Franken-dog!

billwill

Hey guys!

A week ago, I found a lump under the left side of my 15 year old cocker spaniel/golden retriever mix's (Bud for short) jaw. I took her to the vet, and after feeling it he said to bring her back in two weeks and then he'd feel it again to see if it grew at all.

Well, a few days later, it got massively bigger, so I took her in again. He said he wanted to take it out as soon as possible, so the following day (this past Wednesday) she had surgery and he took it out.

When I picked her up yesterday, I was greeted with what you see below. I was surprised, as I was thinking this would just be a small incision and then they would drain it (he had told me because it had grown so fast that it wasn't a tumor). Apparently, it is a tumor, and the surgery was a lot more complicated than they had expected, as they had to cut through muscle to get to it.

So now she looks like this:

The people at the vet clinic weren't very helpful at all about what I can do to help her. They gave me very ambiguous answers ("oh, I think the swelling will go down in a week" the secretary told me), so I just want tips from you guys. What can I do so it doesn't, I don't know, get infected? As you see, it's oozing a little bit; is that ok? Overall she doesn't seem to be noticing it, but like I said, the vet clinic didn't really tell me anything as "they haven't done this type of surgery in a long time so they don't know what to expect".

I'm supposed to take her in again in two weeks to get the stitches out, but I just would general advice in the meantime.

Thanks!

Thanatos

I would seriously consider taking her to a different vet to get the stitches out.

Esh

Thanatos wrote: »

I would seriously consider taking her to a different vet to get the stitches out.

Why?

OP, Why didn't you ask to talk to the vet instead of just quizzing the receptionist? If you want general advice, call the clinic the surgery was performed at. This is a medical concern and they're the ones who treated it. Ask for a callback from the vet who did the surgery. We don't know the specifics so we are not qualified in the least to give you advice on this.

Inquisitor77

I'm going to concur with Esh here. It's quite strange that you didn't get some sort of debrief from the vet regarding what happened and what you need to do, followed by a chance to answer any questions you might have. Also, if you had questions, if the receptionist didn't have the answer she should've known enough to ask the vet right then and there or write it down to provide you an educated answer later.

Assuming your description of what happened is true, all sorts of red flags are going up right now.

skettios

Definitely try to talk to the vet who did the surgery.
If anything, you might have to take her back in cause in the picture, it looks like the incision is opening...

edit: Yes, definitely strange you didn't get debriefed by the vet or a vet assistant

skettios

I'm assuming you got some pain killers or something to give her at least.. right?
Very odd to just get your dog back with no real instructions

ceres

I would call and ask to speak to the vet. Don't ask the receptionist complicated questions. A receptionist is unlikely to know the answer. I know because I was one. I could answer basic questions about care and some of the products we sold, but when it comes to treatment you really need to have a conversation with the vet who did the surgery and get some real instruction.

billwill

Nope, they didn't give me anything to give her.

The vet wasn't in when I picked her up Wednesday, but after a lot of forcing I got her to call the vet while I was there and ask questions. She then tried to tell me that they actually didn't know what it was that my dog had, which is why I made her call him again, which is when he said it was a tumor. Overall, I'm obviously going to go to a different clinic next, but my bank account is in the double digits and I don't get paid until the 27th (the surgery cost $320).

A vet assistant lady was out there with the secretary answering my questions, but again, all they said was:

a) We don't really know what to expect because we haven't done this type of surgery in forever.
b) She doesn't need any pain meds.
c) The swelling should go down after a week.

Mim

Something about this vet seems very unprofessional and I would be livid if no vet or vet assistant debriefed me on what to do for my dog. Definitely take her somewhere else and avoid this place (what hospital was it?) and if there is some place to report them, I'd probably go ahead and do that.

Every time my dogs has had surgery, blood drawn, vaccination or even a teeth cleaning, they've given me something to do to after the dog was returned to me and what to look out for. They should even do a follow up call to make sure she's okay the next day.

OnTheLastCastle

You should've absolutely gotten a follow up call and probably painkillers for your dog. And probably a cone so it doesn't scratch at the stitches. Oh god, that would be horrible.

Please call a vet ASAP. If the dog scratches at the stitches, which it can very easily do, things will be very bad.

Wassermelone

Im a little bit surprised they sent you home ostensibly for two weeks to watch it.

When my dog had a growth the vet asked us that visit about scheduling a removal. Then when they removed it, they had it sent to a lab for testing to check that it wasn't malignant. They also gave us pain meds and a full procedure sheet as well as the vet's cellphone in case of an emergency.

It was hardly even half an inch across. And it was on the surface of the leg.

Seems like something this extreme should involve a hell of a lot more information and direct face time with the vet. If they didn't know what they were doing, they should have recommended a different hospital.

skettios

OnTheLastCastle wrote: »

You should've absolutely gotten a follow up call and probably painkillers for your dog. And probably a cone so it doesn't scratch at the stitches. Oh god, that would be horrible.

Please call a vet ASAP. If the dog scratches at the stitches, which it can very easily do, things will be very bad.

This.

Very surprised you don't have a cone or painkillers

Wishing good things for your dog!

Skoal Cat

Not saying don't do what people are suggesting, but a vet school friend of mine with a lot of veterinary experience says.

Its just a bit swollen. Otherwise its clean, dry, and nonirritating

Killgrimage

This makes no sense. If a human had surgery like this, you can bet they would be given pain meds. And you didn't get debriefed by the vet? Not even a care sheet? I'm really confused and would be quite upset with my vet.

Skoal Cat

Keep the incision dry, you can ice pack for the swelling (frozen peas or ice or something, in a plastic bag with a slightly damp towel surrounding it, since its important not to put the ice directly on the skin) icing should be done for only about ten minutes a couple of times a day. Otherwise make sure she stay away from scratching it with her paws or rubbing it against the wall. Watch the incision for redness (bright red surrounding the incision) any major oozing or discharge. Photo looks fine right now except for some swelling, which is perfectly normal. Even some discharge is understandable and normal as well as a bit of redness directly around the incision. If there are any other dogs in the household, make sure they leave the incision alone as well. Other than that try and keep the dog quieter than normal. The area of the incision is slightly harder to heal, since its in an area that moves around a lot, which can cause some irritation, however, there's plenty of extra skin in the area so its not extremely tight. Other than that he should be okay.

Kistra

Based on where the incision is, I think a cone would be horrible. If she starts scratching at the stitches, buy something called a snood (they are cheap, like $5-10) to cover the area. The lack of abx isn't that surprising - the incision looks healthy, the lack of pain killers is maybe a little bit surprising. How is she acting? Is she drinking water?

Did the vet send the removed tissue off for pathology? That is what I would be bugging the vet about now.