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I took my dog in last week to be spayed and she didnt make ...
Sent to Dog Experts October 03 04:09 PM

I took my dog in last week to be spayed and she didnt make it. They said she died in recovery.What could have caused this??

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $20
Answer
October 3 4:22 PM (13 minutes and 41 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
I am so sorry to hear of your loss of your pet. Its very uncommon for a pet to die during spay or neuter surgery but sometimes it happens. Usually the problem is a bad reaction to the anesthesia. If you did not do pre surgery bloodwork it might be that she had an undetected issue with the kidney's or liver or heart function that didn't allow the med to be cleared fast as it normally is. Some dogs just have a reaction to anesthesia similar to what can happen with people where their bodies just won't tolerate it.
Another issue is that sometimes dogs sneak and eat something including a stool prior to surgery and if the dog vomits this up in reaction to the anesthesia it can aspirate fluids into its lungs causing its death.
If she was a small dog sometimes they get so chilled during surgery that their body can't handle the anesthesia. With other dogs there is a sudden drop in blood sugar that leads to the pet's death.
Stress and fright can have an impact on the body's ability to handle surgery too.
You should ask your vet directly to give you a cause of death. If you were too upset to ask at the time you most certainly can call and ask that the vet call you and explain what happened.
If you have not seen this site www.petloss.com and the rainbow bridge story it may bring you some small comfort.
Again I'm so sorry for your loss.

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NancyH -- Dog Expert:Rescue, Train,Breed,Care100% Positive Feedback on 13668 Dog Accepts
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October 4 11:46 AM (19 hours and 23 minutes and 34 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: Thank you for the quick reply. I did request to have them do a autopsy and that is going to be done today by a Doctor that didnt do the procedure. The probem we have is when we originally got the call the one Vet said there was excessive bleeding and she didnt make it. When we actually went in and we talked to the Owner (main Vet) he said that she made it through surgery and was in recovery when she stopped breathing. He said she was doing ok and then he turned around and saw he tognue was purple and he tried what he could but could not bring her back.

He said that they could do a autopsy but it probably wouldnt show anything. We told him we needed it for the breeder just in case it was her heart.

The other thing that sorta shocked my is that he is going to replace the dog. She was a pure bred German Shorthair Pointer, she was 6 months old.

Any other information you can give me would be greately appreciated.

Do you think he should give us a cause of death??? He said he didnt know what hapened. Do you think the autopsy will show anything???

Thank you for your help, she was a sweet thing and this never shouldhave happened to her
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
October 4 11:55 AM (9 minutes and 10 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
It could have been a heart issue and excessive bleeding would have done it too. You might want to ask the breeder about anyone else having problems with dogs not making it through spay or neuter surgery. Von Willebrand's Disease is a possibility too as Type II VWD is reported primarily in German Shorthaired Pointers and this is an inherited bleeding disorder.
Surgery is a systemic shock. Most people and most animals can handle it fine but there is always a possibility they won't.
I think you need to have some discussion about possibilities with the breeder and I think its really good of the vet to replace the dog for you. I'm sure they are as unhappy as you are about losing a patient though they aren't as deeply emotionally involved with your pet they do care about losing one unexpectedly.
You might suggest they check heart and blood clotting values as the breeder apparently does worry about the heart and the VWD is known to occur in the breed.


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NancyH -- Dog Expert:Rescue, Train,Breed,Care100% Positive Feedback on 13668 Dog Accepts
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October 4 12:01 PM (5 minutes and 33 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: Thank you again for the quick reply

The first thing we did was call our breeded to ask if there was any history of heart problems and he said no. He said he has never had any problems with any of his dogs..

Should I contact the vet and have them check the heart & blood clotting???

Denise
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Reply
October 4 12:03 PM (2 minutes and 11 seconds later)
         
Do you think they would have a cause of death????

Denise
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Answer
October 4 12:09 PM (6 minutes and 28 seconds later)
         
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NancyH -- Dog Expert:Rescue, Train,Breed,Care100% Positive Feedback on 13668 Dog Accepts
30+ yrs dog vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior & training, responsible show breeding, genetics
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