spaying in older dogs is hard!

[Stacy]

Ava was spayed on Wednesday and she came home, got on the bed and pretty much didn’t leave it for three days. She’s good at resting, I’ll give her that.  She wouldn’t get up even if coaxed. I had to pick her up and put her on the floor so we could go outside. I’m glad she’s 65 pounds and not 100.  She could walk. She just didn’t want to. On another note, that dog can hold it forever.

Yesterday she started having some drainage from her incision. It was serosanguinous and odorless. She didn’t feel warm, and the incision itself wasn’t red. If it had been a patient I wouldn’t have been worried. So of course I was completely freaked out! Not so freaked out that I thought we needed the emergency vet, but we were at my vet’s office when they opened this morning.

So, she’s fine. She has some fluid built up beneath the skin. He said it was pretty common with older dogs (I wonder if she would have benefitted from having a drain for a few days) She got a shot of steroids and antibiotics and she’s already acting like she feels better. She felt well enough to jump off the couch and growl at my dad when he came over. That’s a subject for another day. As soon as she’s better I’m calling that trainer. It’s sort of nice that she wouldn’t let the boogey man get me, but she can’t protect me from my people.

 Anyway, she’s also having some vaginal discharge that the vet feels is probably related to her having been in heat recently before she was spayed. And don’t google possible causes for vaginal discharge in dogs after spaying because I freaked myself out even more.

Part of me wonders if I should have just left her intact. I wouldn’t have bred her. And they hadn’t had any success with breeding her for a while. That’s why I have her. I know there are health benefits to having her spayed, but I sure do feel guilty making her go through elective surgery. My poor sweet girl.  I am ready for her to be all healed. And sometimes it’s hard not to listen to that panicky voice in my head that is worried that she will have some terrible complication and die. The rational part knows she will be fine. But I sure do feel guilty.

[Kate C Pappas]

I'm sorry you're going through this. I trust your vet is on top of it too. Try not to stress out so she won't pick up on it. How old is she, BTW?

Best to you and Ave. :)

Kate and her "Y" Girls

[Stacy]

My vet is very on top of it, and I'm happy to report that Ava seems to feel a million times better today. She is acting so much more like herself. 

She's 6, and she's had a fair number of puppies, so I feel like that adds to her recovery time. It's so good to see her up and about, even though now the challenge is to keep her from getting crazy. I would rather deal with that than having her be a sad pathetic lump on the bed. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm glad to hear that she's feeling better. 

[Stacy]

Thank you! My girl has been eating like a horse today - making up for the last week. The drainage from her incision is so much better and she's pretty much back to normal. I'm so relieved. Originally the stitches were coming out on Friday but after seeing her Monday he wants to leave them in until next Monday. Ava and I are trying ot be patient but we're both ready to get rid of her hat! She doesn't really seem to mind it, but she keeps getting stuck on everything and knocking her water bowl over with it. And she's so much easier to snuggle without it.