Hi, My 2 years old black lab Daisy was spayed on Tuesday. She returned from the vet and appeared ok. She ate a small meal later that day and, although quiet, did not give us any particular cause for concern, although she was finding it hard to control her pee. The next day she also seemed quiet, but we put this down to the operation, but in the evening she was sick and shortly afterwards when she went out for a widdle she suffered muscle spasms in her shoulders and had to be carried in. I took her temperature which was normal and she was drinking. The next morning I took her straight to the vet - her wound was fine and her vitals seems ok too. The vet gave her an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and pain killer and said to phone him at 6pm when she should be 'better'. By 5pm she did look a bit perkier and was able to eat a few tiny pieces of chicken, but the spasms continued. At 8pm the spasms seemed to be in her eyes and her body generally so we called emergency and took her to the vet again. He gave her cortisone and said to take her back tomorrow morning as he proposed to put her on a drip (no one was there overnight). I suggested to him that it might be some sort of neurological disorder and he said maybe, but everything is very vague. Daisy is so petrified of the vet that she actually managed to jump into the car to come home and I am really worried that leaving her at the vet again may not actually be the best thing, although obviously I am desperate to help her. Please can anyone with a similar experience let me have their thoughts. I have searched the internet but cannot find much on the subject of post operative neurological complications. Daisy was such a crazy, high speed version of a lab..... as my daughter said early, we just want crazy Daisy back. Thanks for any feedback....
Hi Sue, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. Many dogs will be upset about visiting the vet after going through a major operation. In this case, I think it's really important that you follow your vet's guidance closely, and don't let Daisy's natural and understandable fear after her experience put you off leaving her at the vet, if that is the best course of action for her medically. If you have concerns about this particular vet, or find them hard to talk to, it might help you to get a second opinion. Is there another vet nearby that you could talk to about Daisy?
Hi, thanks for your message. But this is not a reaction to Daisy's fear of the vet. She is rendered incapable of walking and you can see/feel the muscles in spasm, even the muscles on her head and her eyes - she is not just trembling. It happens mostly after she has moved from her bed for a drink or a wee, or even turning around in her bed. The vet has given me some more cortisone this morning - it is very frightening for Daisy and for us to watch. I am not sure you have grasped the problem. She cannot move without her muscles going into spasm..... I am just hoping that I am not misunderstanding what is happening to her - I have seen seizures in dogs and I do not think this is quite the same.
Hi Sue, I understand that the symptoms are not to do with Daisy's fear. My point was just that you shouldn't let her fear stop you from leaving her with the vet overnight if that is what is needed for them to assess or treat her. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear, you must be so worried. The symptoms sound horrible. Was the vet able to better explain what he thinks is happening this morning?
No, the vet doesn't seem to know. He knows that I am worried because we lost Daisy's father last year from Renal failure (he was nearly 16). He had seizures which were similar. She was not at all bad when we first picked her up from the vet, other than she did a wee on the vet's floor, which she NEVER did before. It all seemed to come about some time after arriving home. I was hoping that someone on the net might have experience something similar and could shed some light on the situation.
