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Post-spay recovery

2138 Views 22 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  94Magna_Tom
Noodle had her spay on Monday, and the surgery was successful but her recovery has been a little bit difficult, so I thought I’d share.

On Tuesday evening, she started vomiting, which isn’t that unusual for Noodle, but it kept happening repeatedly through the night and so was worrying. Then on Wednesday morning the vomiting was joined by some serious diarrhoea (again repeated throughout the day). So we went back to the vet, who thought she seemed fine but gave her different pain relief, in case she was having a reaction.

Fast forward to Wednesday night and it still hadn’t stopped - then she threw up bloody vomit! I panicked and called the emergency vet, who said she was basically (as I understood it, at least) wearing away her stomach lining by being sick so much. So she’s now had an injection to stop her being sick for a while and has a few other medicines to take.

In the meantime, I’m emotionally exhausted and have had to stay up through some of the night to keep feeding her and dealing with the diarrhoea (although at least there’s two of us, so we did manage to take the night in shifts). Then this morning the injection wore off and she was sick again, so I’m also feeling quite anxious for the day ahead. Sorry for the long post - I just thought it might make me feel a bit better to share!
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That all sounds horribly upsetting and exhausting. Anti-nausea meds and a bland diet should help - I have had good results with Royal Canin Sensitivity canned, although good old rice and chicken congee may be possible with stuff you already have to hand. You will know about the importance of keeping up hydration levels - a little plain, unsalted stock from boiling chicken breasts can make water more attractive.
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Oh my I'm so sorry to hear this. She may need another anti nausea medication and something for the diarrhea . Perhaps she can handle the pain meds?Or very likely it is a reaction to the anesthesia she was given. For me and I'm not a medical person I'd put her on small meals of boiled chicken (boneless skinless breast) or lean ground beef and boiled white rice. I'd probably keep her on this until I saw her stool firm back up, for my dogs it usually takes a few days then slowly add back her normal food. I'd feed her small meals at a time so that she doesn't have too much on her stomach. You can also give her some ice cubes to lick on to help her stay hydrated. I'd also stay on speed dial with her vet most importantly and not let them shrug it off. Post surgery complications are serious. I hope one the day you see a big improvement or I'd be back at the vet.
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Poor Noodle. Sorry I can't add any advice but hope Noodle recovers soon.
I hope Noodle gets better soon, and it's only minor. For the diarrhea you could try pumpkin.
Praying for her.
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear, this is hard on you and on Noodle. I hope this ends soon so Noodle can focus on healing.
I would boil up some bones. Since she is fine with chicken, use chicken bones, but if you know she has no reaction to other meats, use them also. Let the bones simmer for 8 hours, or at least until the softer parts are breaking up. Are away her water so she will drink the broth. The collagen from the bones will help to heal her stomach.
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Also, if you are cooking rice for her, use the broth instead of water.
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Yes, do let us know how she’s doing when you can. Poor Noodle.
Thank you everyone for being so supportive and sending some advice - I actually feel a little bit overwhelmed by the amount of support on here <3

I’ve never made a chicken broth before (I usually cook it in the oven) but I’m going to try boiling it tonight to see if I can use it to persuade her to drink a little bit more. I’ve also been given some of the Royal Canin food @fjm mentioned - this has been the only thing that Noodle’s been willing to eat last night and this morning, but now she’s decided she only wants chicken instead (typical picky poodle!).

Since being sick at 5am this morning, she’s actually managed to keep everything down so far today! I had another chat with the vet on the phone, who said that the injection should still be working as it lasts 24 hours. So I’m not actually sure whether she’s not being sick because she’s feeling better or whether it’s the injection, but it’s still giving her stomach a break so I’m happy!
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This is good news. :) Peggy didn’t do well on rice or pumpkin. But plain chicken seems to do wonders. Of course this varies from dog to dog.

I would simmer a bone-in skinless chicken breast or whole carcass (no spices, but maybe a little salt depending on what your vet says) for a few hours and then let her lap up the water.
Thank you for the update, and I'm glad Noodle is ok even though she's not feeling her best. :) If you don't want to make the broth, there are a lot of premade brands out there, like the Honest Kitchen's which comes in powdered form and you just add warm water to it. Please give Noodle some pets for us, and continue to keep us posted.
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Good to hear she is rather better, and keeping food down. Hope you all have a more comfortable night tonight.
You don't need to boil the chicken, just the bones. You an take the bones after the chicken is cooked, in fact, and add the juice.
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My mpoo had a reaction to the pain medicine after her spay. We were able to pick up some medication for her tummy and some special bland food from the vet. It worked. I was afraid to finish the pain medication—she had a laproscopic spay so she did not seem to be in much pain. I just kept her quiet and gave the tummy medicine. I can’t remember the name of the pain medicine—but tummy upset was one of the side effects.
That sounds like a rough experience. It sounds like momma's tlc is helping her feel better.

Keep in mind you will have to take her to pee sooner, just like water, if you present her with broth.
Thank you everyone! Noodle was doing quite well yesterday and this morning, but unfortunately at lunchtime she threw up bloody vomit again.

So back to the vets we went! From the sounds of things, they suspect that she might have a stomach ulcer, which they say takes up to 10 days to heal. In the meantime, she’s had another anti-vomiting injection and we have more medication for her to take.

It’s taking a little bit of a toll on me emotionally - I think because I thought Noodle was getting better and now I feel like we’ve gone backwards. Also, because she’s still having diarrhoea every couple of hours, we’re still not getting an awful lot of sleep 😞 But it is what it is, I suppose, and hopefully we’ll get through it soon!
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And more hugs from rather closer.
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