My dog bled after spay, low platelets. Why K1 tablets given?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Jade! I would have her seen by a Vet first. They can check her PT/PTT and be sure she isn't anemic and in need of a blood transfusion if you think an anticoagulant rodenticide has been ingested. The antidote is Vit K. Other causes of vaginal bleeding are an infected uterus (pyometra) which is a surgical emergency. We can not prescribe drugs or dosing because legally we would need to examine the pet first. I hope this helps and I wish Jade the very best!

I don’t have a great explanation for the neurological signs but the bleeding certainly makes me think she has an underlying bleeding disorder. Low platelets? Rat poison? We have some tick-born illnesses here that can lower platelets. Auto immune thrombocytopenia? Perhaps there was a clotting event related to this in the brain that caused the neuro signs? Best of luck to you and Panny.

Anti-coagulant rat poisons affect something called secondary hemostasis - they have no effect on platelet count. This type of toxicity can be ruled out by doing a coagulation profile, or PT/PTT test. Many vet clinics can do this in-house. If you have concerns, I would recommend asking your vet about this - he/she should be happy to explain the testing that was done and how to interpret the results.

I am so sorry to hear that Francis isn’t feeling well. I would be suspicious of tick born infections such as ehrlichia. She could have been infected for some time, but the stress of the surgery could have caused her to become ill with it. It is also possible that she is having a rare complication to surgery such as an infection at the uterine stump. Another possible cause is that she is experiencing an immune mediated anemia and thrombocytopenia event. If she is genetically predisposed then anything can trigger it- surgery, vaccinations, infections etc. I would recommend asking for a clinical pathology review of the CBC, the total protein level can help determine if she has bled. I would recommend an x-ray or even better an ultrasound to examine the uterine stump. Best of luck and I hope you find an answer soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. C-sections involve cutting into vessels that are very engorged with blood. This means there are potential complications. Also, if Bella is continuing to bleed, she might have a problem with her clotting factors. It is possible that the vet did something wrong, however it is more likely that Bella has an issue with either her anatomy or clotting factors. Without more information, and without having been there, we cannot say whether or not anything was done wrong. If you want someone to look at the case more closely, you can get a copy of the medical records for all of her visits, and have a 'consultation' with one of our vets online, and we can go through the records and look for any signs of malpractice, however keep in mind that records can only tell us so much and we won't be able to give you a 100% answer. Best of luck with Bella, I hope she feels better soon!

You are describing pancytopenia which is a low red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet count. We see this disease process secondary to infectious diseases carried by ticks, toxins such as hormones or even secondary to some medications such as anti-inflammatories, primary diseases of the bone marrow and cancer. Unfortunately, it is a problem because if left untreated his platelet count will continue to drop resulting in bleeding and his low white blood cell count predisposes him to infection. He needs to be tested for tick borne disease and possibly have a bone marrow aspirate. In the meantime, your veterinarian may recommend treating him with doxycycline and prednisone.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would need to ask a bunch more questions and would be happy to do a consultation if you’d like but let me give you a few ideas. 1) be sure it’s not heart- Fainting spells can look a lot like seizures. Consider a cardiology consult to make sure it’s not that. They’ll do an EKG and ultrasound of the heart to make sure nothing is amiss. 2) weird fungal diseases- I’m from Arizona, land of valley fever - a fungal disease that can - and often does- cause seizures. Other fungi like Blastomycosis and Histoplasmosis can do similar things. If Bella has traveled out of Texas- even for just a day or two- these are considerations. 3) Bella is simply an atypical epileptic and needs more/different medication. Just like in people, it can sometimes take some time to find the right combination of drugs to get the seizures controlled. 4) weird drug interactions- double check especially about any anti-anxiety or behavior modification medications and pain medications. 5) hypothyroidism, tick fever, other weird stuff. If you’ve done an MRI, you may have already consulted with a neurologist. If not? That would be the next step along with the cardiologist visit. Best of luck to you and Bella!