Pyometra?-Owl is home and healing well.-Doing great!

[SQ]

It should be free or if not completely free, the vet should be flexible and let you pay over time since this problem is post surgery.

 

[Squirrel]

I'm sorry to hear about Owl's bleeding. I hope it turns out to not be serious. Bless her little heart. I will be praying for you both. Hugs to you and Owl and thank you for the welcome.

 

[Joanne]

I agree with SQ - since she was under the vet's care and this is right after her surgery, they *should* do a post op check at no charge. I would definitely try and get her in Monday...
Good luck!

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

So far there hasn't been anymore, but it seems off and on. I will try to get her in Monday. Do you guys have any idea why she might be bleeding again?

 

[mamarat]

I'm so sorry for what you're going through, I really wish I could help.

 

[SQ]

The only thing I can think of is that the vet made a mistake that needs to be fixed

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

I'll be taking Owl to the vet at 5:30 today. I asked why they used staples rather than glue, and they said they have had better luck with them. They said they've found rats tend to groom off the glue etc.

In my opinion it'd seem they'd tear out the staples more than they would groom off the glue. Next time I have a rat go into surgery, I wonder if I could ask them to glue it, and to comprise they could put like two staples. I don't know. She said with an incision so large it just holds it together better. But then you see large incisions from tumor removals closed with glue, and the rats do well.

If I were a vet, I would be more than happy to have someone asking me millions of questions. It'd make me feel good to know they care about their pet. When I ask questions all of the time I feel everyone is annoyed.

 

[mamarat]

Fingers crossed for sweet Owl.
I too ask a lot of questions, maybe you got her on a bad day. lol

 

[SQ]

Keep asking questions ....
You never know, not only will you have a better understanding, make better decisions as your pet's advocate, but your questions might remind them of something or make them consider something they hadn't thought of.

I ask a lot of questions too .... I show up with my Rat Health Care book, and my rats health record book with observations, questions & ideas written down so I don't forget.
(I keep a book to record weights, meds, observations, vet visits, etc - comes in very handy when looking back to see previous treatrments and to answer the vet's questions)

As for staples .... my rats will pull out staples, chew out stiches, and chew through their skin to open incisions if glue is used ....stiches seem to work the best in my experience, but I have found giving enough pain meds (& every rat is different) to be the most important factor.

all the best to you and Owl with the vet apointment.
We will be waiting to hear ....

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

Thank you mamarat and SQ.

It's good to hear not everyone thinks glue is best in their experience. It's a bit more comforting. Since my vet is the one doing the procedures, I should trust that she thinks staples are best. Surely at least one of my rats will rip them out, then they'll probably try glue. Never know I suppose. Owls done really well with her staples, really really well, but I can't see a few of my rats tolerating them.

That's a good idea SQ. You actually reminded me that I need to write a few things down to bring up to my vet since I always forget. When I dropped Owl off to be spayed there was a piece of tape that said "Whiskers" on a little bag of food that I forgot to take off. It was to remind me to tell them to cut her whiskers as they curl into her eyes. I was so embarrassed when I was on my way home that I left it there! Until I called and told them, they were probably wondering what the hell? :lol: And I ended up forgetting anyway!

 

[TheRatQueen]

Ugh staples can be sooo nasty. Mortimer has stitches and glue...and he chewed out the stitches right after the surgery, then they stapled a few parts...and he actually twisted the staples into himself! It was such a mess.

 

[coreline]

I hope everything goes well today! fingers crossed!

Ugh staples can be sooo nasty. Mortimer has stitches and glue...and he chewed out the stitches right after the surgery, then they stapled a few parts...and he actually twisted the staples into himself! It was such a mess.

ugh, I've never had staples with my rats but this is exactly what I would worry about. that must have been awful to deal with!

I'm not the biggest fan of external stitches, but I'd by far prefer them with rats over staples.

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

Alright, so back from the vet. They said Owl looks really good, and she's gained about 20g. I mentioned the bleeding and my vet said she would expect that. So I suppose I'll just keep an eye on her, as that's all I can do.

 

[Joanne]

I'm glad your vet isn't worried about it. Keep a close eye on her, watching her not only for more bleeding, but also how she is acting. She should be getting brighter and better every day. Her appetite should be good. If she seems sick or lethargic or depressed, she should be seen right away.

 

[mamarat]

I hope Owl gets better and better. Did the vet say why she expected bleeding?

 

[SQ]

:yeah:

and how long does she expect the bleeding to last?
(What if Owl loses too much blood and goes into shock?)

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

I didn't ask how long, but she did say why she expected it, but I can't remember exactly. I believe she mentioned the stump and how it's probably just clearing out. I might be off, I don't know. If this makes sense, to me it sounds like she meant there could be some of the infection in the stump still just clearing out. Does that makes sense?

I don't know what to think.

 

[hopefloats]

To me it seems off. The only bleeding I ever seen from a spay was frrom the incision not vaginal. I had an espay with a stuck baby and she didn't bleed. Neither did my ggirls who were spayed for bleeding. I have some boys who bleed but they haave bleeding issues. And that is only a few days. I just can't understand why she would be bleeding still, did she give you antibiotics for this?

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

I haven't noticed any bleeding today, but I never know if she will again. Either way isn't all we can do is watch it for now? I can't afford another surgery, and don't want to put her through something exploratory unless necessary. Owls been on Baytril and Flagyl.

 

[jorats]

Yes, the stump can definitely have some infection, maybe residual. She's currently on meds now? That would help for sure.