Cat spaying gone wrong?

Question

My female cat was spayed a few days ago and the resulting wound was not what I was led to expect from online research. Does anyone here know if this could be classified as a botched job? The cat is around 2 kgs and is very small. The incision is 2 inches and very ragged. There are 3 cross stitches which pucker up the cut and the ends of the wire are sticking out. The cat also has a shaved leg with a hole that looks like she had an IV in her vein. I knew she would have an incision in her side but not so big or protruding. Any advice?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v57/moralanqua/picture_2.jpg

The cat was not pregnant.

The pic is of the wound on same day as spaying.

Wound not infected.

Answer 1

Looking at the picture it is not were they would operate to spay your cat. You need to get that cat to a different vet and have it checked.
And you need to report this vet for he/she did a lousy job!
Nowadays your cat can be spayed and have stitches that will come out safely on its own.
Unless there was a problem your cat should not have had an IV so you need to talk to that vet and ask him/her the same questions you asked here.

Answer 2

Were you told ahead of time that they would do a flank spay? Or is this common in your area? The typical approach to a spay surgery is through the abdomen, so her belly would be shaved, not her side. In my experience, flank spays are typically done on cats who have recently had kittens (to avoid the complication presented by milk-filled teats), so the approach itself seems unusual. The stitches, while a bit large, look normal; this is an area of the cat's body that will move a lot when she walks, and the exterior sutures need to be secure. The skin will heal together fine, and her fur will grow back in; you'll neverk now anything was done after a few months. As for a "wire" protruding, it could be part of a stitch from the internal layers--the stitches you see are for the skin only, there are layers of stitches beneath that hold the cut muscle tissue together. These stitches are disolvable and will break down with time inside the cat's body.

As for the shaved leg, it's good veterinary practice to place an IV line in all animals that are put under anesthetic. This helps regulate blood pressure and provides an avenue for the introduction of any medication that may be needed (in the case of an emergency during surgery, the IV can save their life). I worked in a vet practice for several years, and we made this a standard procedure for all surgeries.

Answer 3

It may look bad but I don't think there is anything to worry about. It just looks like the vet went a bit over board with big stitches. A lot of that puffiness is due to bruising and will settle down. But if he had to put an IV in or done anything that wasn't agreed with you beforehand, then he really should have told you.
As long as your cat is eating and back to her old self, she should be fine.
But having said that, she was very small to be spayed in the first place. A kitten, especially a female doesn't need to be spayed til she is at least 6/7 months old. And if she is that old, that is not a good weight.

Answer 4

My two kittens were spayed on Monday. They have shaved legs too which is fine and the incision is in the same place as your cat. However, their incisions are a maximum of 2cm long and they only have one stitch holding it together. Are you sure nothing went wrong during the operation which meant they had to enlarge the incision? Otherwise, it sounds like a pretty botched job to me. I would find another local vet and get your cat checked over just in case.

Answer 5

I don't really know about cats, but I do know that when my dog was fixed that the main stitches on the inside were de-solvable. The ones on the outside are just to keep the skin together, and were de-solvable too. The ones on the inside do most of the work. The incision probably looks puckered because she is either infected or she is still swollen from the operation. I would get her to a vet asap if it looks infected.

Answer 6

Is there a chance that the cat was pregnant? That could complicate the surgery, but if this is was the case, I imagine the vet would have told you after the operation. Vets have different ways of performing this operation & the resutling scars can look different. I think you should express your concern to the vet & if necessary get a 2nd opinion. Often these things look worse than they are, but it's no harm to reassure yourself & to make sure that the cat is OK. Don't forget that her fur will grow back to cover the scar. Good luck.

Answer 7

I have seen the occasional spaying done on the side but not very often because it takes the fur so long to grow back properly. I do not like the looks of the wound, it actually looks like it may still be weeping fluids. I agree with the others to see a second vet and get her checked. Definitely not a vet I would go back to.

Answer 8

It is very worrying when your loved one comes home and looks all beaten up :-(( but if it is not infected then you have nothing to worry about, keep your cat in doors until it heals to stop infection setting in, This sound normal maybe the stitching up sounds a little to be desired but the gap should heal in about 3 weeks so don't worry too much I take it you have an appointment for the stitches to be removed? You will find out them but don't worry and give loads of love to her over the next few weeks.

Answer 9

at the start, i'm satisfied your kitty is doing ok! That might want to were a horribly journey for you and the cat. i'm satisfied you've been there to act instantly and get her to the care she mandatory. I stated this ensue one time earlier, despite the indisputable fact that it change into with a lady canines. She did effective which include her spay and not in any respect touched her sutures. She change into being bordered with us (I labored as a Vet Tech on the time). We got here into artwork one morning and she had torn all her sutures out (exterior and inner) and her intestines were uncovered. The vet change into one among our greatest and that i had assisted the spay, i recognize he had sutured both inner and exterior sutures. The canines change into ok, we took her to emergency surgical procedure and she did effective in restoration. So it change right into a terrible indident, despite the indisputable fact that it wasn't anybody's fault. i'll't communicate with regards to your cat for sure, yet certain this may ensue tho i might want to believe it to be very uncommon. in case you do not experience constructive with this vet, then through all ability replace to a distinct. i'm satisfied your kitty is effective and want she maintains to get well properly. once you've any doubts, take her to a distinct vet and get a 2d opinion. communicate with the vet without delay and perchance they're going to shrink the fee of the spay by way of subject matters afterwards.

Answer 10

Hi i have had a few cats spayed myself. they have also been done through the side. Your cat obviously isn't suffering the wound will flatten out and fur will grow back and you won't even know she has had an opp. The shaven leg will be where they injected the anaesthetic to put her to sleep.