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I have a lovely Springer Spaniel who was spayed on Tuesday this week. Prior to this Poppy was a very happy - lively - contented dog of 14 months old. She had her first season mid October 2010.
Having returned from the vets on Tuesday by Wednesday she was starting to show signs of recovery and when I came down to her on Thursday morning she had gone about the house collecting all her toys and placed them in her bed around her - like she was nesting. Today when examining her wound I have noticed swelling nipples and that she is lactating.
I am really worried that I have caused her unnecessary harm through the spaying process - does this sound like a phantom/psuedo pregnancy and are these harmful?
I have spoken to the vet who suggests maybe she was already experiencing a phantom pregnancy before operation and that the operation has unbalanced and brought it on??? She was showing NO signs of nesting/lactating etc prior to be spayed. The vet has suggested an injection to re-address h9ormone imbalance - her appointment is 4.30pm.
My niece, who is training to be a vet has suggested that maybe she has hormone inbalance following the operation. I am worried about possible long term effects to Poppy
Any words of wisdom and help please?
Thanks in advance
Jan
Last edited by jancapri on Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tricky one. If she were my dog I would not go for the injection as it sounds as if her hormones are messed up enough as it is, and pretty soon your daughter will get to a point in her studies where she learns how harmful these injections can be in the long-term.
Could Poppy have been pregnant when spayed?
Otherwise it sounds like an extreme hormonal reaction. Phantom pregnancies are not harmful and if this is one, just let her get on with it and make sure nobody disturbs her "nest" with her toys in, as another effect of progesterone is maternal aggression (this is not anything bad, quite normal, and will self-correct when the hormone levels drop, but you need to be aware of it. She may not like strangers near her, or strange dogs).
My vet says keep exercise levels high and feed less than you would normally, and let her have her toys.
You have done nothing wrong: she was at the right time between seasons for spaying.
This is quite likely to resolve itself. Make sure nobody messes around with her teats or she might end up with an infection.
Take her temperature daily and if it goes up beyond what is normal for her, she needs to go back to your vet.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
I have just returned from the Vets - they have suggested do nothing other than keep an eye on her, support her as post operation needed and it should pass naturally, with milk naturally clearing in 1-3 weeks. Phew
So for now I shall enjoy her being simply more endearing than normal - she really is a gentle bundle of joy and I soo hope this does not hurt her long term ... and she makes a speedy recovery.
