cowanbree Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 One of my dogs has finally been confirmed to have ovarian remnants which is causing her to still come in to season. Not a huge issue in most cases but I have a number of entire males and it is an issue I could do without. My vet is going to operate next week and remove the remnants which he tells me is most likely to be on the stump but he has told me several times that this is a major operation and I need to be aware of this. I was wondering if anyone else has had this done and just how uncomfortable the dog was and were there any issues? I have had numerous dogs spayed over the years but must admit the vet has made me a bit wary as he has stressed over and over that this is a major operation and I am having second thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Nobody had this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 It will be an exploratory laparotomy, which can involve a full length incision from sternum to pelvis depending on the what the visualisation is like. It can also potentially become quite a long procedure if there is more than one focus of ectopic tissue or if it is difficult to remove. Sometimes we can be "lucky" and just find extra uterine tissue and the procedure would resemble a spey. It is a major surgery because it is abdominal surgery and it is not a 'routine' procedure. With IV fluid support and due consideration to pain relief before and after surgery, the recovery time will be a little longer than for a spey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Thanks Rappie. Putting recovery period aside would you say this surgery is any riskier than a spay? I realise every anaesthetic has its risks but is this more so that usual. I would really like this fixed as it does cause me a lot of issues but if it is a serious risk to my bitch I would live with it. I have asked my vet but he is non committal and it has me a bit concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 It depends where and how much ectopic tissue is present and what it is attached to. Finding it is often the difficult part. Let's not forget that an ovariohysterectomy, no matter how frequently performed, is still a surgery with a reasonable degree of technical difficulty and involving large, delicate vessels that live in close proximity to the kidneys and bladder. In the scheme of things a 'routine' enterotomy or foreign body removal, or even bladder stone removal is a less difficult surgery than a spey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Rappie is it easy to identify the ectopic tissue? I know it might be riskier but would it be more identifyable whilst the dog is on heat? Cowanbree is the same vet that desexed her originally going to perform the operation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Thanks for the infor. At this stage he only intends to strip the stump as that is what the specialist has advised due to the results of the tests we have run so hopefully this won't be as bad. My other option is to keep her on the injection but I don't really want to pump her full of chemicals if I can safely avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 (edited) Rappie is it easy to identify the ectopic tissue? Sometimes, not always. Depends on where it is - potentially we are searching for something the size of a pea in a whole abdomen. If we're lucky, it's found in approximately the right anatomical location. I did one recently where we found quite a bit more than expected in the way of uterine tissue with associated ovarian tissue as well. I know it might be riskier but would it be more identifyable whilst the dog is on heat? Yes it is. Although there is an increased risk associated with spaying in heat, bitches with ectopic (or retained) ovarian tissue don't have an entire reproductive tract to remove (well, usually don't ). Edited October 14, 2009 by Rappie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Rappie is it easy to identify the ectopic tissue? I know it might be riskier but would it be more identifyable whilst the dog is on heat?Cowanbree is the same vet that desexed her originally going to perform the operation? We have been advised that within 4 weeks of her season is the prime time to do it as it is still enlarged. Yes it is the same vet. He has done many spays and other more complex operations for me before with no issues and is a really good vet. He hasn't however done this before and is acting on advice from the specialist. He doesn't really want to do it but the specialist has advised him it is reasonably simple surgery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Thanks Rappie. We have been advised that within 4 weeks of her season is the prime time to do it as it is still enlarged. That answers my curiosity. Yes it is the same vet. He has done many spays and other more complex operations for me before with no issues and is a really good vet. He hasn't however done this before and is acting on advice from the specialist. He doesn't really want to do it but the specialist has advised him it is reasonably simple surgery I have no doubts that he is a good vet. The fact that he is willing to consult with a specalist and give the operation a go himself shows something. I know that vets are only humans but I wonder in this case if he has offered to do the procedure for free or for a reduced price. Yes it probably wasn't his fault that some tissue was left but who knows. I've had a pug that developed a hernia soon after spaying. It could have been the vets fault it could have just been luck of the draw with the dog. Because it could have been the vets fault they put her under again and repaired it for no charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Sadly on that subject my vet and I don’t agree. I am happy to pay cost but don’t want to pay more than that esp given it has cost quite a lot of money in tests over the last 18mths to properly diagnose this. He has said in 20plus years of spaying bitchs he has never left any behind before and thinks Quest has some abnormality rather than it being an error on his behalf. Given her history of UTI, thrush etc I can’t rule it out either but personally think I paid for her to be spayed and she isn’t. In the end it isn’t the cost that is important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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