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The vet cut off my cat's nipples during spay?

post #1 of 25
9/16/10 at 3:32pm
Thread Starter 
they didn't even tell me!!!

I noticed it in the car because she had blood on her (her fur is white)

when I got home I inspected it, one nipple is cut and bleeding and a second nipple is completely gone!!

Why wouldn't they tell me?? Is this going to harm her in any way long term or is she ok?
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post #2 of 25
9/16/10 at 3:55pm
Please call the vet and tell them what you found.... also call and get a second opnion from another vet( many wont charge for a look syee appt)
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post #3 of 25
9/16/10 at 4:03pm
EEEK! I would definitely call the vet and let them know what you found. Someone needs to be more careful when clipping fur to prepare for surgery. The vet may not know it occurred and it is important he discusses it with his technicians. Hopefully this will prevent it from happening to anyone other pets.

I would also have it looked at. Good luck! I hope your kitty heals quickly.
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post #4 of 25
9/16/10 at 4:42pm
Oh, poor kitty! Call and complain for sure! I've never had that happen with my two inside girls, and the outside girls I've gotten spayed.
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post #5 of 25
9/16/10 at 5:40pm
It is actually pretty common- happens when the vet tech is shaving the cat, not actually by the vet who is doing the spay. The cat is splayed out on the table on her back, with all four feet tied upwards so the belly is fully exposed. If the clinic is busy with surgeries, the tech may have been in a rush. The lacertions heal in a few days and she doesn't need the nipple anyway not with a spay. You can always use a styptic pencil if the bleeding doesn't stop. But really, it is quite common and not that big of a deal. You can also put a small amount of neosporin on it- but not much, just a small dot.
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post #6 of 25
9/16/10 at 9:24pm
Yeah, it's from the shaving. I've had it happen to my cats a couple times. Usually it heals on its own, but you want to keep a good eye on it in case of infection. You can call your vet to complain, too. Maybe they'll be more careful next time they shave a kitty's tummy.
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post #7 of 25
9/17/10 at 6:17am
I used to work on a spay bus though and we never shaved off nipples. I did almost all the shaving. Yeah, you knick one now and again, but to shave one off? Something wrong there!
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post #8 of 25
9/17/10 at 11:39am
Thread Starter 
Sorry I left out the part how the missing nipple is a hole in her stomach filled with this hard blue glob of something (the same stuff on her stitched area)

She keeps licking and gnawing on it..
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post #9 of 25
9/17/10 at 11:47am
Did you ever call the vet?
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post #10 of 25
9/17/10 at 11:51am
Thread Starter 
ok, good news!

the vet called me back and said the hole isn't a missing nipple, it's a tattoo that says she's been fixed.

I've never had them tattoo my cat before.
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post #11 of 25
9/17/10 at 12:13pm
Hum .. that is a new one... now prehaps others will be told of said tattoo
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post #12 of 25
9/17/10 at 12:29pm
Thread Starter 
yea it woulda been nice if they would have told me!!
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post #13 of 25
9/17/10 at 2:21pm
I thought they stopped tatooing years ago? you can't see the tattoo after about a year so they started taking off just the tip of the ear. That is a better marker IMO- even for house cats that were once stray.
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post #14 of 25
9/17/10 at 5:07pm
What? The tattoos only last a year?

I really like the idea of tattoos. We used them at the vet's office I worked at. I HATE the whole notch in the ear thing. So you scar the cat for life to prove they're fixed? Don't like it. But then again, I don't like any alterations that are invasive in any way. I mean if you're putting some ink in a hole that's there, I'm down with that, but I don't like docking tails or clipping ears or dew claws or anything like that.
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post #15 of 25
9/18/10 at 9:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyHitchhiker View Post
I used to work on a spay bus though and we never shaved off nipples. I did almost all the shaving. Yeah, you knick one now and again, but to shave one off? Something wrong there!
Well, yeah, but young cats who have never had a litter or been in heat usually have small nipples, so just a nick can seem like the nipple was cut off.

I think the tattoo for a spay is a good idea. You can't really see it unless she's shaved, but at least she won't be opened up twice. I don't like eartipping for tame cats.
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post #16 of 25
9/18/10 at 10:25pm
yup,tattoo might be a good idea.
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post #17 of 25
9/19/10 at 8:45am
All except for Half tail have been tipped when spayed(4 girls total) I forgot the low cost place I used with Half tail didn't do it unless requested.

It is good to see that they are spayed. If Mama's ear wasn't tipped and she got caught(unlikely) she would have to be fully sedated for them to even look at her belly and I really don't like thinking they'd fully konked out when already fully spayed. It's just safer to have the ear tipped. It is the preferred way here for ferals. I'm not talking about inside cats or even really friendly ones.

Taryn
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post #18 of 25
9/19/10 at 8:08pm
Oh, yeah, it's definitely the only way for ferals. Although I do have a couple semi-tame cats who are eartipped, because they were feral when they were spayed! But now they've gotten used to me. I wouldn't eartip a tame cat, though, there's just no reason for it.
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post #19 of 25
9/19/10 at 8:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyHitchhiker View Post
What? The tattoos only last a year?
This is not true. I like to tattoo my dogs in addition to the microchip. They last a lot longer than a year.
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post #20 of 25
9/19/10 at 11:13pm
Once the cats fur grows back, the tattoo vanishes. It simply doesn't last that long on cats as it does on dogs. It fades pretty quickly. The only way you can see it is to capture the cat, shave the belly and look for the ink. Ear tipping is much easier to spot. Guys, remember, I work strictly with strays and ferals. Big difference from just a house cat.
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post #21 of 25
9/19/10 at 11:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy View Post
The only way you can see it is to capture the cat, shave the belly and look for the ink.
This visual ... made me laugh. Thanks for that!
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post #22 of 25
9/20/10 at 9:33am
I don't know if it's different in other states but here they still tattoo an N or an S on cats afterwards. Boo had a dark blue N and Chickster has an S. Unless they stopped doing that in the last 2-3 years, .. but my outdoor girls have apparently been trapped and spayed, as our T&S program done by the county, I think, gave them both half moons in the exact same areas of their ears. FOr the males, though, my friend brought in a stray that ended up disappearing for 3 days and when he came back his belly was shaved and he had a tat.
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post #23 of 25
9/20/10 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snickerdoodle View Post
FOr the males, though, my friend brought in a stray that ended up disappearing for 3 days and when he came back his belly was shaved and he had a tat.
Weird, why would they shave a male?
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post #24 of 25
9/20/10 at 11:13pm
So they could put the tat on the skin, I guess?
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post #25 of 25
9/22/10 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy View Post
It fades pretty quickly. The only way you can see it is to capture the cat, shave the belly and look for the ink.
So, the tattoo is still there, just faded, and not visible under all that fur.


I think more places are starting to tatoo, so that way if the animal ends up in someone else's hands, it wont have to be opened up again.. better to be just sedated and shaved, to find a s/n tattoo.. then to be opened all the way up to discover that there is no uterus.

I think ear tipping is better to use for ferals.. its a better visual to know the cat has been snipped already.. rather than to sedate and shave. Not necessary for a tame pet.. but very important to indicate that a feral has been altered. TNR programs have limited resources and funding.. it would be a shame to waste those on sedating a cat to find its already been altered.
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