After Spayed - barely walking

[Tiffany Crawley]

Hello Everyone -

Zara got spayed on Tuesday afternoon, her surgery ended at 12:30pm and we picked her up from the vet at 6pm.  Upon picking her up she seemed fine, just kind of out of it as expected but she would not walk so we carried her to the car.

Wednesday came around - Still not walking more than a few steps and then sits down.  

It is now Thursday (48 hours after surgery) and still she's not walking normal. I called the vet and they said her stitches are probably pulling and sensitive and she's being over cautious.

I was told my many that she would be acting normal a day or two after being spayed.  Also, she hasn't taken a BM yet.  

Anyone experience this? 

[Melissa]

48 hours seems a long time without a bowl movement, considering most dogs poop a couple of times a day. Is she eating / drinking?  I'd insist on bringing her back in for a check up....but that's just me, as I'm a worry wort at times. But better to be safe than sorry.  

[Diane D]

Over my life time I've had 5 dogs. Had all of them neutered. All of them seemed completely recovered in a few hours of taking them home. Only problem I've had is keeping them from being too active and for the girls, licking the incision. I would definitely be concerned and bring the dog back in. At the very least, it seems to be a reaction to the anesthesia. 

[Melissa]

I completely agree with Diane.  My Beagle was pretty sore after her spay and didn't move very much for a couple of days. I had to carry her down the stairs into our yard for her to pee, but she still was able to walk around the yard and do her business. I lived really close to the vet's office, so I stopped in a couple of times to have them check the incision site, just to be sure it was healing properly.  My Lab on the other hand....he was difficult to keep calm and quiet as instructed. I had to keep him in his kennel or on a leash attached to me in the house! LOL  Chloe, my doodle, was quiet for the afternoon after the surgery, but was up and moving around the next day and wanted to play.  I would really go see the vet again if you can

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When my dog had surgery - for a different reason, he was very lethargic and had difficulty pooping. He became impacted and one of his anal glands  burst when he finally was able to go. That might be unusual, but it is worth a recheck.  He was sensitive to the pain patch they used and I think that is what created the whole problem.

[Tiffany Crawley]

How did you know a gland burst? She finally went but had difficulty.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Watched it happen.  He had CCL surgery and had to be leashed to go potty as he wasn't allowed to move around more than necessary.

[Kathy Basso]

My girl was spayed last week and it was business as usual the next day. Please let us know how she's doing.

[Tiffany Crawley]

Thank you everyone.  She did have a BM last night and this morning.  Still acting as if she can't walk though.  I called the vet and they say some dogs act more dramatic than others and as long as the incision looks okay and she's going potty to not be concerned.  Hoping the next few days she goes back to normal.

[Stacy]

While trying not to sound overly paranoid, complications from spaying while rare, can and do happen. My experience was dramatic and horrible. At first she just seemed subdued and quiet, and it wasn't until 11 days later that things became life threatening. 

Listen to your intuition. If you feel like something is wrong take her back and don't let them dismiss you before you're comfortable with the answer. I think it's poor practice for them to reassure you over the phone... If it were me I would want them to physically lay eyes on her at the very least.

[Tiffany Crawley]

What complication did she have?? What signs was she showing?  How scary

[Stacy]

It's a long story - if you want the whole play by play look back at my post history. I wrote the whole hairy ordeal out. The short version is a few days after she was spayed she had some drainage from her incision and just a slight vaginal discharge. I took her back, they put her on antibiotics and said she was fine. A few days later she had a small amount of bright red bloody drainage from her vagina. I took her in and told them I was afraid she was bleeding internally. They said she was fine. That night, in the middle of the night she started hemmorhaging. I don't exactly understand the mechanics of spaying a dog, but the ligatures that they use to tie off the uterine stump had slipped off and she was basically bleeding to death. She ended up having emergency surgery by a different vet in the middle of the night. 

My point is that I knew something was wrong from the beginning and I let them tell me that she was fine. I will always wish that I had been more assertive in insisting that they do something more to evaluate her condition before she ever got to that point. I love vets. I think they are wonderful resources. But I think that we know our pets. And when you have that gut feeling that something isn't right it's our job to make sure they listen.

[Diane D]

Stacy your point is very good. I think that goes for everything in life. Learned that over the years. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.