# Five days after spay, is this normal?



## SpiralHorn (Aug 31, 2011)

I had Monkey spayed on Tuesday. The incision itself looks fantastic, there is no redness or swelling, and she hasn't been fussing at it very much. 

However, every time she goes to sleep, she shivers. It looks like it's mostly contractions in the abdominal muscles. It's subsided a bit since it started (Wednsday night), but hasn't gone away. I've noticed that it mostly happens when she lays on her side. 

She has thrown up twice, mostly bile with only a couple of pieces of food. The first time was foamy, the second time was green bile with a very small (less than half-inch) hairball. She won't touch her kibble, but she eats the cooked chicken breast I've been giving her. I'm going to get her some canned tomorrow to see if she will eat that. 

Also, I've noticed some pink in the urine clumps when I scooped her litter. I use Swheat Scoop, so the pink shows up pretty well. It's not very dark and there isn't a lot of it, but it's a little alarming. I wonder if it's blood from her vulva just mixing in with her urine when she goes? I'm assuming some bleeding from the vulva is normal, but almost a week after surgery? I just really hope it's not from her bladder. 

Otherwise, she is doing pretty good. Her eyes are bright, her gums are nice and pink, and she isn't lethargic. 

I am going to call the vet in the morning to get his opinion on all of this, but getting any kind of information out of anyone at his office is like pulling teeth. 

I figured I would ask the very knowledgable (and caring) people here. 

Thank you in advanced


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

I would say none of that is normal and you are right to be concerned. Is she on any medications post-op? If this was 24 hours post op and not 5 days I wouldn't be as concerned, but something isn't right. Let us know what your vet says.


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## SpiralHorn (Aug 31, 2011)

They gave her a Metacam shot before they sent her home, but no medicine other than that. 

Now I'm starting to freak out a little. Her symptoms have not been getting worse, but they haven't been getting better either, and I just realized that today is Sunday, so my vet's office is closed. 

I could taker her to another vet, but that may cause a lot more problems than what we're facing right now. I don't know what to do


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

No,this is not normal. I'd have her back into the vet first thing monday morning. Metacam is a hard core pain med. It can cause damage to the liver. I have used it for pain relief for serious surgeries my rescues have had but watched them very closely. To a point of sleeping in my garage next to the kennel to keep checking on them all night.

A friend of mine Mastif died from it after hip surgery. He had a bad reaction from it. Some of my friends wont even use it. For some reason its harder on cats to process I've heard. 

Fingers crossed this turns out OK. If you dont get the answers or serious concern from your vet Id ask around and find out the best cat vet in your area. A lot of vets are good with dogs but not as savvy with cat issues. I worked with all the vets in my area. It took awhile before I found the best cat vet practise in my area. They are gems.


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## SpiralHorn (Aug 31, 2011)

I called the vet's office and left a message. They will be open at 9am Monday morning, and I will definitely be on the phone right away. 

She just peed as I was typing this, I checked it and there seemed to be no blood in it. It didn't have a pink tinge at all. I'm still concerned though, especially about the shivering. 

Also, I just offered her some of her dry, and she ate a couple of bites. Hopefully she'll be able to hold it down. 

I'm kind of stuck with this vet. Honestly I feel so powerless right now, I'm staying with my parents... who live in the middle of nowhere... with very little money and no car, and I'm not the only person who has the ability to make decisions about Monkey, and I hate it so much. My mom doesn't understand that Monkey is more than just a pet cat to me, and I can't get her to understand that this could be a serious situation. I can walk to the vet in the morning if I had to, but I don't have a way of getting anywhere else. I asked my mom if she would take us after she got home from work, and she said she wants to go to the gym and that the vet would most likely book us for 4pm anyway. 

She's already threatened to make me get rid of Monkey. I feel very helpless right now.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Im sorry to read you feel helpless in this situation. No one wants to be backed into a corner or feel like they dont have options.

Could you call friends to come give you a ride? If this vet is the one your stuck with the go in armed for answers. Go in and print out Metacam and its side affects. Ive found when I go into an appointment with printed material backing up my concrns the vet took me more seriously. Print out what a normal recovery is, then in writing list the bad side effects going on with monkey. Keep us posted


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Has she been eating the canned? Just make sure she's at least eating something whatever it is. It's not good for a cat to go without food for long. I'm not sure what else to suggest, but if you're feeling like something is wrong, then getting her to the vet is definitely called for.

I find in these situations where parents think animals are just animals, it's best not to talk to them about it at all. The more you try to convince them, the more they are against it especially if it inconveniences them in any way. 

I agree with Mitts&Tess. Try asking your friends for help or even some like-minded relatives. If not, then it might just come down to you having to walk over to the vet.


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## SpiralHorn (Aug 31, 2011)

I went to see the vet today, they where closed Friday through Monday, and Monkeys symptoms seemed to have been getting better, so I just decided to wait instead of going to another vet. I really wanted the vet who did the surgery to look at her. I was prepared to take her to an emergency vet though if I thought that she was getting worse or if something was really wrong, but thankfully it didn't come to that. 

Over the weekend, she started eating normally again, canned and dry. There hasn't been any more blood in her urine, and she has not thrown up again. She still shakes, but it has subsided a lot. 

The vet told me she's fine. The wound itself is healing perfectly, there is no infection and Monkey hasn't been bothering the stitches at all. He felt her belly and there is some seroma right around the incision-site, but nothing severe or out of the ordinary. He told me that if it get's bigger or doesn't start to go away in a week or so, that I would have to bring her back to get it drained. 

He explained to me that the bloody urine was most likely blood from her vulva mixing, and that it's normal. I actually thought that might be the case, since it went away so fast. She doesn't have a UTI. I asked him about the Metacam, and he told me that the vomiting could have been from that, but since her symptoms went away on their own, not to worry. He told me that most animals that have a sever reaction to Metacam usually already have underlying liver or kidney problems. 

As far as the shaking goes, he explained to me (with a drawing and all) that sometimes the end of the cervix that is left behind can sometimes stick to the inside of the body cavity as it heals, and that if the cat moves and it gets pulled, that it can be painful. He said that another cause could be that the inner most stitches are rubbing against or poking something like the intestines, which can also be painful. He also told me that shaking after surgery is sometimes how cats cope with the pain and trauma, and that it's not unusual. 

I'm going to keep an eye on her, and if the shaking doesn't go away or get any better by the end of the week, then I'm going to call him again. What he says does make sense to me, especially since Monkey is showing no other signs of distress or pain, but I'm still going to keep an open mind that it could be something else. 

He could tell that I was distressed over all of this so he was very patient with me, but he kind of has the "it's just an animal" attitude, so it can be kind of frustrating. I made sure though to ask him a lot of questions and to make it clear that I wasn't leaving there until I got a reasonable answer. The sad thing is, he is probably the most considerate person at the practice. It's a family run place, and everyone there has a kind of flippant attitude. His wife is the worst, she always acts like she's being bothered when she talks to customers. 

Hopefully this is the last time Monkey has to see a vet in a while, and once I'm out on my own, I will look for a different vet. I really want one that says "hi, how is everything going, any concerns?" even on a routine check up. Is that asking too much? 

Thank you guys for your advice and concern. It means a lot


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## Beckie210789 (May 9, 2011)

I went through a menagerie of vets when I was living a county away from where I am now, trying to find one who understood my concern for my animals, and I was truly blessed when I moved and was referred by one of my clients to the vet I have now. They are definitely not as 'cuddly' as I'd like, but they do understand the concern that owners have for the well being of their pets. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my vet specializes in all species of animals, not just dogs and cats. I've seen people come in there with everything from iguanas, guinea pigs, ducks, hens, turtles etc. And they get the same caring manner that I do with my cats when I bring them in.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Thank you SprialHorn for sharing what your vet told you. My cat Metoo was spayed last Wednesday and she was having Metacam as well. She doesn't like the taste of Metacam and refuse to eat the food with that med in, so I took off the med on Sunday. Metoo vomited today with little food but no hairball, which worries me a bit. I think your experience is quite reassuring to me. Good luck with your Monkey!


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## SpiralHorn (Aug 31, 2011)

That's really cool Beckie, hopefully I can find a vet like that. I've heard that the local Banfield is nice, but I don't know how I feel about going to a "chain" vet. It's nice that your vet will see exotic animals. I know a lot of people who keep and raise exotics like spiders and snakes, and they tend to be a lot more knowledgeable than most vets. I know when I had my fish, the only people who could answer my questions where other fish keepers. 

I think part of why this vet is how he is is that he primarily handles livestock. I don't think he normally deals with people who are overprotective and worry a lot about their animals. Plus, cows and horses are a lot tougher than little kitties.


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## SpiralHorn (Aug 31, 2011)

@YingYing: I found a page on Metacam if you want to know more 01 Meloxicam (Metacam) - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company! I'm assuming that the reason why they throw up is becasue it makes them nauseous. Keep an eye on her though, if she doesn't stop throwing up or if you notice something else is up, definitely take her back to the vet. Mitts is right, Metacam is an NSAID, and NSAIDs can be harsh even on people. I hope she starts doing better, please keep us posted 

(double posting because my allowed time for editing a post has run out, mods please merge if you feel it's necessary. )


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Thanks again for the link! Metoo's breeder warned me before about Metacam, but it's the only painkiller my vet has at that time, and he assured me that the company reduced the dose in the bottle to make it cat-safe. Possibly not true but I didn't have too much option at the time. 

Metoo only threw up once, I'm not sure if its because of the med or possibly I over-fed her that day? My other cat Meatball got spayed two months ago and she was on Metacam for even longer period, and she had no reaction. But considering Meatball is Siberian, the most robust cat breed in the world, I guess she can put up with any crap I give her 

Anyway, Metoo is off Metacam now and she is doing great. Thanks for all the info, and best wishes to your Monkey


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

Has veterinarian medicine advanced in the last 15 years?
When Samantha was spay in Jan 1996 they didn't put a collar on her and they didn't give me any pain meds to give her. 
This was done by my regular vet not a discount spay and neuter clinic.
She was a bit groggy when I brought her home but fine afterward, the only effect was she was a bit miffed by the total belly shave for a tiny incision which took moths to grow back.


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## reando (Jul 12, 2011)

I just had my two girls spayed last week and they stayed overnight. I picked up the next morning. As far as I know they had no pain medication, at least I was not charged for any and no collar either. They were back to themselves in no time.


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

When Ritz was spayed, she was prescribed Metacam but I elected not to give it to her (I'd read horror stories about it). I reasoned any pain she felt was temporary and would go away sooner rather than later. If she had a condition that caused chronic pain like arthritis, I might elect otherwise.
Ritz threw up about two hours after got home, but that was a side effect from the anethesia, and the vet had warned me about that possiblity.
And, yes, I wish I could find a vet who specialized in cats and who understand that people bond to their pets/animals as much (more?) than their own children.


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