Banshee's Tummy Bump

[yellowgirl]

Banshee came into my care on 4th April - edited - sorry, got my long weekends mixed up, it was 25th April (she was in season) and was desexed on 11th May. She was desexed through the side which I know isn't done much any more. She has a tummy bump that looks as if she's pregnant and I tried to ring the vet but she's on holidays and the clinic is closed. I rang another vet because I was pretty sure that it's impossible for her to be pregnant as the uterus is usually removed along with the ovaries. The vet nurse said that's the way it's usually done. She was busy and I think she thought that I was talking about a bump around the incision which would normally be underneath.

So I thought I'd ask you guys for your opinions as you can see the pictures. Googling wasn't much help. Even if just the ovaries were removed, she can't be pregnant can she??

(Geeze, how's her enormous scar looking there?!? Looks like I drew a big pretend pirate scar on her!)

She often stands hunched and has quite a hard tummy, but now the bulge is bigger. The vet had checked her tummy when I first took her in and said the hunching was due to her fear issues and would get better as she relaxes.

This pic was taken a few days after she arrived, standing hunched as usual, her tummy was tight, but no bulge.

Any ideas???

Edited to put in correct date

Edited May 28, 2010 by yellowgirl

[stormie]

she won't be pregnant as you're right, they take the uterus and the ovaries out. A bit of swelling is normal around the incision area but that amount of swelling I've never seen before and you would expect any swelling to have gone by now.

I've never seen a flank spey either so probably can't really help much there...

There's a scar, so they've operated, but I'd be taking her somewhere to find out exactly what the swelling is.

Don't want to freak you out, but we've had animals come to us that were supposedly desexed by another vet, only to discover a pair of perfectly good testicles there!

[blacklabrador]

Possibly just some relaxation of the muscles that have been incised, perhaps an accumulation of fluid from surgery. I think it's still worth getting checked out though in case it's something that requires hands on diagnosis like a hernia or a collection of blood or something.

[yellowgirl]

Thanks Stormie and Blacklabrador, I'll take her to a different vet and get her checked out

[Stitch]

I can't for the life of me understand how/why a vet would make a scar on the side of a hairless dog.

I mean its not like it is going to be covered with hair and will probably be noticeable for the life of the dog.

Sorry, but I would be on their doorstep when they came back from their holidays!!!

You may have to take her to another vet if the swelling doesn't look like it is going down.

Did they give you any anti-inflammatory pain relief??

[yellowgirl]

I know Stitch, the scar is really noticable isn't it? Just as well Banshee doesn't have a modelling career or anything!

I took her to this vet as she does the NDN low cost desexing http://www.ndn.org.au/apply-for-low-cost-desexing.html . She did one of my other girls as well with no problems. She was also desexed through the side but she has different skin colour and texture and the scar isn't very noticable.

No take-home pain relief, it was given at the time. Neither dog had any issues with healing at the site.

I will ring another vet right this minute and get Banshee booked in for another opinion. If she's not pregnant, then something is causing the swelling. I'm a bit worried.

Fingers crossed that Banshee doesn't bite this vet as well

[yellowgirl]

She's booked in for 6.30 tonight at a different clinic

[stormie]

My guess is its a bit of a seroma from fluid that has drained down to that area due to gravity and pooled there. If so, it should just disappear but I'd still go with getting it checked to be sure.

[yellowgirl]

Just out of interest Stormie (she's going to the vet anyway), how long would it take for fluid to drain away, and would it cause that much of a bulge? It feels quite firm.

Edited May 27, 2010 by yellowgirl

[stormie]

It can depend - the ones I've seen are usually gone within a couple of weeks, however they haven't been anywhere near the size of Banshee's (if thats what it is).

Thing is really, it could be a number of things, from fluid from the incision area, a hernia which has also made its way down that way, to fluid accumulating from something completely different, like something wrong having been tied off inside!

Its unfortunate they did a flank spey - particularly on a dark skinned, hairless dog, because it was obviously going to leave a scar. The other thing is, from what my vet is telling me now, is that the general idea behind a flank spey is that you don't need to have a very big incision and can usually be closed up with one stitch - so looks like a pretty big incision they've done on her there!

Edited May 27, 2010 by stormie

[yellowgirl]

With a flank spey, do they remove the uterus as well, or just the ovaries?

[Guest DBT]

I am interested to know why it was done on the flank?? Way back when, it was always done flank...and then slowly but surely the norm seemed to become midline. I have not seen a flank spey for over 10 yrs!!

just 2 weeks ago i had my Skye bitch speyed and she was done midline, with a very small scar , 3 stitches. She has a slight bump right where the stitches were but its improving everyday.

Anyway, i hope you resolve the 'tummy bump' !!

[persephone]

;) fan of flank speys done 'keyhole' .. but that is a big scar!

I would def. be a bit concerned about that lump...she is only small, and the lump is large un relation to her size .....Hope all goes well at the vets.

Every time I see a pic of her- I think of GREMLINS after midnight !! ;)

[yellowgirl]

I wonder if this vet just isn't up with the times, DBT. Bit odd, because I think she's only in her mid 40's-early 50's. I think she may be the only vet in Adelaide still doing flank speys.

That's certainly no keyhole persephone ;) . Pepper's was big too, she had 6 stitches, just not as noticable as Banshee's.

I can see what you mean about a Gremlin

That gorgeous nekkid body with the armadillo wrinkles, big leathery ears, adorable kissable bald head, the white mokawk, lovely big brown eyes ... and a mouthful of teeth to bite the vet with ;)

Edited May 27, 2010 by yellowgirl

[persephone]

*nods*..yep gremlin alright! ;)

[stormie]

Flank speys are still done the same way, taking everything out. They idea with the incision being smaller is because you're making the incision right where the ovary would be, so its easier to access. But truly, that's an enormous incision. We wouldn't even have an incision that big for a standard midline! On dogs that small we'd probably only have 2 stitches!!

A vet I used to work with has no gone over to work in Hong Kong in a big clinic and I know they are made to do flank speys there. No idea why!

Hope you get some answers tonight!! Goodluck!

[yellowgirl]

Thanks so much for your input Stormie. I'm glad that she can't be pregnant, but I'm a bit more worried now though as it has to be something. Poor girl has had such a crappy life so far, I was hoping she could just relax and enjoy being warm and loved for a while.

Will let you know how she goes at the vet. Appointment is at 6.30 but I won't be able to update till after lunchtime tomorrow.

[stormie]

I hope it's nothing serious ;)

[ness]

yellowgirl - Kenz was spayed last year and was flank spayed.

[yellowgirl]

Phantom pregnancy!!! . Vet says it will subside as the hormones settle.

Now for the bad news .... I also got the vet to check Banshee's back left leg as she's been resting it a lot from day 1 and often trots around on 3 legs. I've had her on glucosamine/condroitin and the VAN joint formula since the first week and so far there's been no change. The vet who did the spey said she had checked Banshee's leg when she was under sedation but couldn't be sure if there was cruciate damage, and to see how she goes. The vet we saw last night couldn't really tell too much because Banshee was screaming and snapping all through the examination . She's put her on Previcox anti-inflammatory, and the idea is that if there is improvement it's probably arthritis, but ... if there's no improvement, it's probably cruciate damage, and the next step is sedation and xrays, and then an operation ... and I don't want to think about it.

Geeze, she's lucky I love her