Taggart Is Not Feeling So Good

[Varga]

He was neutered today but unfortunately it didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped :( A few hours after the surgery I had to take him back in because he was bleeding quite heavily inside the incision. The vet opened him up again to stop the bleeding but for some mysterious reason it proved to be quite difficult. The vet said that he might have that disease where the blood won't clot... hemophilia? I'm sorry, I don't know what it's called in English. We just call it "bleeders disease" here.

Anyway... basically every time the vet stopped the bleeding in one place, it started bleeding somewhere else, so the second surgery took several hours. It was horrible. The vet had to give him more and more anesthesia to keep him unconscious and I felt positive that he was going to die right there on the operating table :(

Luckily that didn't happen but when the vet stitched him back up again he still wasn't sure that all of the bleeding had stopped. He did leave a hole in the incision tho' so if it continues bleeding it will hopefully run out that way and not swell up inside the skin.

So yeah. Not very happy news but I decided to post here because I know that other doglovers will keep him in their thoughts and help me wish for a quick and complete recovery.

He finally peed just a couple of minutes ago, and drank some water, so I'm feeling more optimistic than I have all day. He also finally stopped crying and seems a bit more relaxed, so that makes me very happy.
Fortunately I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, so I'll be able to keep a close eye on him if he starts feeling worse again.

[chocolatepuppy]

Oh no, poor Taggart. Many prayers he will be okay and feeling better soon.

[Ginger's Mom]

:( More prayers and hugs being sent out for Taggart. I hope he is feeling better today, and on his way to recovery. Will he have a follow-up visit with the vet? I know that doesn't normally happen with a neuter, but considering his complications I didn't know if they would have him come in a week or whatever. Please keep us updated.

[Varga]

He's doing better today. Drinking more water but he's not very interested in his food. He'll eat treats with the usual enthusiasm tho' so I'm going to buy him some canned food and hopefully that will help with the appetite.
There hasn't been more blood, so that's very good. The scrotum is still very swollen however but at least it hasn't gotten worse than it was yesterday, so I've just been instructed to keep a close eye on it.
I'm keeping in touch with the vet and he was nice enough to call me early this morning and ask how things were going. There is a chance that the pain killers are the reason that the blood wouldn't clot, so for now Taggart hasn't been getting more of those. I hate knowing that he can't get anything for the pain but so far he seems relaxed enough, so hopefully we'll manage without them.

Thanks for the prayers and hugs :love:

[RockyRoad]

Sorry to hear that Taggart`s operation didn`t go as smoothly as planned. But glad to hear that he`s feeling a little better today. :) Prayers are on the way for Taggart`s full recovery. {{Hugs}}

[pitc9]

Oh no... I'm so sorry to hear Taggart's surgery did not go as planned.

Glad to hear there's been no more blood and I hope he keeps feeling better!

It's called Von Willebrand's Disease.
(at least that's a bleeding disorder, I don't know if that's what he has)

[dreamparkingspace]

Did you take him home just a few hours after the surgery? I remember when Hector and Shawnee got fixed the vet required them to stay overnight. I don't know anything about blood diseases though, but hopefully it's nothing serious. Hang in there. I'm sure the vet knew what he was doing. Feel better poochy.

[4 Dog Mother]

I am so sorry that Taggart did not come through the surgery well. I hope now the bleeding is stopped for good and he will continue to get better and better. You and your pup will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[Varga]

Thanks again for your thoughts guys. It's good to know that other people understand your worry :D

Taggart is still doing better. I bought some Aloe Vera spray and I think that has really helped with the healing.

He's still not entirely back to his old self tho'. He keeps doing this weird thing where he walks, then sits down, walks, sits down etc. etc. Obviously it hurts him to walk (which is understandable!) but I don't know if it's normal to expect that or not. Most sources I've read online just say that the dog is back to his old self in a few days and usually people have trouble getting them to keep still :confused: So yes. That's quite worrisome, since Taggart prefers not to move around too much at the moment. He did still greet me with the usual enthusiasm when I got home today (well... except for the cone collar getting in his way), so it's not like he's totally lethargic. But he still lays down most of the time and doesn't follow me around like he usually does.

@dreamparkingspace: Yes. I took him home right after the surgery. I did that with Tiki and Leo too. I don't know why but that's just how the vets do it here :confused:

[chocolatepuppy]

Good to hear Taggart's doing a bit better. Hopefully he'll be back to his old self in no time.

[Ginger's Mom]

Glad to hear that Taggart is feeling better. I thought about him this morning, so I was glad to see that you had updated. It has only been four days, but I don't think I would let the sitting go for much longer, I don't think any swelling or discomfort should last much more than 7 days. But maybe I am just impatient at waiting for things to heal.