Complications after a spay are more common than one might think. Slatter’s Textbook of Small Animal Surgery reports the following complication rates in the “Ovary and Uterus” chapter:
• 18 percent overall complications in one study.
• 33 percent suture reactions in another one.
Some complications include:
• Hemorrhage (the most common cause of death).
• Ovarian remnant syndrome.
• Uterine stump pyometra, inflammation and granuloma.
• Fistulous tracts, typically due to braided, non-absorbable suture material used as ligatures.
• Ligation of a ureter.
• Urinary incontinence in 11 percent to 20 percent of cases.
• Weight gain of 26 percent to 38 percent.
Additionally, problems related to any abdominal surgery include anesthesia complications, delayed wound healing or dehiscence, incisional infection, self-trauma to the incision and retained gauze square.
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