sandgrubber Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) Bonza was spayed at a spay/neuter clinic on 10 December. Around New Year's Day, I noticed a lump near the incision area and well below her skin, also below mammary tissue around. Seemed large (wide and long), but it didn't stick up much and thus wasn't noticable. No pain, redness, soreness or other symptoms. I took her to the local vet; got the junior vet in the practice, who told me it was nothing and sent us on our merry way. On 9 January, Bonza presented symptoms looking like a urinary tract infection. Squat, squat, squat, squat . . . just a trickle of pee coming out. No leaking in the house. I took her in to the vet again and insisted on seeing the senior vet -- who I trust. She acted a little shocked by the size of the lump (she called it a mass) and took X-rays. She said ultrasound would have been better but their radiographer wasn't available. She wanted me to rebook. I opted first to go back to the clinic that did the spay. They gave Bonza an appointment with the vet who did the surgery on the same day. Unfortunately, they don't have ultrasound either, though the vet that did the surgery is friends with my vet and they did share the X-ray and notes. The vet who did the surgery was stumped by the symptoms. She named three possibilities: granuloma with adhesion of uterine stump or omentum, panniculitis, or a sponge left in the surgical area. She has done several thousand spays and says she has never seen anything like this before. She says they did count sponges; it was a messy spay and there was a lot to clean up; but she has never before sewed a dog up with a sponge inside . . . but it was possible. I've googled granuloma and panniculitis and they don't seem to match. Does anyone have any thoughts on other things that might be going on? Btw, the vet who did the surgery agreed to take responsibility for getting the problem treated at no cost to me. This is going to mean a two hour drive for each trip . . .which I am quite willing to make. Bonza is sleeping a lot and less playful than usual; still pee'ing a lot; but showing no fever, loss of appetite, or other alarming symptoms. Edited January 15, 2015 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightstar123 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I would be a bit concerned about a granuloma or fibrous adhesion that is compressing the bladder neck and causing the urinary symptoms you described. Sometimes the colon can also be slightly obstructed, causing the not-very-specific signs of vomiting, lethargy and constipation. Retained surgical sponge is always possible though and could definitely fit the symptoms. Ultrasound +/- fine needle aspirate should provide a diagnosis but complete surgical removal of the mass (in the case of either a granuloma or retained sponge) is generally needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) I would be a bit concerned about a granuloma or fibrous adhesion that is compressing the bladder neck and causing the urinary symptoms you described. Sometimes the colon can also be slightly obstructed, causing the not-very-specific signs of vomiting, lethargy and constipation. Retained surgical sponge is always possible though and could definitely fit the symptoms. Ultrasound +/- fine needle aspirate should provide a diagnosis but complete surgical removal of the mass (in the case of either a granuloma or retained sponge) is generally needed. Thanks for the opinion. Glad to have my vets opinions confirmed. Strangely, Bonza's energy level has picked up. She's back to doing zoomies and playing dog tag with her daughter. The angle at which she holds her head and tail is once again perky. AND the lump seems to have vanished. She's still pee'ing more than usual, though. She goes back to the vet for palpitation early next week, and ultrasound + exploratory if necessary on Wednesday. She has been a healthy dog . . . maybe her system has begun to push whatever it is back. (Guess that rules out the sponge hypothesis). Fingers crossed. Edited January 16, 2015 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I have something similar with my Aussie Quest many years ago. She had what looked like a hernia, she was otherwise normal though. My vet said at the time that I hadn't kept her quiet enough to heal even though I had crate rested her for 2 days after the operation. Took about 3mths and it went back to normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Glad to hear she is feeling better ! I am wondering, as a similar thing happens to me ..if dogs get angiodema? Angiodema is a severe swelling after allergy/injury/pressure . I have a tendency to it ..and it happens with allergens and surgery -- massive amount of localised swelling around surgery site ..gradually disappearing after some weeks . severe reaction to certain allergens - eyes closed..huge hives ,pain/shivering .. Any of our vets know if dogs can have this , and have it happen after incisions etc ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightstar123 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 It's very common to get a firm lump on the incision line due to a foreign body reaction to the sutures - this can get quite large but it's generally more common in cats. It usually just slowly resolves over time. I've seen quite extensive swelling too but not usually a month after surgery. Sounds like your vet thought the mass was actually in the abdomen though, rather than in the subcutaneous tissues? Great to hear that Bonza is feeling better but strange that a large mass like that would suddenly disappear completely. Definitely something for your vets to get to the bottom of! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 (edited) This 'mass' was not on the incision line. It seemed well below the incision and smooth, not lumpy like the incision line lumps I've felt in previous spays. It seemed to be oriented not along, but about 15-20 degrees askew of the midline. It has completely disappeared and Bonza is acting normal. No unusual urination. Full energy. I'll be taking her in on Monday for a re-examination. This is more to satisfy the vet's curiosity than because I think anything is wrong. Kind of sorry they didn't do an ultrasound because it would be interesting to know more about what was going on. Strange things sometimes happen. Just glad it was an apparent problem that turned out to be nothing than an apparent nothing that turned out to be a big problem. Thanks for input. Edited January 24, 2015 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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