# Spay Incision - Something Wrong?



## Magnus89 (Jul 20, 2009)

I had Mirage spayed on the 31st last month at one of those "low cost" clinics - I could NOT afford the $350 USD that every other place was asking for, so we didn't have a choice - and I knew that the care would be close to sub-standard. And it was, they did not inform me that they would be closing her incision with "glue", I would have greatly preferred stitches as I know first hand that they actually work. She also was not supervised and managed to nearly rip her claws out by scratching at the cage - they're still red and brown with blood but appear to be healing.

Anyway, the first night she managed to lick part of the glue off and we immediately ran out and bought a pricey E-Collar (wasn't included in the price, of course). Everything was going good... until today, six days later. She managed to figure out that she could "scrape" the wound and glue with her collar and even lick a part of it... and now she has a slight gap that's scabbed off on the top portion (incision is only 1 inch) - barely noticeable, about 2mm in length across but still worrisome to me - it does not appear, at this stage, to be infected as there is no discharge or swelling - but it is caked with a bit of fresh blood.

I fixed this issue a couple of hours ago by taking a piece of gauze and placing band aids over that to hold it in place (less sticky than that clear medical grade stuff) and wrapping some self-sticking bandage over that around her - not too tightly of course, and it's holding for now. Is this anything to seriously worry about? They told me to NOT put topical antibiotics onto the wound, but I am very tempted to right now because I know that the rate of infection on something like this is very high - especially when considering the poor quality of care these "low cost" clinics offer, they probably use the same instruments over and over without washing them properly. Anyway, the would is NOT deep anymore and her muscle is not exposed and is mostly healed from what I can tell. So, could I put the ointment on and/or around the wound to keep infection a very low possibility now without complication at this time?

Has anyone ever encountered a problem like this - anyone ever had their cat closed with this "glue"? She is my first female, so I really just don't know what is expected and what is dangerous and needs immediate attention, the clinic didn't really elaborate on this too much and neither did their 1 page care sheet.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I have had several spays closed with glue that healed just fine. I had one that did get slightly infected (fat cat) and I really only needed to gently clean/dry it several times a day so it could heal. After 6 days, I'd say quite a bit of healing has probably occured and the tiny (1-2mm) area isn't of great concern. 
Can you post photos?
Can you call and ask a vet? If you are at all concerned about her safety, I'd take her in to be seen. If she appears just fine, just 'worrying at' her spay site...keep the collar on and keep her spay area clean/dry. I know it isn't ideal to cover those wounds, but I think you doing so was a good thing in this situation and as long as you check it daily (and possibly twice daily) she should heal just fine.
Best of luck,
heidi =^..^=


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## Magnus89 (Jul 20, 2009)

Thanks, well I really do want to take her back and have them deal with it (they will do this up to seven days after the surgery) however I can't get her in quickly enough to have them take care of it free of charge by tomorrow (their reception is ridiculous and they never pick up the phone). I don't know if I could afford the $70 our vet office wants to take her in unless I know for a fact that it's turned serious. I correctly diagnosed her with an abscess in October last year, so I know when she's really sick or has a bad infection... but this, I just don't know. I might be worrying over nothing, but like I said, she's my first girl and I just really don't know what is normal and not normal for this specific set of circumstances.

I can try to get a picture up here, but I can't promise it will be tonight. I can try to describe it better now though in case that might help any. Incision is one inch long, bottom half completely unaffected and sealed, top half not completely sealed with 1-2mm wide scab-like development between the folds of skin with no redness, swelling or discharge around the wound - except for very small amount of caked blood (likely from her scraping with the E-Collar), and it appears to be trying to heal again. I know for a fact that her muscles are completely unaffected by this issue - there is no perforation or tenderness into the abdomen at all.

She really isn't acting much different than usual, no lethargy or anything and she is also not behaving the way that she did when she had that life-threatening infection last year. She's fairly comfortable and pain free and willing to jump and play a little bit right now (she's being very, very restricted on this though).

But yeah, so I shouldn't apply the antibiotic ointment then? I've used it plenty of times on both dogs and cats, just never had to use it in this instance before - think it's safe by now? It only says to not apply it if a wound is "deep or a puncture" and it's not anymore, for the most part it's pretty superficial...


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Well...from the description I think it sounds good. Especially the parts about no tenderness, swelling or redness. 
I really don't know about the antibiotic cream. I would *think* if it isn't showing signs of needing an antibiotic cream, I'd just leave it alone and let the skin knit together under the scab. I think the scab works like a bandage to hold the edges closed while the skin underneath knits together. When the skin has knit enough, it sort of 'pushes' the scab off. I would think that using a cream would loosen the scab and not be able to provide the service of holding the skin together. Get what I mean? _I don't know if I'm right or wrong, that is only what I thought goes on under a scab..._


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

Personally I wouldn't put the cream on, just incase it did get down into the would and caused more damage. The would is probably about 1/2 way to being healed now so I'd just keep a close eye on her for signs of discomfort, redness or swelling..
If there is a scab covering where the glue was, I think that's fine but if the wound was open, I would recommend taking her into a vet.


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

they didn't close the incision with glue - just the outermost layer. There are still subcutaneous stitches holding everything "important" together. Plus, at six days out the site should be pretty much healed. The licking and scratching may have just irritated the outside... its pretty common. 

Keep her away from it and keep a close eye on it. Should be fine.

But pictures are always helpful


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## Magnus89 (Jul 20, 2009)

Alright, I'll just leave it be until something changes for the worse. My mom said the same thing happened to her dog - she's had raised sharp points there ever since and has been fine so I might just be worrying over nothing.

But actually, I'm getting more concerned about her nails at this point. They're not healing very well after seven days. Every one of them is cracked or broken off and brown. I *thought* that they had been healing, but... I'm not so sure now. I didn't notice it until pretty much the day before yesterday as I had noticed she had not been extracting them at all, so I know it didn't happen in the car on the way home because they weren't bleeding then or afterward. But she's showing sensitivity there and I don't know if I should try trimming them (if she'll let me), clean them or else just leave them alone. Do they heal on their own like that? Not all of them are broken off and none are missing completely, but some are cracked or else splintered (I didn't notice those ones before today). :?


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

for the most part nails will grow back unless they were completely ripped out - which is pretty hard to do. They may not come in 100% normally or may take some time to get back to normal. Sounds like she did a heck of a number on them 8O 

I would leave them alone for now and give them some time, but also keep an eye on them on a daily basis to make sure they don't look like they are getting swollen or anything like that.


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## Magnus89 (Jul 20, 2009)

I was wrong, and I should have taken her back when I had the chance. Her skin is coming apart at the place that has the 2mm gap. I know what I should do, but there is NOTHING that I can do about this at 1 in the morning. Absolutely nothing. And I can't take her to a vet unless they do it out of the kindness of their hearts at this point because I have NO money at all and won't until mid October.

It's really not looking good now. I just hope that her stitches inside hold and that this heals on it's own. I'm so upset right now.


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## Magnus89 (Jul 20, 2009)

I finally took her in. She managed to deepen the wound despite my efforts and it saved her life and me from being $1,000 or more in debt for major surgery. I have no idea how I am going to pay the $109.50 that I owe in three months before I get turned in to collections, but it could have been worse. They very kindly dropped the procedure charge and only had me pay $75 for the visit, and $34.50 for the antibiotics. And they even threw in a better E-Collar that she cannot escape from or lick her wound through.

They also said the same thing you guys did about the nails - that they are just traumatized but will definitely grow back/heal in time, so awesome job and thanks so much again.


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

I'm glad you took her in too.
Every week you need to pay something on the the vet bill. Five dollars, whatever you can scrape together. It's called a good faith effort. If you fail to do it, even one week, it won't work. Most companies/businesses will work with you if you have shown that you are trying to reduce the debt with regular payments. 

I don't know how old you are, so please don't be offended that my suggestions may not be appropriate for your age. My daughter donates blood/platlets/plasma for extra money. There are limits on how often you can do it, but it might be worth checking out. Babysitting once a week. Mowing lawns or cleaning out flowerbeds.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

My apologies in advance, because I am about to share some things you won't like hearing about.  

First, I am not certain the cheap-spay/neuter-place actually 'botched' the surgery. If you had been able to 100% keep Mirage from worrying at her incision site, then I would certainly be understanding and more suspect of the surgery itself..._but since she was able to worry at her site_, I cannot hold c-s/n-p completely at fault. And according to your breakdown of the costs/services provided, it doesn't sound like they needed to go *inside* again, and the 'repair' was basically a simple external repair to close the skin edges. 
Next, my apologies, but IME veterinary care for anything under $100 to rectify can in no way be classified as life-threatening. It is a basic charge for simple treatment. Standard. I assume no further invasive surgery was involved? If not, then this was a minor fix and not a major one.
Finally, $110 is not the end of the world and I happen to find it _just a bit_ offensive that you are pleading for help for (_what I consider to be_) a small amount. $1000? Yes, I could see someone needing desperate help. $100? Not so much. Here is another "if" that bothers me: If you needed this $110 *_before actual treatment_* to save your cat I would be more sympathetic to your plight, but the vet gave you discounted services with three months to repay it. 
Pull yourself up and earn the money to pay for the care this vet gave your cat.
Now, I am not completely heartless and I understand you are out of work, but _you have three months to change that_: you could find a job, you could earn money doing some odd-jobs or you could eBay or Craig'sList some items for money. In addition, there is Care Credit which is a charge account you can charge medical/veterinary care onto. What I find so objectionable with this situation, is someone has a bill to pay and is asking for help...before even taking any steps to help themselves. Sorry, that just doesn't inspire me to give anyone money.
I have given you some ideas to help you earn some money and/or be able to charge the amount and make small payments, and I hope some of those suggestions are able to work for you.
I am very happy your kitty's incision site has been repaired and she will recover.
heidi =^..^=


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## Magnus89 (Jul 20, 2009)

I never claimed that they had botched the actual procedure internally, but they certainly did not close the wound well enough to have not resulted in her abdomen completely opening up to her muscle layer – and that IS negligence and a botched part of the procedure. She was not allowed to directly make contact with the wound nor was she able to do anything with it that would have caused this to happen – I was watching her diligently, and did keep her from moving overmuch. She did not cause this to happen – what I mean by “she’s managed to deepen the wound” is that her basic movements to walk and lay down were too much for the shoddy incision closure to handle and it finally gave out.

The glue they used on her was applied very sparingly and came off partially the very first night – I thought that it was supposed to have done that as they told me it should gradually wear itself off – and it did, it just happened a lot more quickly than it should have. And only the middle section had this stuff covering it and not the rest. I was told by the E-Vet that this was not normal and should never have been allowed to happen.

The E-Vet also said that if I had not brought her in that the wound likely would have perforated all the way and that her guts would have fallen out, and that by the time we would have found out it would be too late (intestines swell and shut down resulting in death very quickly when outside of the abdominal wall). It opened up a LOT more that night before I had a chance to get back on here to report this and that is why I deemed it necessary to rush her out to them in the middle of the night.

They did not have to go in and open her up to fix this because they chose to close and solve this issue with surgical grade staples instead of sutures, and they are holding superbly.

Lastly, I am only 19 years old and I have not had a single spot of work or income in over 12 months as I have been laid off, without unemployment or anything to help get me through at all. My parents are also both laid off, $100.00 to me is like $10,000 in dept to someone else with a job and the certainty that they will be able to pay it when they have to. California is dried up and every other person here is out of work as there are very limited jobs left (3,000 people showing up at interviews for only 8 positions!) and everybody is suffering financially – my family included. But thank you for pointing that out to me. The problem has been solved and I will somehow come up with the money necessary.


Thanks again everyone, this issue is solved and she is doing great now.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Please accept my apologies, I was not aware of the dire circumstances you and your family face. I am sorry for being harsh with my criticism.  
Heidi


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