My puppy was groggy after spay surgery and then died. What happened?

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.

Hello. That would be perfectly fine. Another thing to try is the new, small pouches of broths made for cats now. For my senior cat, I tried all of them & the one she liked the best was a bisque style made for kittens. It only contains about 2 tablespoons but adding it to her regular food really keeps her eating longer. Hope this works for Tony. Take care.

Hello. I am so sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, it sounds like more was going on with your pet than abnormal heat cycles, & it was just poor veterinary care that she woke up in the middle of surgery & needed to be sedated again. Stress & pain may have contributed to her death, but there may have been some other underlying heart disease or cancer present that was just too much for her to recover from. Please accept my condolences on your loss.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If she was bright and happy, and is now lethargic again, one concern is an infection within the abdomen. This is rare after a spay but can happen as a potential complication of any abdominal surgery. I recommend you have Molly back to your vet ASAP, or to an emergency clinic if your vet is closed. They will check her abdomen with an ultrasound to see if any free fluid is present, and will test this fluid if present. They might also do a blood test to look at her white and red blood cell levels. It might just be that Molly needs more pain medications, however we must rule out a 'peritonitis' (infection in the abdominal cavity) first. Best of luck with Molly, I hope she feels better soon!

Hello. I am so, so sorry for the loss of your kitty. There is really no way to know if this was a surgical/medical error, if there was any underlying health concerns, or just really bad luck that she had so many problems after her surgery. Without a necropsy, there is no way to see or understand why this happened. You can contact your state board of veterinary medical examiners & lodge a complaint. They will ask for the surgical records & if something is amiss, they will investigate. That is about all you can do. Again, my condolences on your loss & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The incision looks normal. Her behavior is not. I recommend a recheck exam. She could be painful or could have a urinary infection. If the doxycycline is causing a stomach upset they may be able to switch antibiotics. They can put her on pain medication also to make her more comfortable. I recommend feeding wet food with added water in it so she doesn't get dehydrated. Again most dogs are back to normal in a day or two after the surgery so please bring her in for a recheck to make sure there is no complication. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Luna.

I am so very sorry that Sassy's heart stopped in surgery! Unfortunately, this can happen in surgery, and oftentimes there is no known reason for it. Some reasons that this could occur include development of an abnormal heart rhythm, low blood pressure, low body temperature, or anesthetic depth resulting in inadequate respiratory depth or frequency. Anesthesia and surgery both carry risks, and while it is not common to lose a patient during a routine procedure such as a spay on a young and healthy dog, it does happen. I am very sorry for your loss, please accept my condolences.