Any vets about? Lump under spay scar

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Berthadog was spayed a week last Tuesday (so 12 days ago). She had her first off lead walk on Thu (20 mins of an hour long walk) then two off lead walks yesterday. Last night I noticed a small lump under the scar which is larger today. It's about an inch across and soft, fluid like. Scar has otherwise healed well and she is not bothering with it at all. She is back to full bounce mode. Been on-lead only today but very keen and jumpy and just had to stop her from trying to dig her way to Australia via the children's play area

So, are we ok to leave this and check in with our vet on Monday, or do we need it looked at by emergency vets? If we leave it until Monday (keeping an eye on it obviously) should we restrict her exercise until then?

Any advice gratefully received.

[digerd]

That happened to my little dog a week after spaying. The lump reduced but after 6 weeks she still has 2 little ones at top and bottom of scar which are where where they tied a knot in the stitches under the skin according to the vet.
They don't appear to hurt her when touched.
Was advised not to worry unless they get bigger. The big soft lump was still there 2 weeks after the op before it went down.

[digerd]

ps
I did google it before seeing vet for check up and it said that often happens, which was a relief.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Thanks digerd.

[digerd]

I was worried though and didn't see the vet until 5 days later. She is very small and vet said she still had quite a bit of bruise swelling. Again she didn't flinch when vet felt the whole scar area 12 days after op.
Swelling gone now but took a few weeks.

[TotallyBursar]

The most common thing in bouncy bitches is a seroma. Unless this gets big enough to interrupt wound healing and need to be drained then it will just be monitored. She should still be on restricted exercise to prevent worsening. It sounds like this. As you are doing already - preventing jumping up, stairs if she has to leap up them and lead only, even for wees if she is likely to tear off over a squirrel. It's 5 days before you have healing that can withstand much.

The next two most likely things will be suture reaction or infection. Redness, swelling, discharge, any opening of the wound and temperature (local or systemic temp) are the indicators that you need to seek more immediate treatment.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Just googled seroma, sounds very much like it. There is no redness, no discharge and it doesn't feel hot so not looking infected at all. I think we will therefore put her back on the lead for walks and try and stop her bouncing around the house and garden laughs hysterically then as long as it doesn't get worse we'll check in with vet on Monday morning.

Just how do you stop a bouncy dog from bouncing? She has springs instead of feet.

[TotallyBursar]

I know, it's far easier to say isn't it!

We used it as an opportunity to crack on with training 'all feet on the floor' (slack in getting started there ) no attention when jumping, instead of hand feeding treats drop on the ground, also used lots of food puzzles and scenting games so noses were to the ground to prevent boredom and try and help with the excitable bouncing. Greetings or exciting things done crouched or bending down if she isn't a face basher and lots of calm praise and reward for lying/sitting/whatever calmly. We did whatever things that worked to keep feet firmly on the floor as she found it harder to contain herself & resist the bounce impulse the longer she was on lead only and I didn't want to start barking or whining as replacements.

Main thing is to do your best, it's rare anyone is able to completely unbounce a dog at the same time you stop exercising them. Well, I couldn't anyway yes, I know I should have done it beforehand but any reduction is beneficial.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Thank you Bursar. Her problem is she goes a bit 'hyper' and can't contain the adrenaline levels! Generally when meeting people she's fine most of time, apart from with key people like the dog walker and my mother, but can get carried away when she gets the impulse to play. She will bounce and jump on her own around the garden and tends to bounce through the woods when out rather than running (think gambolling lamb at high speed). I'm intending to try agility with her to try and channel the bounciness but obviously can't do that until she's fully recovered.

We need to contain the boredom through lack of exercise at the moment though and I recognise we need to work harder at that. How do you do the scenting games? She's not massively food driven which makes it all harder.

[TotallyBursar]

We start scent games early here in the house and garden. If she is not at all food driven you can use toys that squeak, soaking a rubber/plastic toy in tuna or other heavily scented water will give a scent that rubs off on floors but in such small amounts only her spectacular nose will know. She'll get it pretty quickly but you do need to introduce the concept of 'Find It' or 'Seek' - we start by using which hand? At about 6 weeks old. Really easy - she identifies the hand with the treat she gets it, if not she doesn't get the treat but gets another try. Then we ask for more complicated actions, nose touch, paw touch etc. This gets her used to finding and having to think and listen.
I would try her with small bits of high value food, chicken, cheese, livercake, when she is likely to be most hungry to see if that will encourage response to food just because it tends to be quicker to treat than to play in repititions. If not no problem. Squeaky toys or a favourite ball will do. You can go from which hand? to under things - so under which cup/bowl and increase the number of empty cups.

Tracking scents are started small and built up - hold her in sit while you place a toy/treat where she can plainly see it. Ask her to find it. Increase the distance from her, let her see, ask her to find it. When you have done enough repetitions for her to twig then make her stay and hide the toy/treat where she can't see but can see you in the general area, ask her to find it - repeat building up the difficulty at her pace. If using a toy always give her a little game when she finds it. Once you are at the stage of hiding it without her seeing where you are lay a little scent trail by rubbing the whatever lightly along the ground, then you can drop this as she learns to search.
Once she is searching well (she has not seen you place the toy/treat and has no scent trail) then you can start doing work in the dark (we usually do this in the evening when nothing's on telly) so she can only use hearing and smell. Flip the lights off and gently throw a treat/toy in so you know roughly where it lands to give her a hand if you need to. Ask her to find it, repeat increasing the difficulty as before.
You can at the same time take her outside to widen the nasal distraction (that's not even a thing I just don't have a better descriptor!) and take it out on walks. She has a job to do and is busy but can't pick up a lick of speed - you control the distance. You can drop things from your pocket behind her, then call her back to quarter an area.
It's usually a couple of 10 minute sessions and you are already have a dog working completely blind. You can also hide food puzzle balls to lengthen her activity and reduce yours (I would put her meal in this) or a kong she can take to bed and chew.
Most people use a different command for food/things and people to help the dog know what you expect it to find. And there must always be something to find if you ask (it doesn't matter if they don't find it, you lead them to it, but it has to be there). Hiding rewards under or in things is great for adding a puzzle - in a pocket with a nose touch, then in whose pocket etc. You can increase the number of items and ask she bring you the right one, place numerous things to be found etc however suits you. It sounds very involved but actually isn't - we chuck a load of bits down and send them off while we are watching tv, I just keep half an eye for one needing a nudge in the right direction and make encouraging noises much like I do with DH

So long, apologies - I started with a list but that was like War and Peace. Hope it's of some use anyway.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

We've just done a brief session with some cheese. She seemed to pick the idea up quite quickly once she got the idea of waiting until being told to find it. Managed to put them in the next room but with her watching the general direction I was going and laying a short scent trail my floor now smells of cheese. Will build up on this each time and try and get her properly searching for it. Thank you.

[TotallyBursar]

Oh great, I'm glad she's picking it up. Sorry about the cheesey floor though! She will be able to smell it without so a trail is just about holding her hand and keeping her confidence up while she learns how to search - you can usually drop them fairly rapidly.

Because I am terribly lazy I ask ours to go and dig out all the abandoned socks when I'm doing the washing, because my DH children seem to think 'anywhere in the same building' is close enough to the washing basket and I cba to hunt them all out. Waft a sock at a dog and shortly will have a mouthful of socks delivered. Bliss.
I also use them to find car keys, remote controls, as mini lie detectors and to cheat at hide and seek amongst other things. Honestly you are training up your own personal assistant

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Socks, fabulous idea! Socks are just about the only thing that does get abandoned in dog permitted areas. Everything else she's prone to destroying, especially if it's fluffy or made of plastic. My house has never been tidier except for the playroom which is dog proofed and therefore looks like a bomb site

[TotallyBursar]

Sounds familiar!

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Just to update. Popped into vets this morning and they were very happy with the way she is healing. She does have a seroma but vet not concerned. We have to keep her on lead for longer walks for a bit but otherwise we can relax. Panic over!

Off to cut up some cheese to hide...

[digerd]

. She'll be fine.