Problems After Spay

carla · Jun 22, 2005

Hello again !

My latest question !

Dee was spayed 2 weeks ago. They did the op on her belly, which I thought was quite unusual as all my other cats have had it done on their side.

Anyway, they stitched the abdominal muscles and glued the skin (I assume they glued it cos there's no stitches).

Anyway, Dee already had an umbilical hernia, but now she has another, larger lump under her skin where she had the op (it feels similar to her hernia). She's also got a hard lump directly under where her skin was cut.

I took her to the vet last week, and was told that it's probably a reaction to the stitches in her abdomen, and she's excerted herself a bit too much which has resulted in swelling.

Anyway, almost a week after the vets visit and the swelling hasn't gone down.

Are there any vets or vet nurses who can advise whether this is normal or whether I need to get a second opinion ?

carla · Jun 22, 2005

haha, how many times did I write "anyway" in the above !!

Another question, any idea why they did the op on her front rather than her side ? is this normal procedure now ?

flisssweetpea · Jun 22, 2005

Hello Carla

I'm sorry to hear about Dee's lump. Lily had a mid-line spay yesterday also. She doesn't have any stitches on the surface either - the nurse at the practice told me they would be all under-skin stitches. I did read somewhere that it is possible that some swelling can occur under the wound that usually goes down in a couple of weeks, but if it's red, oozing or unusually painful to seek help immediately. Lily doesn't have any lumps or bumps.

We talked to other owners whose show cats had been spayed in this way and they did say that hernias can be a problem if the cat is particularly active.
In the absence of anyone else posting who has more information - it might be worth calling the Vet and asking at what point you should be worried or taking her back for a further check.

Good luck!!!

flisssweetpea · Jun 22, 2005

Me again!!!

If you talk to our US friends here they consider it quite unusual for cats to be spayed on the flank as we usually do it here.

Is Dee a show cat? They are usually mid-line spayed to avoid the possibility that their fur grows back in a different way due to scarring.

carla · Jun 23, 2005

No, she's just a mixed breed from a rescue shelter. Even in the UK I think it's unusual for them to do it that way.

Surely to do it on the side has less risk of complications, even if it is very visible for a few weeks !

Anyway, hopefully, dee will be ok. The lump does not appear infected or painful or anything. it's been two weeks now and the lump is still there. I think I will give it one more week, and if the lump is still there I'll take her back. Come to think of is, when I took her back in last week, the vet gave her an antibiotic injection to take down the swelling, which obviously hasn't worked.

To be honest, it's put me off going back to that vets. I feel quite guilty for taking poor dee there now !

One thing I realised last night is that kiki, even though she is 3 months old now, is still trying to suckle every now and again (must be a comfort thing), I guess that doesn't help dee much.

booktigger · Jun 23, 2005

your right Carla, i live near Manchester and havent known any cat to be spayed mid line, i know with ferals it is advised against cos of the pressure against the cut.

Fingers crossed that she will be fine, i dont blame you for being wary about going back to that vet though.

weloveellie · Jun 23, 2005

Carla,

I had Ellie spayed about 3 - 4 weeks ago, they did it on her belly too. I noticed a lump about 5 days after, but since then it has gone down (not fully yet). I wouldn't worry as of yet unless you see puss or redness.

Take care,
Jacki

carla · Jun 23, 2005

Thcnks Jacki, you've put my mind at rest a bit ! I will see how it goes.

Booktigger, I live near manchester too ! I might give the vets a call to find out why they did it that way

AbbysMom · Jun 23, 2005

When Abby was spayed, it was doen mid-line (That is the norm out here). She did have redness and a slight lump. I brought ehr back to the vet about a week and a half alter and they commentd that she has a slight hernia, but since there was no oozing or anything like that to leave it be to see how it went. When we went back a few weeks later, it was much better. They did say the hernia was most likely because she was being too active. Beleive me, I did everything I could to keep her quiet, but nothing worked. I had her isolated in a room for a bit and she still managed to run around like a nut!

carla · Jun 23, 2005

Yep, you certainly can't keep them still !

Dee has the kitten constantly jumping on her too which can't help too much !

flisssweetpea · Jun 23, 2005

Originally Posted by Carla

No, she's just a mixed breed from a rescue shelter. Even in the UK I think it's unusual for them to do it that way.

Surely to do it on the side has less risk of complications, even if it is very visible for a few weeks !

Anyway, hopefully, dee will be ok. The lump does not appear infected or painful or anything. it's been two weeks now and the lump is still there. I think I will give it one more week, and if the lump is still there I'll take her back. Come to think of is, when I took her back in last week, the vet gave her an antibiotic injection to take down the swelling, which obviously hasn't worked.

To be honest, it's put me off going back to that vets. I feel quite guilty for taking poor dee there now !

One thing I realised last night is that kiki, even though she is 3 months old now, is still trying to suckle every now and again (must be a comfort thing), I guess that doesn't help dee much.

You know, I realised from my profile that it wasn't clear where I was

- I'm in the UK too and all my 3 other girls were spayed on the flank. Lily is the only one to be spayed mid-line. I looked on the internet beforehand to see if there was any added risk to mid-line spaying. It appears that there isn't and it can be beneficial as it's easier to locate the bits they are taking away with mid-line spaying. So don't worry about the procedure.

Our vet itemised everything they did on the bill and Lily got an antibiotic injection and painkiller as part of the surgery.

Certainly, a hernia is an issue that mentioned as a possibility as Singapuras are very active cats and for that reason often develop hernias in surgical wounds because of that.

A second opinion might be a good idea.

I hope that she gets better soon

tourmaline · Jun 23, 2005

I got my kitten spayed 3 weeks ago mid-line and a few days after the spay she developed a golf ball sized lump where the incision was. I did take her to the vet and what my vet told me is that they sew up the muscle and the skin but not the fat. So there is a void where the fat was where "stuff" can accumulate. Especially if the cat was quite active, which Nepheline was. Nepheline wasn't in pain and there was no puss or any other sign of infection. My vet said it would go down in a few weeks and it is.

mferr84 · Jun 23, 2005

when chloe was spayed she developed a ball under her incision a little smaller than a golfball... the area was crusty, and hard... but when i took her to the vet he said it was normal and in about a week it was completley gone, you cant even tell there was anything there!

carla · Jun 24, 2005

Aw, cool, I'm glad to hear that it's perfectly normal. Phew !

Thanks for the advice everyone xx

Problems After Spay

carla

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carla

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flisssweetpea

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flisssweetpea

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carla

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booktigger

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weloveellie

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AbbysMom

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