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post-neuter problems???

KimNIndy

Well-known member
hi everyone

indy was neutered and had an umbilical hernia repaired one month ago and has been in pain ever since. he's his normal sweet exuberant self, but we haven't even been able to take off his plastic collar :( when it's off for literally more (sometimes less) than a minute, he attacks his penis with such ferociousness that we have to pull him off and it's covered in healing scabs. we tried a onesie but he just bites through it.

we went to the vet (after a few calls when we were told to wait) last week and they couldn't find anything visibly wrong, so he has been on predisone tablets, but to almost no avail. in fact, while wearing his collar he chews on his poor tail. it used to be so pretty and now it has almost no feathers and bearly has a bald patch. it's breaking my heart watching him hurt for so long and i'm frustrated that no one knows what's wrong.

the vet talked about the possibility of SM again, as he'd had experiences of nighttime pain several months ago. these haven't occured since. indy was x-rayed for possible skeletal problems when he was neutered and everything looks good. truth be told, indy wasn't exhibiting any sort of pain until the day after his operation.

we are going back to the vets tomorrow and i'm worried that we'll leave in exactly the same boat. the worst part is that he is due to move to america with me wednesday after next, but i doubt he'll be fit to fly with his collar and he would do too much damage to himself if we took it off.

sorry for the long post. i needed to whinge a bit. does anyone have any ideas or similar experience?
 
kimNIndy, i would push the vets for answers at this stage as u are going to america and need ur baby fit to travel with u! Stress to them that this is a post-op problem and that you would like it check out and sorted.

Let us know how u get on!!
 
Hi!

Oh poor guy! This does not sound right at all! I cannot speak personnally from experience of having a dog neutered, however my parents had to have their Tri boy Jake neutered due to an undescended that had a hernia around it :eek: I know for a fact that Jake was feeling so well after his op my parents had a job to stop him leaping all over the place!

Personnally I would take him back and maybe see a different vet, sometimes a fresh eye can see the problem. Having an umbilical hernia repaired shouldn't have caused any problems either but this isn't right and most importantly of all your boy is in distress!

Let us know how you get on tomorrow, Big kiss and a gentle :hug: to Indy, I do hope he will be passed fit to travel with you to the States :xfngr:
 
Wow, no ideas about that. My one thought is his penis shouldn't have anything to do with the operation -- that is on his testicles much further back, and his umbilical hernia is much further up.

Have they checked for an actual problem with his penis? Infection, etc?

Have you considered talking to UCD?

I'll see if anyone has heard of this kind of thing with SM dogs. The thing about SM is it can come and go. A stressful event like surgery may perhaps initiate it again -- very hard to know. The timing can also always be coincidence but you clearly have an unacceptable situation. I've never heard of a dog attacking his penis though due to SM. :(

I would suggest ordering an inflateable or soft e-collar perhaps -- this is much more comfortable for dogs than the plastic one and would at least help him feel a bit more normal.

For example see the Bite Not and the inflatable collar here (inflateable one is further down):

http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/products.asp?CID=0&BrowseList=870&dept_id=876

I guess you could see if putting him on neurontin helps. If he is experiencing neurological pain that isn't 'really' pain (eg not due to anything actually wrong with that part of his body) then you'll know that maybe you should have him MRId.

Hopefully whatever is causing the pain will pass but it does sound like it may make travelling with him an impossibility at the moment?
 
Our Charley didn't have any problems post-op for his neutering and hernia.

It does sound like a separate problem. Could it be a urinary infection??

I hope he's feeling better soon and able to travel. :)
 
Poor guy!! Sure hope you are able to get this figured out soon. I'm sure you have enough stress with the upcoming move!
 
Poor little Indy. That must be so distressing for both of you. :( I sure hope you can get some answers on this. :hug:
 
I would be seeing another vet (though $$ I know).
I would ask about any possible reactions to the type of stitches used ?
I would look into any conditions that would irritate his penis such as urine infection or a germ could have got in ??
What is he like with the collar on ? Is he is normal self or is he still trying to get at it ? I
s he getting any relief from his medication the vet gave ? (prednisone?)

Could anything have been used around the area during surgery that could have caused such a skin irritation ? swabs or the like ? or could anything have gotten in to the op site ? I know its unlikely but who knows.

apart from the scabs he has caused what is his skin condition like in the localised area ? is it dry, or pink or red ?

Sorry no help really and I could probably go on all day with the what ifs, I guess I would just quiz the vets and demand a solution, mention the trip and put some pressure on and hopefully they can pull a rabbit out of a hat for you . Big licks, kisses and cuddles to you both from me and the boys. Good luck
 
yes, that sounds truly distressing...for both of you. I wonder if dogs get latex allergies and the like. I hope things get better soon...please keep us informed. :(
 
If you guys want a second opinion vet I can give you a suggestion. Drop me a PM and let me know who you are seeing at the moment.

To me this just sounds like it is separate to his surgery and coincidence in the timing. icon_nwunsure
 
thanks for all of your support-it really means a lot! the possibility of indy not being fit to travel is the LAST thing i expected to have to worry about before flying over. thank god my DH is around for a couple more weeks just in case indy has to delay his trip!!! i would be so brokenhearted without the 2 of them.

sooooo we went to the vet today and indy was seen by a different vet in the same practice. he got a very thorough examination and the vet found

(TMI warning)

some pus at the base of indy's penis and said that it didn't look healthy---no surprise there. so he took a swab and we'll get the results next week. he also didn't like the look of the skin around indy's lower abdomen. i noticed it had been a bit dry looking, but didn't recognise it as a problem. it's nothing urgent and the vet suggested getting it checked out in america as a biopsy would take a long time to get results. so it seems that there is some infection, but they aren't sure why. the actual site of the surgery is much lower and looks great.

in the meantime, after all the poking and prodding (poor indy---and mommy for becoming WAY more intimate with indy's genitals than i EVER expected to be :eek:) indy got an injection of painkiller and antibiotic. he has a lot of antibiotic tablets for next week and also double the amount of predinisone. i'm just so relieved that at least they have found SOMETHING wrong and hopefully things will be clearer when we go back on wednesday.

the vet recommends the meds for now and to make indy comfortable enough to travel and then to deal with any of the leftovers once we've moved. i'm happy enough to do that for now and hopefully the meds will clear things up anyway:xfngr: :xfngr: :xfngr:

karlin i have pm'd you!

k
 
oh goodness poor Indy :(

I really hope they've now found the cause...I'm shocked that the other vet didn't want to listen...

I hope this is what is causing the problems...and that it's not SM.

My entire dog with SM does actually chew at the side of his penis - where there are nipples? We were planning on getting him neutered but he's so well at the moment we really don't want to do anything that could upset that. Although there doesn't seem to be any definite evidence that surgery/anaesthesia can affect SM, I do know of at least one dog who has been worse following anaesthesia {spay op}.
 
Oh I am so glad they have found something and hopefully he will be provided with some relief. How frustrating the other vet didn't find anything.
 
hi again----thanks for your kind messages!

indy is feeling much better thank goodness! :rah: we are keeping the collar off of him during the day when he is supervised so he nearly doesn't have to wear it except for when he is sleeping :) we still catch him licking, but that's it---actual licking rather than attacking which is such a relief! the pain pills must be having a good effect. i can tell that he's still a bit inflamed, but we are going back to the vets tomorrow morning to get the results of the swab so that should sort everything.

i'm sure that indy will be ready for his big trip next wednesday!!! i did a bit of googling about this problem and i'm pretty sure i know what's wrong with indy. i'll update with details and care instructions after the vet visit tomorrow in case this happens (hope not!!!) to any of our other cavvie gentlemen in the future.

k
 
What a relief -- that is great news. I'm so glad he is feeling better and that in turn must make you a lot less anxious given all that is going on for you right now with the move!
 
That is most excellent news. :D I am so pleased that Indy is feeling much better. Sure sounds like you & your vet are on the right track.
 
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