My lab was spayed last Thursday..i think there's a problem

Okay, I took Josie (5 year old lab mix) to the humane society to be spayed last thursday, by saturday she seemed to be getting back to her old self and was a little more active than she probably should have been. I tried hard to keep her calm, but anyone who has a lab knows that is really hard to do..especially when there is a playful pup here for her to frolic with. I tried to keep her inside except when necessary, but she was feeling better and ran around much more than she should have been. By sunday she was acting a little droopy again and i could tell she was sore again...since then she has been ok..eating and playing just a little, but not her 'normal' self....i got her to lay down so i could look at her incision and noticed that it is still pretty swollen and raw looking...i sprayed some peroxide on it and when i dabbed it dry noticed a kind of clearish bloody fluid seeping out of the far end of the incision, it's not really coming out of the 'cut' but directly at the end of where it look like the incision ends, it doesn't look like she pulled out a stitch or anything. I'm assuming this is not a normal thing and will probably be calling my vet tomorrow to have him take a look at it...(so much for trying to save some money by taking advantage of the 'low cost' spaying the humane society offered.

I just wondered if anyone else has had this happen with their dog and should i be really concerned about infection, etc.?? They did give her a penicillian shot after the surgery and some pain pills, but they are gone and i can tell she's not herself...any thoughts??

 

Sorry to hear you are having problems. I would definately consult a vet just to be sure. When I had Indy neutered, his incision was really swollen and oozed - not a clear fluid but blood. I had the same problem of trying to keep him calm. But I was very concerned about the swelling b/c it looked like instead of taking a few things out they added some - it was that big. Like I said, it was oozing blood all over the place. I took him back to the vet and the doctor cleaned the incision and gave me antibiotics for him and an e-collar (he was also licking it alot).

 

Sounds like a trip to the vet is on order. You might need more antibiotics. Beyond that, she probably just needs to rest. Is she crate trained? It may be a good idea to try and give her a day or two of crate rest. I know it's REALLY hard to keep an active dog quiet. Try some stuffed Kongs or bones to chew on in her crate to keep her busy. Take her outside on a leash so you can control her activity level. Maybe have someone else take the puppy out to frolic around without Josie being able to see and join in.

There was an article in Whole Dog Journal not too long ago about things to do to keep a dog quiet. I think one of the things they mentioned was training. Work on easy things like sit, down, stay, etc. There are a ton of commands you can teach her that are not strenuous but will tire her brain out.

 

I agree, have the vet check her out. There might be some infection getting started. It's also possible she's reacting to the suture material, and has developed a serum pocket. These usually aren't too serious, but have the vet check to be on the safe side.

 

thanks everyone for the advice

I will be calling the vet tomorrow for sure, I noticed this evening that the area on one side of the incision is hard and tender when i touch it...poor baby...she's not crate trained, but puppy is so I'll be trying to keep them apart as much as possible...it is kind of cute though, you can tell josie isn't in the mood to play, so when puppy starts bugging her, she goes and gets a toy and throws it in front of the pup, as if to say..'here, play with this and leave me alone'...you gotta love em...

 

using H2O2 on incisions ite

Your right to go to the vet as everyone has said but I'd like to add a bit of info for future reference, using hydrogen peroxide on an incision site or any deep open wounds, while it's okay for cleaning up a little it also promotes bleeding so any clots that are present will be broken down. I know there are a lot of people who swear by it as the 'best antiseptic' but there are better products around for cases like this.

 

Well, I called the humane society where josie was spayed and the vet there had me bring her in. she took a look at the incision and said it didn't look too abnormal, but she gave me some antibiotics to give her, she's been taking them for two days now and the incision looks better already!

thanks for the help!

 

Great! I hope she feels all better soon!

 

Peroxide actually hinders healing, so its not a good idea to use.