Tuesday. She has been running around like a mad dog since. Thursday night she escaped out the back door after a rabbit. She was diving in and out and over bushes until she caught it. We actually had to dive on her to stop her. After we caught her she started leaking some bloody fluid from the incision site. I took her to the vet on Friday and they gave her a shot of antibiotic and tranquilizers. The tranquilizers do calm her a bit (she is part beagle after all) but they do not totally keep her calm if she is out of the laundry room. Last night she got out and ran crazy again and started leaking fluid. Not a lot, but still......

My question is do most dogs act like they just had major surgery and lay around like expected or do they run like crazy hounds after the anesthesia runs out? And is it normal for fluid to leak from the incision site? The vet did not seem to concerned, but I am bothered by it. I would think she would be in some kind of pain, but it does not appear to be.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My puppies were beating each other up the same day. Of course my Gracie got a hematoma ugly thing on her incision site. She was fine.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Dogs recover much better from surgery than people do. Why, I don't know.

When my females were spayed, I was amazed at how well they did afterward - after all, spaying is a complete hysterectomy!

There may be some leakage from the site - does she still have staples in? As long as the leakage doesn't increase, begin to look like pus, develop an odor, or she doesn't become feverish (the latter of which would signify infection), she should be fine.

 

[Froggyswife]

I would think that if there was something wrong the pup wouldn't be running around like that. I would keep an eye on the little girl for a few days if she stops eating and drinking less than normal, has vomiting/diarrhea, or becomes listless I would take her back to see the vet again.

She is still a puppy so she will continue to act like one. lol.

 

[luvdzne]

Dogs recover much better from surgery than people do. Why, I don't know.

When my females were spayed, I was amazed at how well they did afterward - after all, spaying is a complete hysterectomy!

There may be some leakage from the site - does she still have staples in? As long as the leakage doesn't increase, begin to look like pus, develop an odor, or she doesn't become feverish (the latter of which would signify infection), she should be fine.

Thank you, this makes me feel better. You always seem to know a lot about dogs. Can I ask you how would I be able to tell if she was running a fever? They didn't put staples in that I can see, they look just like knots of string. She goes in a week to get them taken out. She also does seem to have some swelling in the area. The leakage is just very watery with some tinge of blood. I do keep checking it.

I know she is just a puppy, but I keep thinking of how I would be feeling right now had I just had a total hysterectomy. I know I wouldn't be running around just hours after surgery.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Those are sutures, and that sounds normal. When an area is cut and healing, it becomes edematous (fluid in the tissues), and it is not unusual for there to be a small to moderate amount of leakage (I'm a hospital nurse who takes care of people in these conditions, but have lived through many dog issues over the years as well with my motley brood of Shepherds, LOL).

The dog in my signature was spayed just about a year ago. I distinctly remember her the day she came home from the vet's wildly jumping up on my bed, then jumping down and running like a nut all over the house. I was thinking, holy cow, I better get her to slow down before she rips out all the staples and we have to go back to have them replaced (which happened to my neighbor's dog). Of course, we were instructed to "keep her quiet".

I would think that if there was something wrong the pup wouldn't be running around like that.

Excellent point, Froggyswife. Yes, listless would be one of the ways you would tell if she was feverish. Of course, you could always get out the thermometer and try your hand at taking a rectal temp.

Good luck, give the little girl a scratch for us.

 

[luvdzne]

Thanks for the advice! She is in no way listless, bored maybe but not listless. I just checked on her again and gave her some lovin before putting her to bed for the night. I guess I'm a over worried mother.

ETA: I'll watch for listlessness before I grab the thermometer

 

[clh2]

We had our dog spayed about a month ago. This was our dog's 2nd day in our house. (Hey - leave nothing to chance )

So, we hardly knew our dog, and then sent her to get spayed.

Some of the "inside stuff" was sutured (the string stuff), but the vet used a "skin glue" instead of staples or sutures on the outside. She did have a little "leakage" and the vet said not to worry, because of all the suturing that had been done on the inside. Hopefully that will make sense.

As far as activity, as hard as we tried to block off the stairs, our dog just hopped right over the gates and went upstairs (the vet said no stairs for 2 weeks). And, she was very active within a couple of days.

She did recover very nicely. She is just an active dog.

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

Casey was zonked. I mean zonked. For days.

We did have trouble with her body rejecting and getting an allergic reaction to the sutures. Apparently, it happens only in a small percentage and my problem child was one of them. From the way it was explained to me, they do a double or even triple layer thing with the sutures from the inside to keep everything in place. They know they're working with energized puppies, after all.

With Casey, whenn she was leaking fluids, it was becuase she was leaking fluids from "sacks" that developed around the incision site. They looked like large, clear-fluid filled pimples. They seemed to break at the oddest times and there was no rhyme or reason. Although she paid attention to the area, she didn't seem like she was in pain. We kept her in the satellite dish a little longer than was initially stated to keep her away from the area (oh boy those are hilarious pictures!)

Just keep the vet up-to-date and follow their instructions. If you don't think you're getting the attention you need, seek a second or third opinion. I don't think the fluid at the site is something to be too alarmed about- Casey's playdate across the street had something similar and they saw different vets at different times. See if you can keep her slowed down just enough to make sure everything is healing. If anything starts to turn away from clear- even to a clear with a few cloudy areas, call the vet as that could be an infection.

Hope your baby's tummy is doing better in a few days, although she seems to be doing great otherwise!

 

[LindaG4458]

We have had fiive female dogs over the years. The three we got as puppies were spayed at about 6 months and acted like nothing had happened. The one we got at 1.5 years had a bit of a problem but we later found out she reacted poorly to any pain at all. The one we got at 3.5 to 4 years old had had three litters of puppies. She had a very hard time with the spaying and hung around the house, moving only when necessary, until the sutures were removed. All totally revcovered with no further problems.

 

[mrsv98]

Belle is going in a week tomorrow and I am already dreading the "keep her quiet" instructions! She and Lilly (3yo) spend the day running around like idiots so I forsee a lot of crate time, at least for the first couple of days.

ALl of my girls have been spayed at 6 months and we have never *knock wood* had an issue and they are all acted like nuts when they got home.

Pets to your girl!

 

[luvdzne]

Today Gracie has developed a very red blotchy belly. It does not appear around the incision area, but is over most of her belly and seems to be going down her legs. I called the vet earlier today and they said it sounds like bruising. I am sure that is not what it is. She is still acting like a nut, but the skin feels warm to touch, not hot. I am very worried about her. I am thinking it is an infection and I will be taking her to the vet, but I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this with their fur baby after being spayed. Also the incision site does seem a bit swollen like a golf ball tonight. Again, it is hard to tell if anything is really wrong as she is still like a mad dog when she is let out of the laundry room.

 

[luvdzne]

I can't get gracie in until this afternoon. Her belly is still splotchy red, and where the incision is it looks like she swallowed an egg. Other than that sh still seems to be acting fine, but I am still really worried about her.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It's hard to say, but don't forget, dog's skin is usually covered with fur so normally you can't see it. Sometimes the skin can become irritated not only from the clippers/razor, but also from rubbing up against things it doesn't usually touch, like carpeting, dirt/sand, grass, etc. So the red spots "could" be simple irritation.

Another thing is that it could be ecchymosis, which is the technical term for bruising, but it usually occurs after surgery or manipulation of the tissues. It usually looks more severe than simple bruising, but they probably would have used the term bruising so you'd understand it and not be alarmed. Ecchymosis is normal.

It could also be something called petechiae, but I doubt it. That "could" be more serious, but sometimes it occurs and nobody knows why. I had it myself after my own surgery for a few days, and nobody could explain it.

The "golfball" could be a hematoma, which is a collection of blood in the tissues. It is not uncommon to see these in wounds post operatively. The concern there would be if it increased to an extremely large size it could require blood transfusions - not likely from the sound of it. Those "bumps" around the incision can last a long time.

From what you said, it doesn't sound as if it's infected, but it's good you're having it checked out. If she isn't already on an antibiotic, they may choose to start her on one just in case, with all the irritation, activity and all.

Good luck and let us know. You're a good mommy!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My Gracie got a ugly hematoma too. It looked gross and she was fine. Good thing to get her in to check on it.

 

[luvdzne]

Thanks for the replies! I feel a little better now. I will let you know what the vet says.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Anybody have any suggestions for having 2 puppies spayed at once?

We brought home 2 mini doxies about 5 weeks ago (they are just over 3 months). Vet says they should be spayed at the same time.

I guess the main question is how do you keep them from "grooming" each others incision?

It's been 15+ years since we had a puppy (let alone 2!)

 

[Pinklipstix]

My pup is having the same issues. I'm really concerned. I hope Luvdzne can respond to what the vet told her. My Sascha is super important to me and I made an appointment but can't see the doctor till Tuesday. Please reply at your earliest convenience.

 

[usnuzuloose]

When mine got spayed I went an got a baby onesie thing to wear it kept the incision area from getting scratched and what not. I also encouraged them to use a wee wee pad. The stitches should only be a week I don't know how much longer you have to go.

 

[powellrj]

My pup is having the same issues. I'm really concerned. I hope Luvdzne can respond to what the vet told her. My Sascha is super important to me and I made an appointment but can't see the doctor till Tuesday. Please reply at your earliest convenience.

She hasn't been in the Disboards since 2014, so I don't think she will be replying. I would call your vet as soon as they open.