Spayed dog acting as though in season?

[MrsMozartleto]

The wee dog, JRTxPatterdale, was spayed in April.

Since then a couple of times I've wondered as there's been odd signs of being in season.

I ignored the first as being hormones settling. However the last few days she been humping everything in sight, I've seen three drops of blood (there's no cut paws, etc.), and the worst thing is she's getting aggressive with the other dogs again, which was the main driver for having her spayed in the first place.

I've lefta message for the vet to call me, just wondering if anyone has any experience of a spay not working?

 

[MrsMozartleto]

Google might've answered it for me, though I don't know whether to hope it is or isn't this:

"Ovarian remnant syndrome is a condition that occurs when ovarian tissue remains inside the body after a female dog is spayed. This tissue can produce estrogen, triggering signs of heat in the dog. In an unspayed dog, the ovaries produce a number of hormones, including estrogen." Source: www.vcahospitals com

 

[LittleRolo]

No idea and no help sorry. But I would be demanding the vet gets to the bottom of asap and if it is this for them to be rectifying there mistake free of charge.

 

[Redders]

Ovarian remnant syndrome is a surgical risk in every spay. It happens. It doesn’t mean the vet was no good or incompetent. Spaying is a difficult procedure and sometimes due to the conformation and visualisation, a tiny bit of ovarian tissue can remain, so small you can’t even see it when you check the ovarian pedicles before you close, it can even be microscopic. There can also be ectopic ovarian tissue present in some dogs, ovarian tissue that is distant to the actual ovaries. The symptoms can also be caused by other disease processes. Please don’t go ‘demanding’ to your vet. Book a consult and discuss the symptoms, go through the logical investigations to test for all possible causes of the symptoms you describe, and go from there. Vets are only human, and some days are really really hard, and sometimes, all it takes is an owner to be confrontational to tip someone over the edge. By all means express your concern and desire for resolution of clinical signs and perhaps negotiate a discount/free services if it is deemed to be ORS, but please Do so kindly and don’t already go in there with blame in your heart.
I am not saying you specifically will, it’s a general plea to all people using veterinary services. Please just be kind.

 

[twiggy2]

No idea and no help sorry. But I would be demanding the vet gets to the bottom of asap and if it is this for them to be rectifying there mistake free of charge.

I bet your vets love you, its not the attitude to get your vets help and support.

 

[bonny]

With my kelpie that died recently I used to walk every morning in a local park with a group of other dogs including a gsd. My dog suddenly started being interested in her which he had never done before and after a few days she was interested back and I had to avoid the park for a while. The dog then started being hassled by other dogs so a visit to the vet happened as she had been spayed six months earlier.
Turned out she hadn’t, the operation had been done by a new vet and I don’t know what he had done but she certainly wasn’t spayed. She had to have the operation again, done by the senior vet free of charge. So as hard as it seems to believe it can happen.

 

[Redders]

She probably was spayed, the first vet maybe performed an ovariectomy - a perfectly legit procedure and is what is performed in a laparoscopic spay as routine (can’t fit a uterus through the port holes!). The vet probably left behind a small ovarian remnant and when the senior vet rectified it they removed the uterus too for completeness. The first vet wouldn’t have opened an abdomen and not removed anything and closed again - even if a vet tried, the nurses would have noticed the lack of anything left on the surgical table to bring it up

 

[LittleRolo]

I bet your vets love you, its not the attitude to get your vets help and support.

The vets have clearly f****d up meaning an animal now has to have another operation because they can't do the job properly the first time round. 100% bet if Mrs M goes in soft the vets will palm her off and waste time. Stand firm and make them correct their mistakes. Or be weak and the poor dog will suffer. I know exactly which course I would take.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

The vets have clearly f****d up meaning an animal now has to have another operation because they can't do the job properly the first time round. 100% bet if Mrs M goes in soft the vets will palm her off and waste time. Stand firm and make them correct their mistakes. Or be weak and the poor dog will suffer. I know exactly which course I would take.

Both MrsMozart, and me have been on this forum since 2008, and I've never gotten the feeling that MrsM would allow a veterinarian to walk all over her, if she knew or suspected they've truly done wrong.

Veterinarians, and their staff aren't perfect robots, they can make mistakes. E.g. I've had to go back to "my" clinic with a bitch once when someone forgot to send off a blood sample, and it had to be done again the next day. Even though I didn't go in with my guns blazing, they were extremely apologetic, and allowed me to pick a gift for free for my extra trouble.

But as Redders have tried to explain, it isn't definitely sure that a mistake has been made. I've heard that when they spay a bitch, depending on where they make the cut on the inside, it can sometimes become something I can only describe as a little tap left behind (I'm guessing we're talking in the area between cervix and vagina, but I could be wrong). Usually that doesn't cause any problems, but there are exceptions.

And as Redders also already mentioned, even though the majority have our inner stuff where it's supposed to be, and without any lurking extra additions, there are exceptions. It's possible that MrsMozart's wee dog unfortunately had some ovarian tissue where it was not supposed to be, which the veterinarian didn't find.

Anyhow, as I recall Beata showed some vague pseudopregnancy signs a few periods also after that she'd been spayed, but that's as close as I've been to experiencing that a bitch showed seasonal signs after spaying.

Hope your veterinarian is helpful MrsMozart.

 

[Bellasophia]

it could be something as simple as a urine infection,or bladder stones..I would test urine and have an ecograph done .They could also check the remains of her reproductive organs at this time..

My male began taking an excessive interest in my little girls urine, and also started the humpTy behavior..above tests did reveal problems for my girl( in her case growths in the bladder).

 

[Clodagh]

The vets have clearly f****d up meaning an animal now has to have another operation because they can't do the job properly the first time round. 100% bet if Mrs M goes in soft the vets will palm her off and waste time. Stand firm and make them correct their mistakes. Or be weak and the poor dog will suffer. I know exactly which course I would take.

I’m so glad I have a higher opinion of my vets that you do yours!

 

[MrsMozartleto]

Thank you folks.

I have 'liked' all as people took the time to respond.

Wee dog will have a consult, and going by my reading probably have the relevant blood test to determine if it is likely to be ORV, and we'll go from there.

My small animal vets have all been been very good with my dogs and cats, so I'm sure that if a mistake was made then they'll rectify it and with much apologies to the wee dog. I won't be happy if it was a foolish mistake as it's the wee dog who has to go through it again, but mistakes happen and so long as she's okay in the long run then all will be well. If there's a financial cost to me that'll just be frustrating as everything I have is going towards a total hip replacement for D2.

 

[twiggy2]

The vets have clearly f****d up meaning an animal now has to have another operation because they can't do the job properly the first time round. 100% bet if Mrs M goes in soft the vets will palm her off and waste time. Stand firm and make them correct their mistakes. Or be weak and the poor dog will suffer. I know exactly which course I would take.

You have a higher opinion of your diagnostic abilities via a forum post than any vet I have ever met or known.
MrsM hopefully it will be something and nothing buyt there are a few things that could be causing the behaviour so your right to have an app with your vet and go from there.
Good luck and please let us know the outcome.

 

[Dasher66]

I hope you can get her sorted out, mrs M.
Youve got me worried about our little dog, she had a hysterectomy due to pyometra earlier this year and I have recently noticed her humping things. Will get a vet opinion soonest.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

I hope you can get her sorted out, mrs M.
Youve got me worried about our little dog, she had a hysterectomy due to pyometra earlier this year and I have recently noticed her humping things. Will get a vet opinion soonest.

Fingers crossed for your little dog lass.

With the wee dog it's humping, getting aggressive with the other dogs, and three definite drops of blood.

I'm really hoping she doesn't need another operation. She had a litter of two big pups at ten months old and had to have a c-section. Been through the mill has the wee dot.