Neuter Complication

[speedydog]

Hello,

I recently got my dog neutered on Sunday. He is a male lab, one year old, over 70 pounds.

There happened to be some bleeding after the surgery, so the vet decided to clean it up and keep him overnight. Come Monday the vet says there is still some bleeding, the scrotom looks swollen, and my dog didn't look good at all. Monday night the vet says that the bleeding has stopped (thankfully) but the swelling has not reduced.

Come Tuesday, my dog is doing in much better shape, jumping around, so very excited to see us. The bleeding has also stopped. The doctor says he is doing good, but they will keep him under observation for another 24hrs, and we can take him home Wednesday evening.

However, on Wednesday, the doctor says there is small drops of blood that come every 2 to 3 hrs. The vet says its because the swelling is reducing, so what left over blood was there is dripping out. He said its best to keep the dog at the vet for another few days until the wound heals. My dog is still very jumpy and active, and the vet says that as the reason for wound not healing yet.

But I am so very concerned that I was not able to take my dog home. Is my dog in critical condition? Should I switch vets to get a second opinion?

The blood work was ok. The vet says the anesthesia wasn't the cause. But I am so very confused.

[MaxaLisa]

Some dogs do have bleeding disorders, did the vet follow up and check bleeding times? I'm thinking that the bloodwork the vet did was blood counts to check for internal bleeding, but more might have been done. Before he goes home, he might need another inhouse check on blood counts, just to be sure. I would also ask for copies of all bloodwork for your file at home, and you can see what the blood is doing for yourself.

I don't really know about any of this stuff, hopefully someone more knowledgeable will come along.

[hazelrunpack]

Hi, speedydog. Welcome to the board.

We've had complications with a neuter, too, very similar to what you're seeing. And, as it happens, it was with our high-energy boy, Cole. The scrotal sac was swollen for quite a while, but as I understand it, that's sort of a good thing--the swelling is caused by leakage of sera and blood from the bloodvessels, but conversely, the 'pressure' from the swelling will also help seal those little bloodvessels off as the dog heals. Eventually, the bleeding stops and the swelling begins to resolve, but it's important to keep your dog very quiet for recovery.

Once the bleeding stopped, the swelling still didn't fully resolve until a few weeks later when the vet aspirated some of the sera from the sac. Sounds awful, but Cole never even flinched, and it did the trick. Everything healed up and went back to normal then. Because the fluid helps close off the bleeders, though, the fluid shouldn't be removed until much later, and only if necessary (sometimes it's reabsorbed quickly by the body).

That being said, though, it's not normal for the incision to be leaking blood when this happens. I would ask, as MaxaLisa suggests, if they've done checks for bleeding disorders and also ask them for copies and explanations of the bloodwork. And if you're really uncomfortable with what's going on, a second opinion is always an option.

I don't think your dog is in critical condition, but recovery might be a little more difficult just because of his energy level (those labbies are fun guys, but sometimes that bounce just isn't a good thing, y'know? ). As for looking so bad on Monday, that was probably just the last of the anesthesia wearing off. It takes a while for them to get their energy back. But the anesthesia probably had nothing to do with the scrotal swelling.

Good luck with your boy! I hope he's home soon and the rest of his recovery goes smoothly!

[Longblades]

Why is your Vet letting him jump around?

[speedydog]

Happy to report my dog is doing better now

Thanks Hazelrunpack for sharing your experience. It seems my dogs recovery is similar to what you've described. It will take a couple of weeks for the swelling to go down.

As for my dog, he is very happy to be home. Guess I got a little worried.