My dog was spayed in heat and lost blood. Special recovery care?

Hello. As long as the blood is not excessive & seems to be decreasing day by day, there is no concern. This could just be some residual blood sloughing from the loss of hormones after spaying, & should stop very soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear that your friend's dog lost so much blood during her surgery. While it is a routine surgery, complications like bleeding can occur. There is a chance that your friend's pet will be OK, she may require a blood transfusion if her anemia (level of red blood cells) is low enough. She may also just need time for her own body to make more red blood cells. There are lots of patients in critical care units that have lost a lot of blood that are able to be nursed back to health. I hope this is helpful!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging from the photos, it appears as though the area around the incision is slightly swollen with a small amount of blood evident. If Mia is otherwise normal and the color of her gums is nice and pink, I would suggest applying some pressure to the incision area and holding this for 10-15 minutes to see if the bleeding stops. With her being hyper, she certainly could have caused a blood vessel in her skin to begin bleeding. If the bleeding does not stop with pressure, I would get her examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the tragic lose of your dog Luna! What a terrible thing for you and her have to go through! Sadly I can't speak on behalf of what did or didn't happen at your Vet. A spay is a MAJOR abdominal surgery. The dog needs to be strictly exercise restricted at home for 10-14 days, this means no running, jumping, no playing with other dogs, leash walks only. If they exercise too much the internal stitches can fall apart and allow the internal organs to come out. Also the dog should wear an E-collar or a T-shirt to prevent chewing and/or licking of the incision as the dog can chew it open and cause the dame thing. They should also be kept indoors for the recovery period as well. Despite the tragedy of this situation, you should calmly speak to your vet about your interpretation of the what was or wasn't said at discharge after surgery and what can be done to better improve communication with post surgical patients. You constructive criticism may be able to prevent this from happening to someone else. Again I am so sorry for your loss. I hope this helps in some way.

It does happen that some dogs will have a small amount of discharge from the vagina [after being spayed](https://www.petcoach.co/article/surgery-on-your-pet-what-to-expect-before-and-after-the-pro). If your dog is behaving otherwise, I would advise you to monitor her at home. However, if she is lethargic, weak, has pale gums or is passing a large amount of blood, you should take her back to your veterinarian or to the nearest veterinary ER immediately. [Rest her](https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-ways-to-rest-your-pet-after-surgery-or-injury) as mush as possible to aid in recovery.

The image shows no drips or tracks of blood. This may be some normal post op discharge. If she will allow, you can use a plain, unscented baby wipe to gently clean around the incision. Keep an e-collar (cone) on her and restrict her activity to just leash walks for elimination. Avoid or prevent running, jumping, stairs or rough play as much as possible. If she has a crate, consider crating her for the night. Monitor for active bleeding, discharge, lethargy or pale gums. If any of these develop, she should be seen by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER.

Most dogs are in heat for an average of 2-3 weeks. Keep her away from any intact males during this time. The surgery itself will likely take 20-30 minutes (o complete. She isn't too small or too old. Your veterinarian may recommend pre-anesthetic blood work and a pre-anesthetic exam to confirm good health. Recovery will take about 2 weeks. Try to limit excessive running, jumping or rough play. These activities could place undue stress on the incision and prolong recovery. A crate can be used if necessary. She will probably have an e-collar (cone) on when she is discharged to prevent licking or chewing of the incision. You should get complete discharge instructions from your veterinarian when you pick up Precious.