spay complications

[Stacy]

I just had one of the worst mornings ever.  So I’m going to tell you my story because I know you will understand. With the disclaimer that this was a freak thing that will probably never happen to anyone else.  And that it might be a little gross.

 

The timeline of events goes like this:

 

Wed. 10/12 Ava was spayed

 

Sunday night 10/16 I noticed some drainage from her incision and her vagina.

 

Monday 10/17 we went to the vet and they said she had a fluid collection under her incision and it would be fine. They gave her some steroids and antibiotics and told me to try to express the drainage. The vaginal drainage they attributed to her possibly being in heat recently prior to being spayed.  Now, I hadn’t seen any signs of her being in heat or that she had been in heat – but they’re the vet. I noted that the drainage looked the same as what was coming out of her incision, but they didn’t seem concerned.

 

Thursday 10/20 I woke up and noted a small amount of frank blood coming from her vagina. So we went back to the vet. My vet wasn’t there but the other vet in the practice examined her and thought she would be okay. Gave her more steroids and antibiotics. He didn’t really give me a good explanation of what was going on. I was afraid she was hemorrhaging internally, but he kind of poo-poo’d me and sent me home. My fear was that she needed more surgery, so I was happy to accept that they didn’t think she did. My gut told me that something was still wrong. And I should have listened to it. (Let that be a lesson, always listen to your gut) But when the vet says what you hope they will say it’s hard to argue with that. He kept mumbling about her being an older dog. I was thinking she’s 6. It’s not like she’s 13. But still. He said what I wanted to hear, so I heard it.

 

Friday 10/21 at 3:30 in the morning I woke up, I think because Ava was licking herself. She was still wearing the cone, so she couldn’t reach her incision but she could reach her vaginal area.

 

And that’s when my nightmare really begins. She was hemorrhaging. And I’m not talking about a little blood. There was blood and golf ball sized clots. She was actively bleeding everywhere. I threw on some clothes and we went racing to the emergency vet. I got pulled over right before I pulled into the parking lot, but bless the heart of the nice policeman, when I asked him to give me the ticket fast because my dog was bleeding, he shined his light into the back seat and escorted me into the vets office. Later I heard that he looked a little green in the lobby – there was a lot of blood. But my hands were shaking too hard for me to notice.

 

They called the surgeon in from home and they did exploratory surgery. When he came out he told me that both ligatures had slipped off the uterine body. The uterine body had sealed itself to the top of the urinary bladder and that’s why it’s been a slow leak until this morning when everything kind of burst loose. I won’t keep you all in suspense, they think she will make a full recovery. But they’re keeping her there until tomorrow. He also said there was still a collection of fluid under her incision line and that tissue didn’t look viable so they excised that and she got a bit of a tummy tuck.

 

The estimated vet bill for my “free” sort-of-rescue is about $4000. But she is so worth it. I love that girl so much. I don’t know what I would do without her. I just wish that she hadn’t had to go through so much with this. And I would be lying if I said that the cost didn’t hurt me just a little too.

 

Now I feel really torn. I’m in health care, so I get it. No surgery is completely without risks. But what on earth happened here that everything went so wrong? And when I took her back twice with concerns how did it still get missed? I’ve been using the same vet since 2005 and this is the first time I’ve had a problem, but it’s a pretty big problem. Do I need to change vets? And not only that, I’m angry at myself. I should have pushed harder. I knew something was wrong, but I let them tell me what I wanted to hear even though I didn’t really believe them. If we had done something yesterday then maybe it wouldn’t have gotten to that critical point.

 

And I’m sure they will never read this, but I just want to give a shout out to VCA Mission Animal Referral and Emergency Center and Dr. Hazenfield. They were amazing. Wonderful, kind, compassionate. I’ve been there on several occasions for several different things over the years and they are where you want to be when you have an emergency.

 

And now I am going to try to clean up the crime scene in my car. Seriously. CSI worthy!

 

Squish all of your healthy doodles tight this morning

Stacy

[F, Calla & Luca]

What a near catastrophe. Anything can happen for sure but two ligatures coming loose? And no concern with the bleeding on the second visit? I really think you vet should pay the emergency vet bill. I am glad Ava is on the mend and I hope her recovery goes smoothly.

[Stacy]

Thank you! I keep thinking about the what if's. What if I hadn't woken up? What if I hadn't turned on the lights. What if I'd been at work? She would have bled to death before I knew anything was wrong. People think I'm a worry wart. With good reason, I say! 

I don't expect my vet to offer to cover the emergency bill. Although I would be thrilled if they did. Still, some sort of apology or aknowledgement would go a long way in making me feel better. The surgeon is going to call them today and let them know what happened. We will see what happens. I suspect nothing. I'm just so disappointed with them and distraught about the whole thing. 

The surgeon reassured me that he sewed and oversewed and inverted and sewed some more. There should be no more bleeding at this point! And they are going to culture the drainage from the first incision to make sure that she's on the right antibiotics. I expect things to get better from here. But it's been a wild ride.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh I'm SO sorry that both of you had to go through this.  I'm happy that she's going to be okay....thank heavens she now has you to take care of her.  I really think I would have to look for a new vet after an experience like this.

[Stacy]

Thanks Jane! My poor baby. I like to think I'm a good dog mom, but events like this really shake you. I don't know what I could have done sooner, but maybe if I had done something sooner... 

I think we will be getting a different vet. But I've had some bad veterinary experiences. The vet before this one was a super high priced fancy vet with an amazing reputation. He was personable, he had a state of the art facility that he built from the ground up. Then he lost his license because he was abusing the animals when their owners weren't there. He was also billing people for procedures that he didn't do. Things like, he didn't actually run the heartworm test, he just told you it was negative. These guys are the complete opposite. Kind of old school country vets. They don't take your dog into the back to do anything. Really down to earth. And everyone I know takes their dogs there. But they totally failed me this time and now I don't feel like I can trust them. I guess I just keep looking!

[Nicole and Teddy]

So happy your sweetie is okay- I know how heart-wrenching it is when they go through something terrible because we love them so much! I agree with the others about changing vets and having them cover a portion if not all of the emergency surgery! What an ordeal!

[Stacy]

I think for me, it's knowing how much our dogs love and trust us to care for them. We do things they don't like, we do things that hurt them and they still give us unconditional love. I think it's a big responsibility, trying to be the kind of person that my dog thinks I am! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

One of my favorite "prayers"! God, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh Stacy, what a horrible experience! I am so sorry for you and Ava! I hope she has quick, complete, and uneventful recovery. I'm glad she's in such good hands.

Please do not feel guilty or blame yourself in any way. I agree with both F and Jane about your vet, but right now, you need to focus on taking care of yourself and Ava moving forward. JD once ended up having an overnight at the specialty vet clinic because I ignored my gut, too. But focusing on guilt and blame afterwards didn't do either one of us any good. :)

If it weren't so early in the day, I'd recommend a glass of wine, lol. Maybe a hot bath and a nap? 

Big hugs to you. 

[Stacy]

It was awful! Just awful! And the thought that I'd get her out of that kennel and show her all the love that she'd missed and then kill her while trying to have her spayed. I can't even. But she's going to be okay. I believe that. And I think that everytime something like this happens it helps me to be more proactive and a better advocate for them in the future. 

I'm trying not to feel guilty. They gave me the option, since her vitals were stable, to monitor her until morning and let me take her back to my vet if cost was an issue. I think I would have felt horribly guilty if I had done that. But I made the right decision and she's going to be okay. That's the thing to focus on.

Maybe a bath and a nap now and that glass of wine in just a bit! My nerves are shot. I think they should offer a complimentary Ativan for the human at the emergency vet's office!

Poor Katie wants to know why I won't quit hugging her. She doesn't like that many hugs!

[Wendy and Myla]

Wow, I cannot imagine waking up and seeing her like that!  You both must have been so scared!  Even though you have been with this vet for quite a while, I think I would be looking for a different vet - mainly because he brushed aside your concerns, which in the end were valid!  Trusting your vet is so important, especially when you know in your gut that something is wrong.  I would definitely talk to them and see what they say.  I agree with F., I do think they should pay for the emergency vet bill.  Hoping that Ava does well today so that tomorrow you can bring her home and you can both recover together! 

[Stacy]

I agree with you - how can I possibly trust the vet after this experience? And when trust is gone and I question everything they say it's just not a good relationship. 

It would be amazing if they offered to pay the bill from the emergency vet. Still, I don't see that ever happening. And I'm okay with it. It wasn't a planned expense, but it's what I had to do. And it's still cheaper than putting a human kid through college. And Ava never talks back! 

Ava had better be ready to come home tomorrow! I miss her so much already!

[Janet & Jaxson]

So, so sorry you had to go through this. Glad she is going to be ok. I'll be interested in hearing what your vet has to say to the ER vet. And yes, if it were me, I'd look for a new vet.