# hernia after spay surgery



## Lilly

My kitten Lilly went to get spayed on November 3rd. She is feeling fine and seems to be doing ok.
After the surgery the area around the incision was swollen. I even called the vet back about 2 days later to ask if this was ok. It has now been almost 2 weeks. The area around the incision is a golf ball size lump!
I called the vet tonight, she said Lilly probably has a hurnia! She said I should make Lilly another appointment to be looked at. I did, however they are a traveling clinic and will not be back until December 8th.
I was so "flustered" when I was on the phone, because I really did not expect anything to be wrong. I forgot to ask important questions like can Lilly die from a hurnia. I am going to call back in the morning for more info. 
Has anyone ever heard of or had experience with this sort of thing? I am so worried about her!


----------



## Aonir

Say **** to waiting for them and take your cat to another vet ASAP. I've never heard of it, but it sounds bad


----------



## Raina_Stardust

I know it sounds horrible, but a hernia isn't -usually- life threatening or very dangerous. It is a hole in the wall of muscle protecting her 'insides'. The stitches didn't hold from her spay and need to be repaired. I would take her to another vet ASAP because the lump could be from a loop of intestine and left too long the intestine could die resulting in a more complicated(and expensive) surgery to repair it. Good luck to you and Lilly.


----------



## Lilly

Lilly goes to the vet tomorow morning tro get her hernia fixed. I am a little scared for her, but glad it will be over soon.
Now we noticed yesturday one of Minnies kittens has a hernia! It is in the same place as Lillys is. She is only 6 weeks old and has not even been fixed.
The vet told me that what Lilly has was probably already there before her surgery, we just did not notice it before. It is called a belly button Hernia. That is what I belive this kitten has as well. I tried to call the vet back yesturday and still havent heard back from her yet.
I am really hopeful I can takethe kitten to get it repaired in the morning as well...I dont know if she is to young though. I am going to try to call the vet back agian..though it is Sunday she may be out of town and that is why she did not return my call yesturday.
Do you think if I do not hear from the vet I should just take the kitten with when I take Lilly? I dont know if this is appropriate because this is a traveling clinic and they have alot of cats to spay/nueter in one day!
I am very worried about the kitten, I dont know how I can give her to anyone with a medical problem..so I think I am going to keep her. I feel even more sorry and scared for her because she is so little yet.


----------



## Aonir

Lilly said:


> I am very worried about the kitten, I dont know how I can give her to anyone with a medical problem..so I think I am going to keep her. I feel even more sorry and scared for her because she is so little yet.


I think kittens do that to us on purpose, lol. I'm keeping a kitten because it has a serious medical problem. :lol: 

I'd sugest calling your own vet instead of a traveling vet about the kitten. Personal vets are more concerned about the health, traveling vets goals are to spay/neuter as many animals as possible(which is great!). A personal vet will look at the kitten AS a kitten. Kittens shouldn't be put through surgery til 5-6 months - unless it is really needed.


----------



## stormy

hi lilly,
my cat stormy was born with a hernia, (she is now 7 years old)
the vet just had her wait until i had her spayed and fixed the hernia at the same time, which she had done when she was 10 months old. and she recovered nicely.


----------



## shlanon

stormy said:


> hi lilly,
> my cat stormy was born with a hernia, (she is now 7 years old)
> the vet just had her wait until i had her spayed and fixed the hernia at the same time, which she had done when she was 10 months old. and she recovered nicely.


You have a Stormy? _I_ have a Stormy too!


----------



## Lilly

Welcome to the forum stormy!
I have talked to the vet on the phone today. She reassured me that the hurnia is not life threatning in the immediate future. Although not particulary comon, belly button hernias are not uncommon and the commom procedure is to keep an eye on it and fix it when she has her spay surgery.


----------



## kitkat

Good luck on the surgeries Lilly! :lol:


----------



## Jeanie

Of course you're worrying! That's what mommies do. Just keep your eyes open and keep the vet informed if there's a change. Keep us posted, please!


----------



## Lilly

Well Lilly is home from surgery. She is still under the influence of her anestisia, so she cant really even walk. I have her shut away in my bedroom with her litter and food/water. I want her to stay as quiet as possible. Her belly is once agian full of stitches, They put them on the outside and the inside this time, last time it was just on the inside. I feel so sad for her that she has to be hurting.

The kitten will go with her mommy to get fixed in a month. She will be only three months old. The vet told me that it is ok to fix her then. I always heard 6 months old, but the vet said that is only a myth. She said you can fix them at 8 weeks old and the surgery and recovery is very very good. I tend to belive her because she has done thousands of surgeries.
They wilkl just fix the kittens hernia at the same time as her spay surgery.


----------



## Jeanie

I think there are varying opinions on that. You should do what a trusted vet recommends. It hasn't been terribly long since the shelter in Pittsburgh had us take the kitten back in at six months for spaying, so it's not so much an old wives' tale as it is a practice that is changing. I think she'll be fine. 

We took in a stray-at about six months old, and she kept getting fatter and fatter-and young as she was, she had a litter of six live kittens and one that got stuck. We took her to the vet, had the dead kitten removed and had her spayed. The vet allowed us to take her home earlier than usual to care for her babies. Even with all six nursing, she had no problems!


----------



## Lilly

Wow! 6 months is very young for kittens. Lilly is 7 months and still so much of a kitten, I cant imagine her taking good care of a litter. I guess it varies by cat though, personalities and all that.
I always had heard 6 months was the age to get cats fixed. This is the age I have always done so. The only reason I would really consider getting the little kitten fixed earlier is because of her hernia. It worries me that she has this and I would like to fix it as soon as possible. Even though they said it isnt threatning.
It is so hard for me right now because my husband has been laid off, on and off for the last 6 months. He just got laid off agian this morning and now we are going to be scrambling to buy christmas presents. I would love to be able to take them all to my regular vet and then Lilly would probably not have had to go back today to have her hernia fixed, it would have been fixed the first time. Also I could take the kitten in and get her hernia looked at by our regular vet. Hopefully by spring he will be working full time agian and I wonth have this problem. He understands that the animals health is important and he loves all my animals, however he tends to get upset when I spen alot of money on the animals. 
I hope that everything will go ok for the kitten when she goes to the vet to get fixed, I am sure she will be fine. The kitten and Minnie both go to get their surgery on January 5th.


----------



## Jeanie

Lilly, we were guessing Checkers' age, because she was a stray. I think she got out during her first heat and got lost. My kids found her up a tree. She did a good job, but the kittens all died, except one. She was black and white and had one that looked just like a Panda Bear. I resuscitated Panda Bear three times before he finally died. My heart was broken. Checkers didn't like me, but the one kitten that survived was the most loving kitten I had ever met. ( I spay at six months also.)


----------

